Countdown to IMTS 2010: Hardinge

Hardinge Inc. announced that the newest version of the Bridgeport GX-1000 40" x 21" vertical machining center to be displayed at IMTS (Booth S8348) has been designed with the Okuma OSP-P200 Control, drives, motors and encoders. 
 
Rick Simons, President and CEO of Hardinge Inc. commented, "The addition of the Okuma control option for our GX 1000 machine enhances the product offerings for our US distribution partners.  We will also continue to offer the Bridgeport line with the Fanuc i Series control to serve our diversified US customer base. 
 
With a combined total of over 40,000 OSP controlled Okuma machine tools installed; Hardinge's new US distribution network will now be able to serve a broader base of customers with a consistent message of the advantages of OSP controls. "Combining the Bridgeport GX-1000 vertical machining center with Okuma's world leading open architecture control system will enable customers seeking a value priced VMC  to enjoy the productivity benefits of the latest CNC control technology," said Lee Morris, Chairman and CEO of Morris Group, Inc.  "Okuma has been manufacturing CNC controls, drives and motors since 1961 and the OSP-P200 has awesome performance and reliability."
 
The OSP-P200 is a true open architecture Windows™ based CNC control enabling a user to take advantage of industry standard and off-the-shelf plug and play devices by using the onboard Ethernet or USB slots, and because of its open architecture almost any software application can be installed.  In addition to 3rd party software, data and communications between the machine and control are easy to exploit with the documented API set which comes at no additional cost to customers.  Users frequently integrate OSP controlled machines with enterprise manufacturing information systems.  The OSP control comes standard with a 15" LCD touch screen, 512MB of RAM, a 40 GB hard drive and runs the Windows™ operating system.
 
The offering of the OSP control on the GX-1000 has another big advantage for service and support requirements.  With the machine and the electronics both being supported by the distributor, customers have the advantage of a single source supplier.  When a service technician is dispatched, their knowledge on the entire machine becomes invaluable in saving time and expense.