M92 Machine
Meet M92, newly christened at Colon for the machining of RV52, RV53, 325’s, and R400 top castings. Each casting is reamed and qualified before the vent stack is threaded and the vent hole is drilled. Most of this process is automated other than the loading and unloading by the operator. It took nearly 18 months for the Southfield tooling team to design and build M92.
The base of the machine, a Kingsbury machine base, was used during WWII. Founder Frank Kern Jr. purchased it from surplus equipment sales after the war. Weighing in at a whopping four tons, the Kingsbury is a lot of American steel.
After machining the Kingsbury’s surface, the subplates are added along with the index table and aluminum tooling dial plates. The final components are then attached finishing the new machine. The most significant advantage of having a Kingsbury base is that there is absolutely no movement or vibration of the base or its components. This guarantees repeatability and ensures consistent product quality in addition to extending the life of our custom machines.
The M92 replaces the current model 1931 machine (also on a Kingsbury base). One could say the 1931 machine has lived many lives, entering service at Maxitrol in the early 1970s before being repurposed in the late 1980s, although it has been rebuilt several times over the years. “We often joked in the tool room that 1931 was the year it was put into production,” said Scott Slomski, Maxitrol Equipment & Manufacturing Manager.
Both the M92 and the 1931 are true testaments to the longevity and robust nature of machines designed and built by Maxitrol’s production teams. Although it is bittersweet to see 1931 relegated to backup status and eventual retirement, the M92 is ready to meet the next 50 years of demand at its new home in Colon.