Reata Adds To Its Mazak Machining Centers With The Newest VARIAXIS i-300 “We do the difficult parts that keep our customers up at night” — Grady Cope, Reata Engineering and Machine Works
Part run on the new VARIAXIS i300 AWC machine. The number of operations reduced from 6 to 1 Grady with Intern Yannick Wongphabut from the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus There’s a reason why Reata, after nearly three decades in business, can handle complex and highly engineered parts. “We have the machines, the software, the talent and the processes that equip us to handle these difficult parts,” says Cope. Reata, an ISO 9001/ AS9100 certified company, supports customers in the medical and aerospace industries and delivers complete assemblies and subassemblies. Cope has a background in mechanical engineering, and Reata’s team of engineers works to assist customers with design.
With an education on Mazak technology coupled with Mazak-provided financing, Cope purchased his first Mazak in 2011. “It was a Mazak INTEGREX i-200s CNC Multi-Tasking machine that combines a turning center and machining center for full 5-axis machining and Done-In-One manufacturing,” says Randy Breitenbach, owner of Action Machinery.
Cope believes in the value of adopting innovative new technology. In 2011, he accepted the position of Chairman of the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA), which gave him the opportunity to travel to shops throughout the United States. “All around the country, nearly all of the highly successful shops were focused on automation. They invested in machine tools that afforded them the ability to run lights out, to minimize set ups, and to reduce their workforce needs,” says Cope. He saw the financial and technical benefits of investing in automation first-hand.
Since that first purchase, Mazak has become Reata’s standard for machine tools. Says Cope, “We selected a superior machine tool for our business, one that offers some of the best automation technology around. Mazak machines are just outstanding for hard parts. In our business, consistency with the machining centers and the machine tool dealer we buy from in our shop is beneficial in so many ways.” This consistency helps to speed up training for new employees, who only need to get familiar with one control. Cope also says that creating partnerships with dealers and builders allows for better service and more opportunity to learn about upcoming technology.
During one trip as NTMA Chairman, Cope visited Mazak’s US factory in Florence, Kentucky. During a lunch session he was seated next to Brian Papke, then-president of Mazak’s US operations. “When we talked, Brian asked why I didn’t own a Mazak,” Cope says. When Cope returned to Englewood, the local Mazak distributor, Action Machinery, had a salesperson at his door the next day.
Cope and the Reata team work to stay ahead of the technological curve. One of their recent acquisitions was the Mazak VARIAXIS i-300 AWC (Auto Work Changer), a highly versatile full simultaneous 5-axis Vertical Machining Center with a large tool storage capacity and an automatic pallet changing system.
A2Z Manufacturing Rocky Mountain •
20 July / Aug
2021
