The CNC lathes from HAAS Automation are fully programmable. Each has a maximum turning capacity of 10.3 x 20 inches and bar capacity of up to 2 inches, so they are flexible and can be adjusted to run almost any size product.

The cutoff machine performs cut-to-length and chamfering operations simultaneously. It has increased Hydro's output from 150 to 600 pieces per hour for an automobile engine mount used by one of the Big Three Detroit automakers.

Solar collection systems

The machines are also being used to fabricate parts for solar collection systems used at commercial power-generation facilities.

"We've been very successful providing precision parts for solar collecting systems, including the Nevada Solar One plant. These machines give us additional production capacity, enabling quicker turnaround so we can further develop our position in this growing market," said Lynn Brown, vice president of sales and marketing for Hydro North America. "We're also expanding into a number of new sectors, working with companies that, like the solar industry, are drawn to Hydro for its engineering expertise."

The Guaymas plant is located 385 miles south of Phoenix, where Hydro operates an aluminum extrusion and drawn-tube manufacturing facility that provides raw material for Guaymas as well as serving a diverse customer base throughout the West. The Guaymas facility covers 90,000 square feet and employs 228 employees in three shifts.

Extrusion Americas is a unit of Norsk Hydro, a Fortune Global 500 supplier of aluminum and aluminum products. Based in Oslo, Norway, the company employs 22,000 in more than 30 countries, and has activities on six continents. Hydro is the world’s third-largest aluminum supplier, the largest single manufacturer of primary metal and extruded aluminum products in Europe, and a leader in delivering innovative light metal solutions to the automotive and building industries worldwide.

In North America, Hydro provides aluminum solutions including supply sourcing, extrusion, finishing, and fabrication of components, as well as engineering and contract manufacturing services, for a variety of industries.