JTEKT Machinery is pleased to announce its partnership agreement with Michael Waltrip Racing.
“Partnering with a top NASCAR team is something we’ve wanted to do for quite some time,” said Tim Leoni, JTEKT Machinery's vice president of sales, “Because of our company’s automotive background, it makes sense that we team up with one of Toyota Racing Development’s top NASCAR outfits. This synergy is something the engineers will immediately recognize in the shop, the crew will feel in the pits, and the fans will see on the track.”
With this partnership, Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) has added four JTEKT Machinery vertical machining centers to its shop floor. MWR selected JTEKT Machienry's FV1165 and FV1565 machines for their 8,000 RPM, geared head spindles and robust construction. Steel parts, such as the spring buckets, center links, and idler arms, are all machined on the boxway series.
“Our tools have to have a long reach to be able to machine around different suspension components,” explained Dale Brown, machine shop supervisor at MWR, “We needed a couple of really good, rigid machines to do some of the heavy machining.”
The two cylindrical roller guideway AQ1050 machines were selected for the shop’s high-speed aluminum applications, such as fire bottle brackets, motor mounts, and considerable amounts of fixturing. The 15,000 RPM spindles and 1,889 ipm feed rates paired well with MWR’s current software to accommodate those parts.
The timing of the JTEKT Machinery installation couldn’t come at a better time for MWR. The end of the racing season is when the shop begins putting in long hours building cars for next year. Brown said the shop is looking forward to improved quality and productivity with the JTEKT Machinery machines. “Everything fits together really tight. It seems to be a really good, quality machine.”
Racing fans are able to see the JTEKT Machinery vertical machining centers preparing for the 2015 season with a tour of the MWR facility in Cornelius, NC. MWR is home to NASCAR’s No. 15 5-hour ENERGY driver Clint Bowyer and the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Brian Vickers. For more information about Michael Waltrip Racing, visit www.michaelwaltrip.com.
