Industrial automation – looking at CNC machine tools in India

This article was first Published in the July issue of the Machinist Magazine, the magazine company of the Times of India Group.

By Tushar Narwade, Motion control specialist, Inovance Technology India

The needs of the Indian machine tool customer

According to a recent report from market research company Technavio, the Indian machine tool market will grow by $1.9bn between 2020 and 2024 – representing a CAGR of 13%. India hosts many small, medium, and large users of CNC technology, in particular machine tool OEMs. And the country’s SME (small and medium sized enterprises) scene is particularly vibrant. Of course, Indian machine tool builders have needs that are specific to the Indian market. Many are focused on cost, but its not all about cost and, to compete, especially if they want to export, Indian machine tool manufacturers also need a technological edge.

Here at Inovance Technology India, we have a strong CNC offering based on our established Power Automation technology. Power Automation was originally a German CNC company founded over 25  years ago in 1993 and acquired in 2018 by Inovance. But the Power Automation brand, and the R&D knowhow that lies behind it, lives on in our product range today. Power Automation is a proven German technology. It is an open PC-based CNC system where one piece of hardware can fit all applications, and where all relevant features are included in the package. Today, as part of Inovance, the combination of Power Automation’s CNC technology and Inovance’s advanced servo package has resulted in a market-leading real-time machine control solution with a range of benefits, such as EtherCAT communications and the ability to back up or restore the drive from the CNC.

Our R&D is second to none, with over 2,500 research engineers based around the world including in Germany and India. Our international R&D teams work together seamlessly on engineering projects. We call thisco-development,and it means that the best technology knowledge and solutions can be gathered from all around the company. And, because of our on-the-ground R&D and product management presence in India, we also ensure that everything is implemented and adapted in a way that meets the needs of the local market. Similarly, our pan-India applications and after-sales and services teams – who are based right across the country in cities from Ahmedabad to Pune – give us direct feedback from the field ensuring we are as close as we can be to the needs of the customer, and that we can provide engineering advice every step of the way.

Additionally, our world-class manufacturing facility is ISO 9001 certified and uses highly automated production lines to achieve the most efficient and high quality outcomes possible. Aside from ensuring that our hardware is of the utmost reliability, our manufacturing efficiency guarantees that product costs are highly competitive.

What’s in a good CNC product

A significant portion of the Indian market builds smaller machines, or needs CNCs for use in cabinets. This results in a requirement for compact products. Additionally, harsh working environments are not uncommon. Our PA9000 compact series is an ultra-small and lightweight EtherCAT CNC, with a passively cooled and rugged design containing no rotating parts. The product is cost-effective, reliable, and compatible with cutting and milling solutions.

Additionally, we offer the MTIO interface – a compact, all-in-one, cost-effective solution that makes it as easy as it can be to build a milling machine due to onboard spindle and handwheel interfaces, as well as digital and analogue I/Os. Finally, the PA9000 panel is an all-in-one CNC for milling, and includes a screen, a keyboard, and a machine control panel.

For me, Indian machine tool OEMs are some of the most innovative companies I’ve seen in the country. I see no reason that the market shouldn’t grow strongly, and ultimately be successful at exporting as well as domestically. And I look forward to working with many such companies in future to bring them the ultimate in CNC capabilities.