The 200,000th Haas CNC Machine

Stay focused and keep building! We’ve produced and installed our 200,000th Haas CNC machine – another major milestone in our history as one of the world’s leading machine tool builders. Our 200,000th machine – a UMC-750SS – was installed at Vineburg Machining Inc. in Carson City, Nevada.


 

How it all Started . . .

Gene Haas founded Haas Automation, Inc., in 1983 to manufacture the industry’s first fully automatic programmable collet indexer – a device used to position parts for machining with very high accuracy. Designed to increase production in Gene’s own machine shop, the patented Haas 5C collet indexer was a huge success, and over the next four years, the company expanded its product line to include a wide selection of fully programmable rotary tables, rotary indexers, and machine tool accessories.

In 1988, Haas Automation achieved another industry milestone, by introducing the first American-built vertical machining center (VMC) to sell for less than $50,000 – a price unheard of at the time. The Haas VF-1 sold for a published price of $49,900, and quickly became the industry benchmark for affordable CNC technology.

A Simple Vision

When Gene Haas set out to build his first vertical machining center, he did it the only way he knew how – the right way.


Chris Taylor and Gary Grangetto started their CNC job shop right out of the gate with a 5-axis VF-2TR. Since then, their facility has grown tremendously, as they have continued making complex 5-axis parts, while branching out to design and manufacture high-end vises and workholding systems for both 3-axis and multi-axis applications. 

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The first VF-1 prototypes were introduced in 1988 at the International Machine Tool Show (IMTS 88) in Chicago, Illinois. The “V” in the model name stands for vertical – an industry-standard designation for a vertical mill – and company founder Gene Haas added “F1” to unofficially designate it as the company’s “Very First One.” That first machine was the foundation of Haas Automation’s industry-leading VF Series vertical machining centers.

One Giant Leap for CNC

When the VF-1 was introduced, industry experts and members of the trade press were skeptical that an American-made machining center could be sold for less than $50,000. Haas not only delivered on the price, but also delivered the product, something many other manufacturers often were unable to do. Today, the Haas VF-1 still sells for less than $50,000, and Haas Automation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of CNC machine tools, with an impressive line-up of more than 100 different products. Prices for all machines and options are published online for all to see – something no other machine tool builder can claim.

America’s Machine Tool Builder

Today, Haas manufactures four major product lines: vertical machining centers (VMCs), horizontal machining centers (HMCs), CNC lathes, and rotary tables, as well as a number of large five-axis and specialty machines. All Haas products are manufactured at the company’s expansive facility in Oxnard, California – the largest, most modern machine tool manufacturing operation in the United States.

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Hi-Tech Engineering is a full-service, woman-owned machine shop specializing in the manufacture of precision parts and complex sub-assemblies for more than 30 years. Their experienced staff can rapidly take a project from concept or prototype to finished assembly, giving clients a competitive market advantage. Hi-Tech Engineering built its reputation by consistently delivering quality products on time, to budget, and to specification.

Over the past two decades, PFI has developed, prototyped, and produced a wide variety of custom plastic components for many industries, ranging from industrial, racing, pump, valve, semiconductor and medical components. The experience gained from years of dedication to plastics manufacturing has given PFI a respected name across many product markets. Read their story

  • Industry: CNC Job Shop
  • Location: Tomball, Texas, USA
  • Current Haas Machines: 12 Haas CNC mills, 11 Haas CNC lathes, and 4 Haas rotary tables


Many of Cal Poly SLO’s manufacturing engineering courses incorporate 3-hour labs, providing students with practical hands-on experience. Students learn how to design parts, create drawings, manufacture their designs, and inspect the parts they create in lab, ultimately instilling key DFM (design for manufacturing) principles in their engineering skill set. Read more.

  • Industry: Education
  • Location: San Luis Obispo, California, USA
  • Current Haas Machines: 16 Haas VMCs, 4 Haas lathes, and a number of Haas rotaries

 


Chris Taylor and Gary Grangetto started their CNC job shop right out of the gate with a 5-axis VF-2TR. Since then, their facility has grown tremendously, as they have continued making complex 5-axis parts, while branching out to design and manufacture high-end vises and workholding systems for both 3-axis and multi-axis applications. 


With more than 40 years of experience in the manufacturing and metalworking industries, Aspex Corporation is a full-service CNC machine shop located in Poway, California. They offer a wide array of CNC machining services to bring  ideas or drawings to finished product. 


Whitliejo Specialty Company LLC. was established in 2008 as a specialty flange manufacturing company and dastener supply distributor for the oil and gas industry. “The industry is very competitive here. There are probably 200 machine shops,” says Manufacturing Manager Shaun Hebert. Shaun uses Haas equipment because of the intuitive, easy-to-use control, and the ability to train operators to use them in a short period of time. With their new ST-35Y, they are excited to be able to turn and mill in the same setup, removing one whole operation!

 

Auxein Medical is a research-based orthopedic implant manufacturing company in India. Founded in 1996, Auxein Medical purchased their first Haas machine in 2008 to expand its manufacturing capabilities. Today, the company has 15 Haas 4- and 5-axis VMCs, allowing them to run complex parts more efficiently. Using predominantly Haas VF-2SS VMCs, Auxein Medical manufactures complex, high-precision, 5-axis parts from titanium and PEEK. Today, Auxein Medical celebrates their 10th year anniversary with Haas.    

  • Industry: Medical
  • Location: Sonepat, Haryana, India
  • Current Haas Machines: TM-1P VF-2SS (6),
     

 

“It started with one TL-3, and just built and built from there,” says T.J. Arceneaux, owner of Top Gun Machining in Lafayette, Louisiana. Top Gun is all about machining the big stuff! Many of their jobs include heavy threading and deep bores, using long carbide-reinforced boring bars. And the Haas control makes it easy, with the Intuitive Programming System’s built-in threading and rethreading cycles. Today, in addition to the TL-3, Top Gun also has Haas ST-55 and ST-45L large-bore turning centers, and a VF-6 VMC.    

 

Established in 1972, Allena Auto Industries Pvt Ltd, is a manufacturer and supplier of OEM components to a variety of major automotive manufacturers. Products include flywheels, pulleys, water pump assemblies, automotive elbows, manifolds, and more, for such clients as Tata Motors, Suzuki, Isuzu, Bridgstone, and many others. Allena has invested heavily in Haas machines to enhance their shop floor and production capabilities.

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