40 machines are located at Sapaic; they are modern and enhance innovative manufacturing technologies. These cnc centres, mostly horizontal, are dedicated to the machining of cubic parts such as cylinder blocks & cylinder heads in best flexibility and productivity conditions. Size and stroke range from 500 cubic to 1200mm cubic (diesel large parts). Marine parts and crankcases are machined on very large centres with gantry cnc centres and rotary spindles.

Most of these machines are arranged in a FMS configuration in order to provide several palettes in advance for night work and unmanned work. Handling of parts or palettes is made possible with the extensive use or robots (ABB) or shuttles in order to group several machines around one automated handling offering best working and costing conditions. Design of machines and automation is made at Sapaic based on the engineering skills of engineers having accumulated a significant expertise on such products and processes over the last 40 years, hence capable to design innovative concepts of machining tools and software. Sapaic machines are designed and assembled internally while manufactured by machine-tools suppliers. Fanuc and NUM languages are commonly used by Sapaic engineers and technicians.

Highlights on Sapaic machines reveals twin magazine concept cnc horizontal large size centres. The multi spindle head magazine can bear up to 11 heads of 350 Kg each maximum weight, and change them automatically during the sequences of machining. Standard magazine can have up to 120 tools per magazine. This unique design combines high productivity to high flexibility. Costs of machining can be reduced thanks to the improved speed of machining, and quality can be improved due to the best repeatability of mechanical mechanisms (compared to numerical positioning). Such machines offer an ideal balance between transfer lines and standard cnc stand alone centres.

These special heads focus on multi spindle drilling work as well as multi tapping work, and reaming as well. The large sizes of the flasks make it possible to have one machining pass instead of 60 drilling/tapping passes instead. Such design of heads can be used with the idea to drill several similar holes in one pass or have several different drills on it and use a multi pass technique to cover the machining pattern. Other heads can embark angular drills being used in an interpolated programmed manner, best used to reduce the number of clamping position, hence offering better tolerance chain to the product.