(l-r) Michael Waltrip, MWR Racing, and Keith Jackson, Application Engineer, Toyoda Machinery USA
No. 15 5-hour ENERGY car, driven by Clint Bowyer
Toyoda Machinery USA has announced its partnership agreement with Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR).
"Partnering with a top NASCAR team is something we have wanted to do for quite some time," said Tim Leoni, Toyoda'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, MWR has added four Toyoda vertical machining centers (VMCs) to its shop floor. According to a spokesperson, MWR selected Toyoda'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 guide way Toyoda 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 feedrates paired well with MWR's current software to accommodate those parts.
"The timing of the Toyoda installation could not come at a better time for MWR," said Brown. "The end of the racing season is when the shop begins putting in long hours building cars for next year. The shop is looking forward to improved quality and productivity with the Toyoda machines. Everything fits together really tight. It seems to be a really good, quality machine."
Racing fans are able to see the Toyoda VMCs 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 contact:
Robert Stewart
Regional Sales Manager
847-370-5368
Toyoda Machinery USA
316 W. University Dr.
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
847-253-0340
info@toyoda.com
www.toyodausa.com
Michael Waltrip Racing
www.michaelwaltrip.com