Haas Automation, Inc is an American machine tool builder headquartered in Oxnard, California, that designs and manufactures precision machine tools and specialized accessory tooling, mostly computer numerically controlled (CNC), such as vertical machining centers and horizontal machining centers, lathes/turning centers, and rotary tables and indexers. Most of its production and manufacturing process occurs at the company's main facility in Oxnard.
Haas is one of the largest machine tool builders in the world by total unit volume.
History
Gene F. Haas founded Haas Automation in 1983 to manufacture machine tool accessory tooling. The company entered the machine tool industry with the first fully automatic, programmable collet indexer, Over the next four years, the company expanded its product line to include fully programmable rotary tables, rotary indexers, and machine tool accessories.
In 1987, Haas Automation began developing its first vertical machining center (VMC) the VF-1, a machine designed to perform operations such as milling, drilling, tapping, and boring. The first VF-1 prototypes were completed in 1988, and introduced at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS '88) in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1983: Haas Automation, Inc. established in Sun Valley, CA
- 1991: Haas moves to larger facilities in Chatsworth, CA
- 1997: Haas moves to purpose-built on 86 acres in Oxnard, CA
Products
The company manufactures several lines of CNC machine tools for the metalworking industry.
- Vertical Machining Centers (VMCs)
- Horizontal Machining Centers (HMCs)
- Turning Centers (CNC Lathes)
- Rotary Tables and Indexers
Certifications
Haas Automation is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company. All machine tools carry the ETL Listed mark, certifying that they conform to the NFPA 79 Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery and the Canadian equivalent, CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 73. The company has completed the certification process that is required to affix the CE mark to its products.
Distributor network
Haas started out in 1983 with limited local distribution of its products in Southern California, eventually expanding into the United States, Canadian, and United Kingdom markets. In 1988 the company began establishing overseas markets, beginning with Denmark, Holland, and Israel. In 1993, Haas began private labeling products for Swiss machine tool builder Mikron, which provided additional distribution of the company’s machines in the European market. In 2000, Haas established Haas Automation Europe in Brussels, Belgium, to distribute Haas-branded products directly in Europe, and began phasing out the relationship with Mikron.
Products are distributed worldwide through a network of Haas Factory Outlets (HFOs), independently owned franchised local businesses that provide sales, service, and applications support for Haas machine tools. Introduced in 1999, with the first HFO established in Torrance, California, then applied to the company’s existing worldwide network. and Canada, and then expanded worldwide.
See also
- Gene F. Haas
- Windshear, Inc.
References
External links
- The Gene Haas Foundation
- Haas Technical Education Center (HTEC) Network
