Tormach

Last updated

Tormach
Company type Private
Industry CNC Machine Tools, Manufacturing
Founded2001;23 years ago (2001) [1]
Headquarters,
Area served
USA
Products
  • CNC vertical machining centers
  • CNC lathes/turning centers
  • Gantry routers
Website www.tormach.com

Tormach is an American machine tool builder headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The company designs and manufactures lower cost machine tools mostly aimed at the hobbyist, educational and small manufacturing markets. [1] [2] [3] The company's main products include computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment, such as cnc milling machines, cnc lathes [4] [5] as well as support and software such as LinuxCNC based Pathpilot used to run its CNC machines. [6] [7]

Contents

History

Tormach was founded in 2001 by Greg Jackson and Ed Korn in Madison, Wisconsin. [1] The company's first product was a compact and inexpensive CNC machine called the PCNC 1100 mill which launched in 2003. [8] [2] In 20011 the company had released the PCNC 770 a smaller 3 axis mill aimed at home shops or small manufacturers. [9] Aside from mills, Tormach also released different lathe models over the years including the 8L in 2020. [10] The latest product launched by the company is the 1500MX mill which was released in 2024. Though the 1500MX is noted as being more powerful than the other machines Tormach offers, it is significantly more expensive. [11]

Audience

Because Tormach has always manufactured smaller and cheaper machine tools it is well known in Hackerspaces, schools and with hobbyist owners as a good entry level machine tool maker. [12] [1] [5] It's CNC-based mills and lathes might not have the features, rigidity or speed of larger machine tool manufactures, but they have made capable CNC-based tooling more accessible. [9]


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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Tormach PCNC: A History of Supporting & Enabling Manufacturing in the USA". Industrial Machinery Digest. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Tormach Expands Reach Across US, UK, and Europe". Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  3. "Tormach Announces Recipient of the 2024 Instructor of the Year Award". Modern Machine Shop. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  4. "CNC Machine Tending: Now with Accessible Robotics for Rapid R&D, Prototyping, and Specialty Manufacturing Runs". The Robot Report. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Flying into the Brotherly Wild Blue Yonder". Advanced Manufacturing. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  6. "Tormach's PathPilot CNC Control Software". Today's Medical Developments. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  7. "Transitioning to PathPilot from Mach3 on the Tormach". Maker Works. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  8. "Tormach, US-Based CNC Machine and Industrial Robot Manufacturer, Earns Prestigious Inc. 5000 List Recognition". PRWeb. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  9. 1 2 "CNC Mill Review". Wired. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  10. "Tormach 8L Lathe Promotes Affordable CNC Turning". Modern Machine Shop. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  11. "Tormach's 1500MX CNC Mill is the Fastest, Most Accurate, and Most Powerful Machine". Design World. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  12. "CNC Milling Is More Manual Than You Think". Hackaday. Retrieved September 25, 2024.