Blind Machinists Cut Setup Time by 50% with Okuma Machining Centers from Gosiger

Seattle, Washington-based Lighthouse for the Blind is a not-for-profit that creates employment for blind, deaf, and other individuals challenged by physical disabilities. One of their crowning achievements is a machine shop servicing the aerospace industry. However, when the organization realized that they needed to increase their competitiveness with CNC machining technologies they had difficulty finding a machine tool supplier who would work with them to adapt the new machines for blind operators.

Gosiger’s Northwest operation learned of the situation and realized that Okuma’s open-architecture CNC control system was the key to incorporating voice-activated software that enables the blind operators to program and operate seven Okuma machining centers.

As a result, Lighthouse operators are now able to set up machines in half the previous time. Training also takes 50% less time, and parts that once took five days to make are now completed in three minutes or less. Moreover, product quality has improved to the point that rejections are uncommon, even with aerospace parts built to exacting tolerances.

By partnering to take on a challenge that other machine tool providers avoided, Gosiger and Okuma demonstrated their mutual commitment to solving customer manufacturing problems by applying the right blend of technology, applications experience and original thinking. For the complete story of how Gosiger and Okuma lit the way for Lighthouse for the Blind, click here or contact Gosiger, Inc.