The role of machine tools
The world would not be what it is today without machine tools. Machine tools allow a workpiece to be machined using tools. This process is followed by a movement of the tool and the workpiece in relation to each other, dictated by the machine. Depending on the manufacturing process, a distinction is made between primary forming, forming and cutting machine tools. Especially the high accuracy and almost unlimited geometrical machining variety ensures the outstanding position of the cutting machine tools also for the future.
The development of the machine tool has changed the world and shaped the progress of mankind. Almost all industrial goods are produced through the use of machine tools. Without machine tools there would be no engines, no aircraft engines, and no electronics in noble aluminum housings – the list could be continued almost endlessly. Machine tools are industrial production. It is not without reason that one speaks of the “mother of all machines”.
In particular, innovation-driven economies such as Germany and Japan impressively demonstrate the importance of the machine tool industry. They set the pace in the industry at a very early stage and have developed ever more powerful and precise machine tools. This in turn has played a key role in shaping progress in other industrial sectors: Ever higher-quality implants in medical technology, ever more sophisticated lightweight materials in the aerospace sector, or ever more productive manufacturing systems in automotive engineering – machine tools have always set the stage for innovation.
