Farol Golf and Turf Machinery Limited has purchased a Foley Company Accu-Pro 633 with Accu-Touch 3 Control and an Accu-Pro 661AT bedknife grinder to bolster their essential grinding operation.
Grinding is an integral part of the company’s business and is fundamental to what they offer to the golf and leisure industries. Their current relief grinder, an Accu-Master 650, has proved popular with technicians and was one of the reasons they decided to go with Foley again and continue working with ProSport UK Ltd. www.prosportukltd.com
When it came time to decide on new grinders, after-sales manager for golf and turf, Oliver Longden, consulted with the technicians and appraised the Foley machines against others on the market.
“We had a look around at what else was available, but there was nothing comparable for what we need to do,” Oliver explained. “Our guys are already familiar with the Foley machines, and we’ve had a good history with our Accu-Master. We’ll continue using it alongside the Accu-Pro 633 during the peak grinding season because it still does exactly what we need it to.
“The most significant benefit with the 633 against other manufacturers is being able to relief grind correctly. We can relief grind any units without having to make massive changes to the machine, whereas with other manufacturers you must take a part off or swap something over and it all takes time. With the Accu-Pro you can switch from 7 to 11 to whatever number of blades, easily and quickly.
“Once it’s set up everything is automated so the guys can get on with stripping down the next unit while it’s working, because you don’t have to keep coming back to it to make adjustments.
“The training function was another big plus for us. We sometimes get new technicians who haven’t used the machine before. It’s a very good feature because it shows them a step by step set-up and how to work it, so anyone can jump on it straight away and get going.”
The Accu-Pro 633 uses Accu-Touch 3 Control to fully automate spin and relief grinding. It features the automatic reel selector and cylinder height stop which automatically locates the reel for a fast and easy spin and relief grind in one quick set-up. Pre-set relief angles are easily identified on the relief angle adjuster, allowing technicians to effortlessly grind the correct angles and achieve proper clearances for each reel type.
The simplicity of operating the Accu-Pro 633 is mirrored in the Accu-Pro 661 AT bedknife grinder and was another important consideration for Oliver.
He said: “The selling point for us is that it’s a very simple and easy machine to use. We needed a machine that all the technicians with varying skill levels could use. Someone who has little experience of grinding can work just as well as someone with 20-years’ experience, and that ensures consistent quality. And again, once it’s set up and going, you can leave it to do the job and get on with other work, and that’s really the beauty of it.”
Farol recognises that when it comes to cutting, it is ultimately the blade’s that do the job. To achieve the best cut possible, they need to be sharp and restored to how they function best, which is by relief grinding them back to the original manufacturer’s own specification.
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