TRAK Machine Tools

TRAK Machine Tools - Southwestern Industries, Inc. is an American machine tool builder headquartered in Southern California. The company was founded in 1951 by Dr. Fred Jenks, a former Lockheed engineer, originally as a job shop producing mechanically actuated electrical pressure switches for aerospace applications. It later became known as Southwestern Industries, Inc. (SWI) and, more recently, adopted the TRAK Machine Tools brand identity. Since 1963 the company has described itself as a pioneer in products that enhance machinist productivity. The company's early reputation was built on the Trav-A-Dial, a machine tool measurement device whose design rights Dr. Jenks acquired in 1962 and which was redesigned by Irv Culver, a former Lockheed Skunkworks engineer. The Trav-A-Dial became one of the most widely used machine tool measurement devices of the 1960s through the 1980s. In the early 1980s SWI developed and manufactured a conversational language CNC for knee mills under the ProtoTRAK brand, which became the foundation of its modern product line. Today TRAK Machine Tools offers a range of CNC machines and related technology. Its flagship ProtoTRAK CNC is marketed as the world's best CNC for small lot, high mix machining, with conversational programming at the machine and easy transitions between manual and CNC operation. The machine lineup includes knee mills, bed mills, toolroom machining centers, lathes, and VMC2 and TC2 machines, as well as VMCsi machining centers and TCsi turning centers built around the Siemens SINUMERIK ONE digital-native CNC platform. The company also provides CNC retrofits and upgrades for manual knee mills and older ProtoTRAK controls, along with online training for machinists. TRAK Machine Tools operates from a 130,000 sq. ft. engineering, manufacturing, and corporate headquarters facility in Southern California, supported by factory-direct sales, service, and management personnel across North America. In 2021 the company expanded with a new 120,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Henderson, Nevada. It remains a privately held American machine tool brand focused on toolroom and production machining environments.

Southwestern Industries, Inc. (SWI) was founded in 1951 by Dr. Fred Jenks, a former Lockheed engineer. The company was originally located in a facility on the border between the present-day cities of Culver City and Inglewood, California. Established as a job shop, its primary focus was the development and manufacture of mechanically actuated electrical pressure switches to control fuel flow for Atlas and Delta missiles, as well as actuators for the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes. In 1962 Dr. Jenks bought the design rights to the Trav-A-Dial. Although the original design concept was sound, the first version did not meet expectations. Dr. Jenks assigned the redesign to Irv Culver, the legendary Lockheed Skunkworks engineer who had recently left Lockheed to join SWI. Culver's redesign resulted in what could arguably be called the most universally used machine tool measurement device of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. This product established SWI's reputation in the machine tool industry. In the early 1980s SWI developed and manufactured a conversational language CNC for knee mills under the brand name ProtoTRAK. This was a significant innovation, bringing CNC capability to toolroom environments in a way that was accessible to machinists accustomed to manual operation. The ProtoTRAK brand became the cornerstone of the company's product line and identity. Since 1963, Southwestern Industries, Inc., now known as TRAK Machine Tools - Southwestern Industries, Inc., has been a pioneer in innovative products enhancing machinist productivity. The company continued to develop its product line, offering cutting-edge technology for both toolroom and production machining environments. In 2021, the company further expanded its capabilities with a new 120,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Henderson, Nevada. Its engineering, manufacturing, and corporate headquarters are located in a 130,000 sq. ft. facility in Southern California, supported by a network of factory-direct sales, service, and management personnel across North America. Today, TRAK Machine Tools offers a range of CNC machines including knee mills, bed mills, toolroom machining centers, lathes, VMC2 and TC2 machines, and VMCsi machining centers and TCsi turning centers built on the Siemens SINUMERIK ONE platform. The company also provides CNC retrofits, upgrades, and online training for machinists.

• 2021

  Expanded with a new 120,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Henderson, Nevada.

• 1980

  Developed and manufactured a conversational language CNC for knee mills under the ProtoTRAK brand in the early 1980s.

• 1963

  Company described as a pioneer in innovative products enhancing machinist productivity since this year.

• 1962

  Dr. Jenks bought the design rights to the Trav-A-Dial; Irv Culver redesigned it.

• 1951

  Founded by Dr. Fred Jenks as a job shop in the Culver City/Inglewood area of California.

Premium CNC technology for small lot, high mix machining, with conversational programming at the machine and easy manual-to-CNC transitions.

• ProtoTRAK CNC

  Conversational CNC for small lot, high mix machining, with programming at the machine and easy manual-to-CNC transitions.

• TRAK Toolroom Lathes

  Precision CNC lathes with the ProtoTRAK RLX, featuring manual operation with DRO, 2-axis CNC, programmable spindle speeds, and optional turrets.

• VMCsi Machining Centers

  Machining centers built on the Siemens SINUMERIK ONE digital-native CNC platform.

• TCsi Turning Centers

  Turning centers built on the Siemens SINUMERIK ONE digital-native CNC platform.

• ProtoTRAK Retrofits

  Transform a manual knee mill into a 2 or 3 axis ProtoTRAK CNC.

• ProtoTRAK RMX/KMX Upgrades

  Upgrade older ProtoTRAK controls to the RMX or KMX CNC for more power and new features.

1. 1TRAK CNC Machines & Technology | Southwestern Industriessouthwesternindustries.com
2. 2About TRAK Machine Tools - Southwestern Industriessouthwesternindustries.com
3. 3TRAK Toolroom Lathes | Precision CNC Lathes with the ProtoTRAK RLXsouthwesternindustries.com
4. 4ProtoTRAK CNC Upgrades | Boost Precision and Capabilitiessouthwesternindustries.com