There is a small threaded SS part made at CAM-C Engineering that would worry the life out of lathe setters and inspection unless the most suitable CNC lathe could be identified to do the job.
There is a small threaded stainless steel component produced at CAM-C Engineering that would worry the life out of lathe setters and inspection because of the 10 micron tolerance required over the outside diameter of the special form thread. So when it came to checking out how good the contending lathes for an order to make these parts were, CAM-C decided machining trials had to be the order of the day. As joint owner Mike Evans explains, Colchester put a Tornado A50 CNC lathe, fitted with the 'Lights-out' unmanned turning package, through its paces in the Heckmondwike factory test area and over a 24 hour period, the tolerance drift on the outside diameter of the thread never exceeded +/-2 microns.
Having then ordered a Colchester A50 Lights-out package for the Williams Town Rhondda factory from Colchester Sales Southern Technical Centre, RK International of Erith in Kent, Evans maintains even when they machine batches of up to 2,000 of these special screws: 'The machine never causes any need for concern.' Supplying tight tolerance precision engineered components to a number of top flight scientific and laboratory instrumentation manufacturers, CAM-C Engineering is often asked to perform what a normal subcontract operation would regard as the near impossible.
But, the company maintains, key to its capability is its investment in skill and machine tools.
Even with its reputation of high class precision component manufacture, South Wales-based CAM-C Engineering is more than happy to be known as a jobbing shop.
As Evans, explains: 'We are a jobbing shop, and work with just a few really good customers.
They may take some time to find but then we form a very close relationship.' CAM-C's well equipped machine shop in Williams Town, was set up by Mike Evans and his business partner, Jeff Geraci.
Collectively they have a wealth of experience, cultivated from very different engineering backgrounds but both are very familiar with difficult materials, precision and tight tolerances.
Jeff Geraci's experience was generated predominantly from a toolroom bias, making small quantities of intricate parts from hardened materials while Mike Evans was heavily involved with the volume production of very high tolerance components in often difficult materials.
Evans explains how the two of them normally quote for new jobs between them: 'I quote for the turning element, while Jeff focuses on any prismatic machining and then get together to determine how long the job will take.
Because we have such a close relationship with our customers we sometimes even try a job out at the quotation stage because we want to be sure that the customer will be satisfied and that we can complete the work on time and for the price.
We're not known as the cheapest, but our reputation is built upon a very thorough standard of work and timely delivery.' Although it began as a small order, the success of one of CAM-C's customers, in the production of gas analytical instrumentation, prompted the investment in the Colchester A50 CNC lathe.
Explains Evans: 'Initially this customer was struggling to find a supplier that could meet the level of quality on a stainless steel threaded component, especially because the quantity was very low.
Due to the fact we were willing to work at the job and able to achieve the tolerances required on an existing manual lathe, we then received a major influx of work which meant we were working up to 96 hours a week on this order.' This contract then led the two partners to seriously look at a CNC lathe which would be stable enough to maintain the tolerances required and was able to run consistently in a limited manned situation.
They decided to visit the MACH 2002 show at the NEC in Birmingham, and thoroughly investigated all of the turning centres that were within budget and it finally came down to a choice of just two machines.
Says Evans: 'I arranged to visit both suppliers to check out our stainless steel part being cut.
It was unbelievable that one of the demonstrations was such a complete washout, the machine could not catch the parts which are relatively short, so we could never confirm the accuracy on the last part cut bearing in mind it was an automatic cycle.' 'By complete contrast,' Evans reveals, 'the Colchester Tornado demonstrations initially held at RK International's showroom in Erith and later as a full trial at the Colchester factory in Heckmondwike was superb.
Although it is small, the component is fairly complex with a special high tolerance thread and three chamfers based around a critical undercut groove formed half-way down the part.' Evans continues: 'This groove is important because it acts as a guide and location pickup point for the automated test laboratory equipment that uses the finished assembly.
Also, the modified external thread has to be turned to provide a light, press fit into another part of the assembly.
The engineering solution to achieve the accurate generation of this thread form was where Colchester won the day.' The Colchester 'Lights-out' package comprises a fully integrated MBF 1000 bar feed system, programmable from the machine's Fanuc control, swarf conveyor, on-board Renishaw probing for size control and parts catcher.
The 12 station VDI turret machine also has work scheduling software and tool monitoring based on power sensing which can initiate sister tool replacement.
Another influencing factor in the purchasing decision was what CAM-C describe as the double backup available with both RK International and Colchester Sales which are both able to provide support.
Evans confirms: 'We have established a good relationship with RK and 99 per cent of the time any questions are answered directly on the telephone.
We did have a probing problem which caused the barfeed to reference.
Even though the Colchester service engineer quickly solved the problem, both Colchester and RK have made follow-up courtesy calls to ensure everything is still OK.' Most batch sizes produced by CAM-C Engineering seem to be around 10 parts.
Materials machined include stainless steel, brass, aluminium and a small quantity of titanium parts for a customer in the instrumentation industry.
As Evans outlines: 'Because we know our customers for lower volume parts we tend to group three months worth of production together and then link those parts to other batches we can produce out of the same size raw material.' Here, the 'Lights-out' machine package software has proven to be a boon because it has a scheduling system in the Fanuc control for up to 10 component types which allows the different parts to be nested in the same bar of material.
He adds: 'It suits us down to the ground, because a lot of our parts are similar in size and we can use similar tooling, to cover threads, holes and counterbores.' By clever planning, relatively low batch quantities of say 10 or 15 are easily turned into more economical batches of 100 or even 150 parts which are set during the day.
'Once we are confident of our tooling and programming, the machine is more than capable of running overnight.
We don't just use 'lights-out' turning, we live it, which gives us tremendous economies and machine utilisation,' insists Evans.
CAM-C purchased the A50 with a chuck to also enable billeted components to be produced.
The largest part turned so far is a 68mm diameter aluminium soil probe cap using the MBF 1000 integrated barfeed.
At the other end of the scale, although Colchester's recommended minimum bar size is 6mm, in order to prevent the push rod in the barfeed system fouling, the company has successfully run batches of parts below 5mm diameter.
It is also common to work close to the chuck to prevent any material deflection.
Indeed, by using special toolholders the tool is prevented from striking the chuck.
And, Evans maintains: 'The Colchester developed parts catcher works without any problems even on the smallest parts!'
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Where standard CNC lathe is the best choice
In some types of small batch work, component geometry and non-turning content determines that a standard CNC lathe is more suitable than a mill-turn centre says an antennas manufacturer.
Stratford-upon-Avon based Precision Antennas is experiencing a boom! Since the start of 2002 the company has expanded its workforce by almost half to 192 people and is adding to its factory capacity. In line with this expansion, the company has recently installed two of the latest Colchester Tornado 220 lathes, bringing the number of Tornado machines in the factory to four. Precision Antennas is privately owned with over 50 years' experience in the development and manufacture of antennas and associated support structures.
Its installed manufacturing capabilities support the fabrication of dish-form antennae up to 6.4 metres in diameter, and single piece and hand-spun antennae up to 4.5 metres.
Manufacturing manager, Alan Brooks explains the philosophy that has created such success: 'Our ability to design, develop and build virtually all our key components in-house not only guarantees quality and performance but it also means we can respond very quickly to customer's needs.
Our customer base is largely drawn from the mobile telephone industry, OEM radio systems manufacturers, global communications service providers and the defence sector.' The company's products are exported worldwide, either directly and indirectly, and due to the nature of the business, almost all manufacturing output is made to contract.
While batches can sometimes reach 250, quantities tend to be nearer 10 or 20 parts.
Machining facilities at the factory now range right up to full five-axis milling capability.
For two-axis turning, the company has focused on chucking versions of the Colchester Tornado which originated with the installation of a Tornado 100, followed by a larger capacity 210 machine.
Precision Antennas was then one of the first companies in the UK to install the latest Tornado 220 following its launch in 2001 and quickly followed with a second machine as production demands grew.
As Brooks maintains: 'When you look at the value for money aspect of the Colchester product we don't know of any other lathe on the market that can match it.' He follows on to outline that although some of the turned parts require subsequent drilling and milling operations, because the batch quantities are so small, breaking the turning from machining of the other features is the most cost-effective method and a Tornado is quicker to set up than a mill/turn lathe.
Brooks describes how the Tornado machines can maintain tolerances without any problems and the operators and setters particularly like the improved ergonomics and working area of the latest 220 compared to the 210.
He describes how having four machines out of the same stable means operators can easily move from machine to machine without thinking, and the company has excellent backward/forward capability with CNC programs giving considerable tooling flexibility.
'When you bear in mind the Tornado 220 was some 20 per cent less expensive than the previous 210 model, it is certainly a lot of lathe for the money.
An additional factor in the decision to stay with the Colchester product is the good after-sales support we have received.' The original Tornado 100 has a bar puller which enables bar lengths to be machined, but by far and away most operations across the four machines are based on castings and sawn billets.
Component diameters span 25mm to 350mm and cycle times vary between 90 seconds and 15 minutes.
'Operations mainly comprise outside turning, face grooving, boring and internal tapers and grooves but we also machine quite a lot of parabolic curves which require interpolation,' he says.
Coupled with program delivery by DNC, most changeovers take around 30 minutes which includes chuck jaws.
But as Alan Brooks describes, the improved ergonomics of the latest 220 machines make life much easier.
Among the improvements in the machines between the 210 and 220 is the Colchester patented base redesign which introduced 'Duo-stable' construction incorporating an engineered concrete polymer base fill.
To this foundation Colchester added heavier and larger ways which contribute to improved static and dynamic stiffness, and the whole machine has higher thermal stability.
These basic improvements enabled higher power 22kW motors and drives to be included in the specification with much improved spindle design, faster axis motions and turret indexing.
And, with redesign and positioning of the hydraulic tank at the front of the machine and coolant tank at the opposite end, maintenance and swarf removal is easier and operational benefits through grease lubrication in favour of total loss oil, gives improved coolant consistency and cutting tool and coolant life.
The versatility of the machines is further enhanced by the way in which Precision Antennas operates them.
Some components are programmed with stops in the cycle which allow the operator to turn or relocate the part in the chuck jaws before re-starting the cycle.
In addition as three of the machines are arranged in a 'U' formation this enables more flexible operation as a cell.
'The aim is to always get a finished turned component from the machine with one operator visit, and failing that, to progress work through the turning section as quickly as possible,' concludes Brooks.
Stratford-upon-Avon based Precision Antennas is experiencing a boom! Since the start of 2002 the company has expanded its workforce by almost half to 192 people and is adding to its factory capacity. In line with this expansion, the company has recently installed two of the latest Colchester Tornado 220 lathes, bringing the number of Tornado machines in the factory to four. Precision Antennas is privately owned with over 50 years' experience in the development and manufacture of antennas and associated support structures.
Its installed manufacturing capabilities support the fabrication of dish-form antennae up to 6.4 metres in diameter, and single piece and hand-spun antennae up to 4.5 metres.
Manufacturing manager, Alan Brooks explains the philosophy that has created such success: 'Our ability to design, develop and build virtually all our key components in-house not only guarantees quality and performance but it also means we can respond very quickly to customer's needs.
Our customer base is largely drawn from the mobile telephone industry, OEM radio systems manufacturers, global communications service providers and the defence sector.' The company's products are exported worldwide, either directly and indirectly, and due to the nature of the business, almost all manufacturing output is made to contract.
While batches can sometimes reach 250, quantities tend to be nearer 10 or 20 parts.
Machining facilities at the factory now range right up to full five-axis milling capability.
For two-axis turning, the company has focused on chucking versions of the Colchester Tornado which originated with the installation of a Tornado 100, followed by a larger capacity 210 machine.
Precision Antennas was then one of the first companies in the UK to install the latest Tornado 220 following its launch in 2001 and quickly followed with a second machine as production demands grew.
As Brooks maintains: 'When you look at the value for money aspect of the Colchester product we don't know of any other lathe on the market that can match it.' He follows on to outline that although some of the turned parts require subsequent drilling and milling operations, because the batch quantities are so small, breaking the turning from machining of the other features is the most cost-effective method and a Tornado is quicker to set up than a mill/turn lathe.
Brooks describes how the Tornado machines can maintain tolerances without any problems and the operators and setters particularly like the improved ergonomics and working area of the latest 220 compared to the 210.
He describes how having four machines out of the same stable means operators can easily move from machine to machine without thinking, and the company has excellent backward/forward capability with CNC programs giving considerable tooling flexibility.
'When you bear in mind the Tornado 220 was some 20 per cent less expensive than the previous 210 model, it is certainly a lot of lathe for the money.
An additional factor in the decision to stay with the Colchester product is the good after-sales support we have received.' The original Tornado 100 has a bar puller which enables bar lengths to be machined, but by far and away most operations across the four machines are based on castings and sawn billets.
Component diameters span 25mm to 350mm and cycle times vary between 90 seconds and 15 minutes.
'Operations mainly comprise outside turning, face grooving, boring and internal tapers and grooves but we also machine quite a lot of parabolic curves which require interpolation,' he says.
Coupled with program delivery by DNC, most changeovers take around 30 minutes which includes chuck jaws.
But as Alan Brooks describes, the improved ergonomics of the latest 220 machines make life much easier.
Among the improvements in the machines between the 210 and 220 is the Colchester patented base redesign which introduced 'Duo-stable' construction incorporating an engineered concrete polymer base fill.
To this foundation Colchester added heavier and larger ways which contribute to improved static and dynamic stiffness, and the whole machine has higher thermal stability.
These basic improvements enabled higher power 22kW motors and drives to be included in the specification with much improved spindle design, faster axis motions and turret indexing.
And, with redesign and positioning of the hydraulic tank at the front of the machine and coolant tank at the opposite end, maintenance and swarf removal is easier and operational benefits through grease lubrication in favour of total loss oil, gives improved coolant consistency and cutting tool and coolant life.
The versatility of the machines is further enhanced by the way in which Precision Antennas operates them.
Some components are programmed with stops in the cycle which allow the operator to turn or relocate the part in the chuck jaws before re-starting the cycle.
In addition as three of the machines are arranged in a 'U' formation this enables more flexible operation as a cell.
'The aim is to always get a finished turned component from the machine with one operator visit, and failing that, to progress work through the turning section as quickly as possible,' concludes Brooks.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Service company moves into CNC machining too
Having begun in business supplying machinery ancillaries and spares, a service company found it was subcontracting out much machining, until it decided to set up its own CNC facilities.
If it's a fast response that's needed, look no further than Replacement and Maintenance Supplies of Alfreton, Derbyshire where, according to Andy Douthwaite and John Whelan, 'we don1t know what to expect from the time we come in to the time we go home'. But whatever it is, one thing is certain: 'When a production line is down because of, say, a broken shaft, the customer wants an immediate response'. Before setting up the business in 1987, both directors were involved with the specialist bearing side of Unipart and this explains why, initially, Replacement and Maintenance Supplies was wholly focused on supplying bearings and related power transmission products such as gears, seals, pulleys, bushes and belting.
Today, however, it also offers a comprehensive machining service tailored specifically to repair work.
Although the company has an off-line programming capability, most of the programming takes place on the machine.
That's why a Proturn VL 425 manual/CNC lathe supplied and installed several months ago by XYZ Machine Tools has become a firm favourite, and has now been joined by a XYZ SM 4000 manual/CNC bed mill.
Both machines are equipped with the innovative Prototrak control that makes switching between manual and CNC operation on the same set-up straightforward and fast.
'The software is brilliant and it's ideal for one-offs,' says Andy Douthwaite, 'Before we set up the machine shop three years ago, we were placing quite of a lot of work with local engineering companies and I noticed they were using XYZ machines.
Having followed their example, I am enjoying the benefits because the new machines are quick to set-up and this business is all about speed.' The 10HP/7.5kW Proturn VL 425 high-speed gap bed lathe already installed is available with either 1.25m or 2m between centres, and features an 80mm spindle bore and spindle speeds from 15 to 2500 rpm.
Constant surface speed is also standard, courtesy of the VL control that provides custom-designed screens to make every operation - whether a clearance cycle, profiling or drilling routines, or standard and custom threads - follow in a logical and clear sequence.
Unlike other CNCs, all the operator is required to do is to define the part geometry and stock dimensions.
From these inputs the toolpath, including all roughing passes and the speeds and feeds, is generated.
The emphasis on breakdown work at Replacement and Maintenance Supplies dictates a high level of individual skill and equipment that is both versatile and easy to use.
'Quantities are usually one to five-offs and most of the time we are working without drawings,' says Andy Douthwaite.
'So we only recruit highly skilled people who can deal with a job from start to finish.
This means liasing directly with the customer, measuring up on site where necessary, using every aspect of our machining facilities, including MIG/TIG welding, inspecting the end result and, above all, knowing that, once installed, the replacement part will have the customer up and running in the shortest possible time.' Since speed is of the essence, the company tends to restrict its activities to relatively local customers and refuses for the most part to quote for production-type work that could restrict the flexibility of its machining operation.
But, says Douthwaite, 'we are always re-inventing ourselves and this brings us into contact with new customers.
If, for example, we are asked to machine a replacement impeller, we develop a new skill and we then look to where we can offer that particular expertise.
If it's a fast response that's needed, look no further than Replacement and Maintenance Supplies of Alfreton, Derbyshire where, according to Andy Douthwaite and John Whelan, 'we don1t know what to expect from the time we come in to the time we go home'. But whatever it is, one thing is certain: 'When a production line is down because of, say, a broken shaft, the customer wants an immediate response'. Before setting up the business in 1987, both directors were involved with the specialist bearing side of Unipart and this explains why, initially, Replacement and Maintenance Supplies was wholly focused on supplying bearings and related power transmission products such as gears, seals, pulleys, bushes and belting.
Today, however, it also offers a comprehensive machining service tailored specifically to repair work.
Although the company has an off-line programming capability, most of the programming takes place on the machine.
That's why a Proturn VL 425 manual/CNC lathe supplied and installed several months ago by XYZ Machine Tools has become a firm favourite, and has now been joined by a XYZ SM 4000 manual/CNC bed mill.
Both machines are equipped with the innovative Prototrak control that makes switching between manual and CNC operation on the same set-up straightforward and fast.
'The software is brilliant and it's ideal for one-offs,' says Andy Douthwaite, 'Before we set up the machine shop three years ago, we were placing quite of a lot of work with local engineering companies and I noticed they were using XYZ machines.
Having followed their example, I am enjoying the benefits because the new machines are quick to set-up and this business is all about speed.' The 10HP/7.5kW Proturn VL 425 high-speed gap bed lathe already installed is available with either 1.25m or 2m between centres, and features an 80mm spindle bore and spindle speeds from 15 to 2500 rpm.
Constant surface speed is also standard, courtesy of the VL control that provides custom-designed screens to make every operation - whether a clearance cycle, profiling or drilling routines, or standard and custom threads - follow in a logical and clear sequence.
Unlike other CNCs, all the operator is required to do is to define the part geometry and stock dimensions.
From these inputs the toolpath, including all roughing passes and the speeds and feeds, is generated.
The emphasis on breakdown work at Replacement and Maintenance Supplies dictates a high level of individual skill and equipment that is both versatile and easy to use.
'Quantities are usually one to five-offs and most of the time we are working without drawings,' says Andy Douthwaite.
'So we only recruit highly skilled people who can deal with a job from start to finish.
This means liasing directly with the customer, measuring up on site where necessary, using every aspect of our machining facilities, including MIG/TIG welding, inspecting the end result and, above all, knowing that, once installed, the replacement part will have the customer up and running in the shortest possible time.' Since speed is of the essence, the company tends to restrict its activities to relatively local customers and refuses for the most part to quote for production-type work that could restrict the flexibility of its machining operation.
But, says Douthwaite, 'we are always re-inventing ourselves and this brings us into contact with new customers.
If, for example, we are asked to machine a replacement impeller, we develop a new skill and we then look to where we can offer that particular expertise.
Competitive CNC lathes are highly user-friendly
Working very closely with European machine tool builders, a revitalised machine tool company will show competitively priced CNC lathes at MACH 2004, with the latest user-friendly, touch-screen CNCs.
Ajax Machinery's new owner will be presenting a revitalised company and introducing new ranges of high quality, cost-effective products at MACH. These new Ajax machine tools include European-manufactured manual CNC and production lathes, universal CNC bed milling machines, vertical machining centres and vertical band saws. According to Managing Director, William Savin: 'We have reawakened the giant that was Ajax and are bringing it back to the forefront.
Since I acquired the company we have set about raising the quality of the products and services we offer to a new high.
' We have been working very closely with European machine tool builders to develop product ranges that are manufactured under contract for us to our exacting specifications.
The engineering experience of these companies is second to none and we are not afraid to acknowledge them - we want them to be proud to be manufacturing for us,' he says.
One of the fruits of this product development programme is a new manual CNC lathe, the Ajax Apollo QT.
The machines feature Fanuc's QuickTurn control as well as Fanuc drives and motors.
At prices ranging from GBP 12,950 for a 335mm swing lathe with 750mm between centres to GBP 28,950 for a 620mm swing 155mm spindle bore machine with 3m between centres, the range offers the benefits of simple user-friendly CNC for the same price as many manual lathes.
'We see the Apollo QT as a manual lathe with CNC assistance,' says William.
'The touch screen control is very simple to use.
A manual turner can get straight on the machine and use it.
If he wants to he can operate it without engaging the control, but why wind a handle when the CNC will do the job more quickly?
This is aimed at being a replacement for manual machines.' Wherever possible Ajax now offers the choice of European manufactured machinery at a price comparable to Far Eastern machines from other suppliers.
In a number of areas, such as turret mills, it complements its Ajax range of European machines with even more cost effective Taiwanese alternatives.
The company has recently relocated to purpose-built premises in Lymington that give it the capacity to support its continuing expansion.
Ajax Machinery's new owner will be presenting a revitalised company and introducing new ranges of high quality, cost-effective products at MACH. These new Ajax machine tools include European-manufactured manual CNC and production lathes, universal CNC bed milling machines, vertical machining centres and vertical band saws. According to Managing Director, William Savin: 'We have reawakened the giant that was Ajax and are bringing it back to the forefront.
Since I acquired the company we have set about raising the quality of the products and services we offer to a new high.
' We have been working very closely with European machine tool builders to develop product ranges that are manufactured under contract for us to our exacting specifications.
The engineering experience of these companies is second to none and we are not afraid to acknowledge them - we want them to be proud to be manufacturing for us,' he says.
One of the fruits of this product development programme is a new manual CNC lathe, the Ajax Apollo QT.
The machines feature Fanuc's QuickTurn control as well as Fanuc drives and motors.
At prices ranging from GBP 12,950 for a 335mm swing lathe with 750mm between centres to GBP 28,950 for a 620mm swing 155mm spindle bore machine with 3m between centres, the range offers the benefits of simple user-friendly CNC for the same price as many manual lathes.
'We see the Apollo QT as a manual lathe with CNC assistance,' says William.
'The touch screen control is very simple to use.
A manual turner can get straight on the machine and use it.
If he wants to he can operate it without engaging the control, but why wind a handle when the CNC will do the job more quickly?
This is aimed at being a replacement for manual machines.' Wherever possible Ajax now offers the choice of European manufactured machinery at a price comparable to Far Eastern machines from other suppliers.
In a number of areas, such as turret mills, it complements its Ajax range of European machines with even more cost effective Taiwanese alternatives.
The company has recently relocated to purpose-built premises in Lymington that give it the capacity to support its continuing expansion.
CNC lathe cuts extrusion die machining by 70%
Following the investment in a CNC slant bed chucking lathe a leading producer of extrusion dies for plastics and rubber insulation has cut extrusion die machining up to 70 per cent.
The company has also adopted hard turning of materials up to 45 HRC and reduced grinding requirements by a third. Aspin Engineering has since expanded its business into general sub contract machining.
Says managing director Dr Anton Aspin: 'We decided to buy the Tornado 220 CNC lathe following a visit to the Colchester Sales Technical Centre in Heckmondwike.
Originally selected from a shortlist of three turning machines, it was the performance, accuracy and overall value for money that were the major advantages we determined.' He follows on to outline: 'I was particularly impressed by the construction with its wide slideways and polymer concrete filled base which gives a high level of stability.
In my view, stability is an important prerequisite in a machine for holding the tight tolerances which we regularly have to work to on a wide range of precision extrusion dies and various other turning projects.' Dr Aspin's comments on the construction are confirmed following the Tornado's installation in the company's 4,500 (square feet) factory unit on the Moss Lane Trading Estate in Greater Manchester in April.
Cycle times on H13 and P20 tool steel extrusion tooling have been cut in half and 316 stainless steel mixer part machining times have been slashed by almost 70 per cent.
But there have been even further benefits as Dr Aspin explained: 'We have been able to eliminate around a third of our cylindrical grinding work as the Tornado can turn extrusion points and dies consistently to an almost unbelievable accuracy of + 5 microns.
What's more, we've also been able to comfortably machine a range of toughened materials up to 45 HRC, using standard tooling.' Aspin Engineering has found the GE Fanuc B series 21-i controlled Tornado 220 is quick and simple to program.
In fact, the company reckons that it is also able to produce single parts economically on the lathe as it is so easy to generate part programs.
However, batch sizes of between five and 10 are deemed more realistic.
It is the ability of the machine to effectively handle larger volumes of work that is seen as important for expansion of the Aspin Engineering business and has enabled additional savings to be created by the company.
For example, when Aspin received a large order for extrusion parts late last year, it had to spend around GBP 10,000 over a three month period on subcontracting much of the turning due to capacity problems in achieving the scheduled delivery dates.
As Dr Aspin added: 'This really motivated us to look at being self-sufficient and buy a new CNC chucking lathe.' When Dr Aspin discusses the purchase he maintains the lathe's all-round performance and accuracy is directly attributable to its patented 'Duo-Stable' construction which provides a highly stable, true 60 (Degrees) slant bed turning platform.
The base foundation with its engineered polymer concrete fill, strategic reinforcement and integral cast iron bed, reflects an increase in machine weight of some 50 per cent which is coupled with a corresponding 25 per cent improvement in damping.
'This is where the 'performance and accuracy factors' are created and the machine easily copes with the 22 kW spindle power making the larger 250 mm diameter chuck capacity and tailstock options that we ordered meet our planned requirements.' Other advanced technical features of the machine include: larger headstock and a stiffer, five-bearing spindle design; wider, lower and heavier slideways; and improved thermal characteristics - which collectively provide the stability factor required for really high performance machining.
Set-up in 1984 and employing 14 people, Aspin Engineering's work load is now split 20 per cent between producing wire and cable extrusion dies, 40 per cent on general subcontract work and other products and 40 per cent on added-value small assemblies.
The company has CNC machine tools of which two are vertical machining centres, a Colchester Electronic lathe and two thread grinding machines.
Its production of dies for insulating cables ranges from telecommunications work requirements of 0.5mm diameter right up to 152mm diameter for power cables.
Extrusion points and dies range in size from 20mm to 250mm diameter while stainless steel rotors and stators are also produced in diameters up to 200mm.
The company's own Cavity Transfer Miser (CTM) system product, which significantly improves the mixing/blending performance of an extruder, is produced in sizes from 20 mm to 600 mm diameter.
There's no doubt that the Tornado 220 has made a big impression since its arrival at the company's Whitefield works earlier this year.
As Dr Aspin concluded: 'The Tornado has extended our capacity, widened our scope of operations, eliminated certain grinding operations and, allowed us to look at work we could never have economically handled before.
The lathe can also turn to an accuracy of between five and 10 microns and it regularly does this without any special attention.'
The company has also adopted hard turning of materials up to 45 HRC and reduced grinding requirements by a third. Aspin Engineering has since expanded its business into general sub contract machining.
Says managing director Dr Anton Aspin: 'We decided to buy the Tornado 220 CNC lathe following a visit to the Colchester Sales Technical Centre in Heckmondwike.
Originally selected from a shortlist of three turning machines, it was the performance, accuracy and overall value for money that were the major advantages we determined.' He follows on to outline: 'I was particularly impressed by the construction with its wide slideways and polymer concrete filled base which gives a high level of stability.
In my view, stability is an important prerequisite in a machine for holding the tight tolerances which we regularly have to work to on a wide range of precision extrusion dies and various other turning projects.' Dr Aspin's comments on the construction are confirmed following the Tornado's installation in the company's 4,500 (square feet) factory unit on the Moss Lane Trading Estate in Greater Manchester in April.
Cycle times on H13 and P20 tool steel extrusion tooling have been cut in half and 316 stainless steel mixer part machining times have been slashed by almost 70 per cent.
But there have been even further benefits as Dr Aspin explained: 'We have been able to eliminate around a third of our cylindrical grinding work as the Tornado can turn extrusion points and dies consistently to an almost unbelievable accuracy of + 5 microns.
What's more, we've also been able to comfortably machine a range of toughened materials up to 45 HRC, using standard tooling.' Aspin Engineering has found the GE Fanuc B series 21-i controlled Tornado 220 is quick and simple to program.
In fact, the company reckons that it is also able to produce single parts economically on the lathe as it is so easy to generate part programs.
However, batch sizes of between five and 10 are deemed more realistic.
It is the ability of the machine to effectively handle larger volumes of work that is seen as important for expansion of the Aspin Engineering business and has enabled additional savings to be created by the company.
For example, when Aspin received a large order for extrusion parts late last year, it had to spend around GBP 10,000 over a three month period on subcontracting much of the turning due to capacity problems in achieving the scheduled delivery dates.
As Dr Aspin added: 'This really motivated us to look at being self-sufficient and buy a new CNC chucking lathe.' When Dr Aspin discusses the purchase he maintains the lathe's all-round performance and accuracy is directly attributable to its patented 'Duo-Stable' construction which provides a highly stable, true 60 (Degrees) slant bed turning platform.
The base foundation with its engineered polymer concrete fill, strategic reinforcement and integral cast iron bed, reflects an increase in machine weight of some 50 per cent which is coupled with a corresponding 25 per cent improvement in damping.
'This is where the 'performance and accuracy factors' are created and the machine easily copes with the 22 kW spindle power making the larger 250 mm diameter chuck capacity and tailstock options that we ordered meet our planned requirements.' Other advanced technical features of the machine include: larger headstock and a stiffer, five-bearing spindle design; wider, lower and heavier slideways; and improved thermal characteristics - which collectively provide the stability factor required for really high performance machining.
Set-up in 1984 and employing 14 people, Aspin Engineering's work load is now split 20 per cent between producing wire and cable extrusion dies, 40 per cent on general subcontract work and other products and 40 per cent on added-value small assemblies.
The company has CNC machine tools of which two are vertical machining centres, a Colchester Electronic lathe and two thread grinding machines.
Its production of dies for insulating cables ranges from telecommunications work requirements of 0.5mm diameter right up to 152mm diameter for power cables.
Extrusion points and dies range in size from 20mm to 250mm diameter while stainless steel rotors and stators are also produced in diameters up to 200mm.
The company's own Cavity Transfer Miser (CTM) system product, which significantly improves the mixing/blending performance of an extruder, is produced in sizes from 20 mm to 600 mm diameter.
There's no doubt that the Tornado 220 has made a big impression since its arrival at the company's Whitefield works earlier this year.
As Dr Aspin concluded: 'The Tornado has extended our capacity, widened our scope of operations, eliminated certain grinding operations and, allowed us to look at work we could never have economically handled before.
The lathe can also turn to an accuracy of between five and 10 microns and it regularly does this without any special attention.'
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Versatile CNC lathes, turning centres shown
Among 10 machining centres, CNC lathes and a VTL to be shown at MACH 2004, will be a large spindle bore CNC lathe, turning centres and a CNC VTL with a 17kW driven tool facility.
With a total of 10 machines being displayed - including three new models from Kia (the 1 m plus capacity VX500 vertical machining centre), Toshulin (the cost-competitive SKL12 vertical boring and turning machine) and Soraluce (the high-performance SP-8000 travelling column, fixed-bed mill, which is also likely to be the biggest machine at the show), Ward CNC's 500m2 display in Hall 4, the largest stand at MACH, will certainly emphasise that both 'big and small machines are beautiful'. With a variety of the machines either under power or cutting metal, the Ward CNC display will also include representatives of the company's Union (boring and milling) and Hankook (turning) ranges, so clearly the Sheffield-based machine tool specialist will be presenting something for everyone at the NEC. Included in the 11 machine tools on show, and being demonstrated, are the following CNC lathes and vertical turning lathe (VTL): * Toshulin SKL12 VTL.
a.
Three Kia turning centres - SKT21LMSB with driven tools and sub-spindle, SKT15LM universal with driven tools, and the SKT300 heavy-duty with geared head and solid slideways.
* Hankook 9NC large spindle bore CNC lathe with front and rear chucks and 4000mm between centres.
Visitors to the stand will be spoilt for turning centre choice, with three models on view.
Complete with a C axis, live tooling, sub-spindle and a 65mm spindle bore, the Super Kia Turn 21LMSB is a machine that Ward CNC managing director Simon Whitworth describes as 'world beating' for maximising value-for-money productivity on bar work up to 65mm.
The main 15/11kW spindle motor produces 25 to 4,000 revs/min, while the 3.7/2.2kW sub-spindle reaches 30 to 6,000 revs/min.
The 12-station bi-directional turret has a driven tool speed range of 20 to 4,000 revs/min generated by a 3.7/2.2kW motor.
With an X axis (cross) travel of 220mm and a Z axis (longitudinal) travel of 550mm, the machine has a maximum swing over the bed of 550mm and a distance between centres of 530mm.
Rapid traverse rates are 36m/min.
The Super Kia Turn SKT300 has a maximum turning diameter of 560mm, a maximum turning length of 720mm and a 90mm diameter bar capacity/305mm diameter chuck.
Travels in X and Z axes are 355mm and 750mm and the spindle provides 3,000 revs/min.
Feed rates 20m/min and 24m/min in X and Z, respectively.
With a 12-tool turret and two-stepped geared headstock designed for high-torque, heavy cutting, and programmable tailstock, the Fanuc-controlled SKT300 is designed to minimise non-cutting times while consistently producing parts to 3.5 micron accuracies (in brass, for example).
Completing the Kia display will be the Super Turn 15LM universal three-axis turning centre with driven tools and C axis, having a maximum swing of 550mm and turning diameter of 255mm.
Distance between centres on this 43mm bar capacity machine is 530mm.
Spindle speeds reach 6,000 revs/min, and rapid traverse rate in both the 220mm X and 550mm Z axes is 36m/min.
New from Toshulin is the SKL12 VTL, which can turn and face workpiece diameters up to 1700mm, and has a Z axis capacity of 1200mm and a ram stroke of 1000mm.
With a 1250mm diameter table having a speed range up to 500 revs/min, and an up to 10 revs/min C axis, the 17kW machine's driven tool spindle has an infinitely variable speed range up to 3,000 revs/min, complemented by working travels and rapid traverse rates of 1-4000mm/min and 3000mm/min, respectively.
Typifying the high quality of build and cost-and-performance specification available from Hankook, the Protec 9NC lathe is based on a double-walled and ribbed one-piece meehanite cast iron bed with induction hardened and ground precision slideways for maximum stability and accuracy.
The large spindle bore (up to 440mm) 9NC has a 950mm swing over the bed, 630mm over the carriage and 4000mm between centres.
With Fanuc CNC, the machine boasts spindle speeds of 2 to 1,000/3 to 440 revs/min.
Marposs Mida Laser 105 laser toolsetting and an E86 radio transmission spindle probe will also be evident on the Ward CNC stand.
With a total of 10 machines being displayed - including three new models from Kia (the 1 m plus capacity VX500 vertical machining centre), Toshulin (the cost-competitive SKL12 vertical boring and turning machine) and Soraluce (the high-performance SP-8000 travelling column, fixed-bed mill, which is also likely to be the biggest machine at the show), Ward CNC's 500m2 display in Hall 4, the largest stand at MACH, will certainly emphasise that both 'big and small machines are beautiful'. With a variety of the machines either under power or cutting metal, the Ward CNC display will also include representatives of the company's Union (boring and milling) and Hankook (turning) ranges, so clearly the Sheffield-based machine tool specialist will be presenting something for everyone at the NEC. Included in the 11 machine tools on show, and being demonstrated, are the following CNC lathes and vertical turning lathe (VTL): * Toshulin SKL12 VTL.
a.
Three Kia turning centres - SKT21LMSB with driven tools and sub-spindle, SKT15LM universal with driven tools, and the SKT300 heavy-duty with geared head and solid slideways.
* Hankook 9NC large spindle bore CNC lathe with front and rear chucks and 4000mm between centres.
Visitors to the stand will be spoilt for turning centre choice, with three models on view.
Complete with a C axis, live tooling, sub-spindle and a 65mm spindle bore, the Super Kia Turn 21LMSB is a machine that Ward CNC managing director Simon Whitworth describes as 'world beating' for maximising value-for-money productivity on bar work up to 65mm.
The main 15/11kW spindle motor produces 25 to 4,000 revs/min, while the 3.7/2.2kW sub-spindle reaches 30 to 6,000 revs/min.
The 12-station bi-directional turret has a driven tool speed range of 20 to 4,000 revs/min generated by a 3.7/2.2kW motor.
With an X axis (cross) travel of 220mm and a Z axis (longitudinal) travel of 550mm, the machine has a maximum swing over the bed of 550mm and a distance between centres of 530mm.
Rapid traverse rates are 36m/min.
The Super Kia Turn SKT300 has a maximum turning diameter of 560mm, a maximum turning length of 720mm and a 90mm diameter bar capacity/305mm diameter chuck.
Travels in X and Z axes are 355mm and 750mm and the spindle provides 3,000 revs/min.
Feed rates 20m/min and 24m/min in X and Z, respectively.
With a 12-tool turret and two-stepped geared headstock designed for high-torque, heavy cutting, and programmable tailstock, the Fanuc-controlled SKT300 is designed to minimise non-cutting times while consistently producing parts to 3.5 micron accuracies (in brass, for example).
Completing the Kia display will be the Super Turn 15LM universal three-axis turning centre with driven tools and C axis, having a maximum swing of 550mm and turning diameter of 255mm.
Distance between centres on this 43mm bar capacity machine is 530mm.
Spindle speeds reach 6,000 revs/min, and rapid traverse rate in both the 220mm X and 550mm Z axes is 36m/min.
New from Toshulin is the SKL12 VTL, which can turn and face workpiece diameters up to 1700mm, and has a Z axis capacity of 1200mm and a ram stroke of 1000mm.
With a 1250mm diameter table having a speed range up to 500 revs/min, and an up to 10 revs/min C axis, the 17kW machine's driven tool spindle has an infinitely variable speed range up to 3,000 revs/min, complemented by working travels and rapid traverse rates of 1-4000mm/min and 3000mm/min, respectively.
Typifying the high quality of build and cost-and-performance specification available from Hankook, the Protec 9NC lathe is based on a double-walled and ribbed one-piece meehanite cast iron bed with induction hardened and ground precision slideways for maximum stability and accuracy.
The large spindle bore (up to 440mm) 9NC has a 950mm swing over the bed, 630mm over the carriage and 4000mm between centres.
With Fanuc CNC, the machine boasts spindle speeds of 2 to 1,000/3 to 440 revs/min.
Marposs Mida Laser 105 laser toolsetting and an E86 radio transmission spindle probe will also be evident on the Ward CNC stand.
Linear motor drives expand CNC lathes' versatility
Claimed to far outperform any traditional single spindle cam machines in both flexibility and profitability, a linear motor drive CNC automatic makes simultaneous use of several tools.
Claimed to far outperform any traditional single spindle cam machines in both flexibility and profitability, a linear motor drive CNC automatic makes simultaneous use of several tools. For those who were unable to attend the last EMO, DMG is staging a British re-run, complete with several machines never before demonstrated publicly in the UK. In total, eleven machines will feature showing a wide range of machining solutions and four of those are brand new.
The star performer for turning is undoubtedly the new Sprint 32 linear, aptly named as it far outperforms any traditional single spindle cam machines in both flexibility and profitability.
One of the key features of this new CNC automatic turning machine is its motor spindle and the linear arrangement of the tool holders, which allow the simultaneous use of several tools.
These features, combined with the unique configuration of up to 8 axes, make it possible to process turned parts, inexpensively and at reduced cycle times.
The next universal turning newcomer is the CTX410, one of the latest additions to the CTX 10-Series whose hallmark is low capital cost; a CTX210 model with Fanuc control will also feature on the stand.
Competitive price is achieved through efficient production and assembly methods.
In addition to the standard configuration, the design may be specified with fixed or driven tools.
The use of high-tech components such as the integrated spindle motor and fast servo-turret ensure up to 25% idle time reduction resulting in greater productivity and cost efficiency.
With the introduction of the new GMX 200 linear, DMG extends it turn-mill capabilities up to 560mm diameter, making this product line the most comprehensive for complete 6-sided machining with linear technology.
A linear drive, compound slides with a Y- and B-axis and the highly dynamic turning and milling spindle with 100Nm and a maximum 12,000 rpm are just some of the features that make this machine both a high-end lathe and a high-tech machining centre.
Speed and angle-synchronous workpiece transfers as well as integrated spindle motors provide the shortest cycle times, both for the counter spindle and the tail stock versions.
Thanks to linear drive technology, the CTX 320 linear universal lathe has been rewarding several UK companies with significant productivity increases and at MACH its abilities will be demonstrated on 65mm bar.
DMG's twin spindle range is to be represented by the Twin 65.
The large frame size of this lathe has created space for a CNC-controlled B-axis in the area of the upper turret.
In combination with the Y-axis and driven tools, it is therefore able to machine slanted bores, planes and even complicated milling contours.
Claimed to far outperform any traditional single spindle cam machines in both flexibility and profitability, a linear motor drive CNC automatic makes simultaneous use of several tools. For those who were unable to attend the last EMO, DMG is staging a British re-run, complete with several machines never before demonstrated publicly in the UK. In total, eleven machines will feature showing a wide range of machining solutions and four of those are brand new.
The star performer for turning is undoubtedly the new Sprint 32 linear, aptly named as it far outperforms any traditional single spindle cam machines in both flexibility and profitability.
One of the key features of this new CNC automatic turning machine is its motor spindle and the linear arrangement of the tool holders, which allow the simultaneous use of several tools.
These features, combined with the unique configuration of up to 8 axes, make it possible to process turned parts, inexpensively and at reduced cycle times.
The next universal turning newcomer is the CTX410, one of the latest additions to the CTX 10-Series whose hallmark is low capital cost; a CTX210 model with Fanuc control will also feature on the stand.
Competitive price is achieved through efficient production and assembly methods.
In addition to the standard configuration, the design may be specified with fixed or driven tools.
The use of high-tech components such as the integrated spindle motor and fast servo-turret ensure up to 25% idle time reduction resulting in greater productivity and cost efficiency.
With the introduction of the new GMX 200 linear, DMG extends it turn-mill capabilities up to 560mm diameter, making this product line the most comprehensive for complete 6-sided machining with linear technology.
A linear drive, compound slides with a Y- and B-axis and the highly dynamic turning and milling spindle with 100Nm and a maximum 12,000 rpm are just some of the features that make this machine both a high-end lathe and a high-tech machining centre.
Speed and angle-synchronous workpiece transfers as well as integrated spindle motors provide the shortest cycle times, both for the counter spindle and the tail stock versions.
Thanks to linear drive technology, the CTX 320 linear universal lathe has been rewarding several UK companies with significant productivity increases and at MACH its abilities will be demonstrated on 65mm bar.
DMG's twin spindle range is to be represented by the Twin 65.
The large frame size of this lathe has created space for a CNC-controlled B-axis in the area of the upper turret.
In combination with the Y-axis and driven tools, it is therefore able to machine slanted bores, planes and even complicated milling contours.
Cost-effective production lathes programmed easily
A range of strong, reliable and cost-effective production lathes feature a CNC that is is straightforward to program by operator interface or direct on line programming.
Ajax has launched two new ranges of European-manufactured lathes, the manual/CNC Apollo QT series and the Ajax Apollo PD production lathes. The Ajax Apollo PD series is built around robust and reliable European-built lathes combined with the latest Fanuc 21i CNC control, giving a range of strong, reliable and cost-effective production lathes. The powerful Fanuc 21i control is straightforward to program by operator interface or direct on line programming, the operator interface gives advanced machining, tool management and calculation of complex shapes and functions.
Ajax are currently offering the option of a full production package, this includes hollow spindle hydraulic chuck, hydraulic tailstock and an 8 station automatic turret.
Special introductory prices for this equipment range from GBP 3650 to GBP 4950, depending on the size of machine.
With the above package coupled to a lathe swinging 400mm, and 1000mm between centres, with Fanuc 21i control, Fanuc drives and motors, the complete production package is less than GBP 29,000.
The Ajax Apollo QT manual/CNC lathes feature Fanuc's QuickTurn control and Fanuc drives and motors.
The range of Ajax QTs has been developed as a replacement for the conventional centre lathe.
An experienced lathe operator would quickly adapt and start machining immediately when combining his knowledge with the Fanuc QuickTurn technology.
The Fanuc QuickTurn control provides and easy-to-understand, operator-friendly interface, leading the operator through standard turning functions using the touch screen display.
Manual operation is by two electronic hand wheels, with varying feed rates and using the display as a simple 2-axis DRO.
Complex shapes and operations can be programmed using a selection of canned cycles that are accessed through the touch screen display.
Up to 15 operations can be stored in the control.
These operations cover: rough turning and facing cycles; thread cutting cycles, including taper threads; radius and chamfer cycles; grooving cycles and drilling cycles.
Prices range from GBP 12,950 for a machine of 335mm swing, 750mm between centres, to GBP 28,950 for a machine of 620mm swing, 155mm diameter spindle bore and 3000mm between centres.
The range offers the benefit of a lathe with and operator-friendly control for the same price as a fully-equipped conventional centre lathe.
Ajax has launched two new ranges of European-manufactured lathes, the manual/CNC Apollo QT series and the Ajax Apollo PD production lathes. The Ajax Apollo PD series is built around robust and reliable European-built lathes combined with the latest Fanuc 21i CNC control, giving a range of strong, reliable and cost-effective production lathes. The powerful Fanuc 21i control is straightforward to program by operator interface or direct on line programming, the operator interface gives advanced machining, tool management and calculation of complex shapes and functions.
Ajax are currently offering the option of a full production package, this includes hollow spindle hydraulic chuck, hydraulic tailstock and an 8 station automatic turret.
Special introductory prices for this equipment range from GBP 3650 to GBP 4950, depending on the size of machine.
With the above package coupled to a lathe swinging 400mm, and 1000mm between centres, with Fanuc 21i control, Fanuc drives and motors, the complete production package is less than GBP 29,000.
The Ajax Apollo QT manual/CNC lathes feature Fanuc's QuickTurn control and Fanuc drives and motors.
The range of Ajax QTs has been developed as a replacement for the conventional centre lathe.
An experienced lathe operator would quickly adapt and start machining immediately when combining his knowledge with the Fanuc QuickTurn technology.
The Fanuc QuickTurn control provides and easy-to-understand, operator-friendly interface, leading the operator through standard turning functions using the touch screen display.
Manual operation is by two electronic hand wheels, with varying feed rates and using the display as a simple 2-axis DRO.
Complex shapes and operations can be programmed using a selection of canned cycles that are accessed through the touch screen display.
Up to 15 operations can be stored in the control.
These operations cover: rough turning and facing cycles; thread cutting cycles, including taper threads; radius and chamfer cycles; grooving cycles and drilling cycles.
Prices range from GBP 12,950 for a machine of 335mm swing, 750mm between centres, to GBP 28,950 for a machine of 620mm swing, 155mm diameter spindle bore and 3000mm between centres.
The range offers the benefit of a lathe with and operator-friendly control for the same price as a fully-equipped conventional centre lathe.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Tool breakage monitoring extends unmanned running
Critical tool breakage monitoring system takes two seconds to check critical tools thus enabling 100% critical tool monitoring to take place without adding significantly to the part cycle time.
Critical tool breakage monitoring system takes two seconds to check critical tools thus enabling 100% critical tool monitoring to take place without adding significantly to the part cycle time. Hardinge have entered an exclusive agreement with Checkmate Sensors for the sales and marketing of the revolutionary new Checkmate critical tool breakage monitoring system. This system has been proved in operation to extend the possibilities for unmanned running on bar-fed CNC lathes by as much as 100%.
The main advantages of the Checkmate system are:- It takes just two seconds to check the condition of each critical tool thus enabling 100% critical tool monitoring to take place without adding significantly to the part cycle time.
Tool breakage can be detected immediately - eliminating the possibility of subsequent tool and machine damage resulting from drill breakages, a turning, parting, or boring tool failure.
One sub-contractor has increased production by 100% using Checkmate which has enabled them to react immediately to increased Kan-Ban customer call offs without adding any labour costs to supply the increased volumes.
Checkmate is fast in operation (2 seconds per tool) and requires no setting from one part operation to the next.
The Checkmate macro is all that is needed to activate the tool monitoring routine everything else is done automatically by the plc linked to the sensor.
Checkmate can be used to monitor parting tools, drills, taps, turning tools and boring bars for most applications, whichever are critical to the particular operation.
As secondary functions, Checkmate can be set up to give audible or visual signals to indicate that a tool is broken or worn beyond a preset limit, for attracting attention to an unattended machine with a tool fault condition.
Checkmate allows for the gaps in operator attendance at the machine to be used for production with the confidence that Checkmate will stop the process safely in the event of a tool breakage.
Lunch breaks and tea breaks can become as productive as normal working hours, with after hours running generating bonus parts and profits at no extra cost.
Being environmentally friendly, Checkmate can be linked into the machine power switch to save power when a tool breakage is detected.
In the first instance, Hardinge will offer the Checkmate system on new Talent, Elite and Quest machines.
Its first public showing will be at MACH 2004, where Hardinge have come up with a truly novel way of exhibiting a Talent CNC lathe using Checkmate.
You will have to come to the Hardinge Stand No.
5340 in Hall 5 at MACH to see Checkmate in action.
MACH 2004 - April 19-23 - NEC Birmingham, UK.
Hall 5.
Stand 5340.
Critical tool breakage monitoring system takes two seconds to check critical tools thus enabling 100% critical tool monitoring to take place without adding significantly to the part cycle time. Hardinge have entered an exclusive agreement with Checkmate Sensors for the sales and marketing of the revolutionary new Checkmate critical tool breakage monitoring system. This system has been proved in operation to extend the possibilities for unmanned running on bar-fed CNC lathes by as much as 100%.
The main advantages of the Checkmate system are:- It takes just two seconds to check the condition of each critical tool thus enabling 100% critical tool monitoring to take place without adding significantly to the part cycle time.
Tool breakage can be detected immediately - eliminating the possibility of subsequent tool and machine damage resulting from drill breakages, a turning, parting, or boring tool failure.
One sub-contractor has increased production by 100% using Checkmate which has enabled them to react immediately to increased Kan-Ban customer call offs without adding any labour costs to supply the increased volumes.
Checkmate is fast in operation (2 seconds per tool) and requires no setting from one part operation to the next.
The Checkmate macro is all that is needed to activate the tool monitoring routine everything else is done automatically by the plc linked to the sensor.
Checkmate can be used to monitor parting tools, drills, taps, turning tools and boring bars for most applications, whichever are critical to the particular operation.
As secondary functions, Checkmate can be set up to give audible or visual signals to indicate that a tool is broken or worn beyond a preset limit, for attracting attention to an unattended machine with a tool fault condition.
Checkmate allows for the gaps in operator attendance at the machine to be used for production with the confidence that Checkmate will stop the process safely in the event of a tool breakage.
Lunch breaks and tea breaks can become as productive as normal working hours, with after hours running generating bonus parts and profits at no extra cost.
Being environmentally friendly, Checkmate can be linked into the machine power switch to save power when a tool breakage is detected.
In the first instance, Hardinge will offer the Checkmate system on new Talent, Elite and Quest machines.
Its first public showing will be at MACH 2004, where Hardinge have come up with a truly novel way of exhibiting a Talent CNC lathe using Checkmate.
You will have to come to the Hardinge Stand No.
5340 in Hall 5 at MACH to see Checkmate in action.
MACH 2004 - April 19-23 - NEC Birmingham, UK.
Hall 5.
Stand 5340.
CNC production lathe spurs model company growth
Instead of using 'trainer' type lathes, model steam locomotive building company purchased a CNC slant bed production lathe, which proved to be a catalyst for company growth.
Three years ago, when 46 year-old ex-toolmaker Andy Clarke gave up his 20-year career in the construction industry to return to engineering and bought Polly Model Engineering, his friends thought he'd gone off the rails! But today, the man and wife business of making miniature steam locomotives up to one metre long and able to carry up to 8 people in carriages that can travel at up to 15 miles an hour, is certainly on the right track and is about to expand by at least a third over the next 12 months. Key to this expansion plan has been the installation of a CNC slant bed production lathe from Colchester Sales of Heckmondwike. Normally, model makers go for bench-top training type machines, but not Andy Clarke.
Alongside a vertical machining centre installed last year in his small workshop in Long Eaton near Nottingham, now sits a full size Colchester Tornado A90 CNC lathe.
And, as a result of the acquisition, he now has the capability to automatically batch machine under his own control all the parts for his locomotives and driving trucks except the boilers which are purchased fully certificated from specialist subcontractors.
Says Andy Clarke: 'As an example of how the business is developing, my wife Jayne and I went to a two-day show in April and sold models equal to almost half my present year's production.
Demand is rising so fast from all over the world that I had to develop batch making techniques, and the Colchester lathe is so ideal for this.
I turn everything, even though I have never been on a CNC course in my life, and the parts include wheels, axles, motion parts, buffers, valves, piston heads and cylinders, steam chests, steam connectors, brakes, smoke box and parts for cabs, tenders and tanks.' When he took delivery of the Tornado he maintains he didn't even know where the on-button was.
'Within a week I was making bits and found the machine so easy to use.
Where I used to buy castings, I can often machine direct from bar now and so far have programmed about 250 different parts, which I can run-off as and when I need them in batches of 100 or so.' There are five easy-to-assemble steam kits in the Polly Model range aptly designated Polly 1 to Polly V.
Polly V is the latest addition and is a 5 inch gauge 2-6-0 tank locomotive some 37 inches long by 10 inches wide, weighs 54kg and is powered by 5 inch driving wheels.
Customers are as diverse as solicitors, a church organ restorer, a retired policeman and a lorry driver in Scotland who bought one for the track in his front garden! And there are currently two women who are building locomotives from kits to which Andy Clarke confirms: 'From my contact with them, they are progressing very well'.
Clarke normally links customer build to production, by selling each locomotive in 12 separate kit packages.
Customers order the engine which can cost between GBP 3,000 and GBP 5,000 and pay a 20 per cent deposit.
The remaining 80 per cent is then split over 11 months in exchange for the next monthly set of parts and build instructions.
Although he admits one young lad does get special treatment and phones him every time he has some extra money and asks 'what can I buy for this?' This 'pay as you go' purchase also helps him organise the batching of parts.
'With the Colchester Tornado, not only do I know that the tolerances, surface finish and quality will be consistent over the batch, I can press the button - make the bits while I get on with something else.
'OK if the part is a casting, I just reload the machine as I pass by but I use a bar puller and machine a batch of parts from bar in one go.' He maintains: 'I'm not after cycle times, it's all about quality.
When you are selling to South Africa, France, Germany, Denmark and very soon the USA, these keen model enthusiasts will not tolerate inferior parts.
My reputation is at stake with every engine I make because enthusiasts are very keen to talk to each other.' He then describes how the Colchester machine has proven its worth.
'Castings for cylinder covers used to cost GBP 2.50 and I always had to wait for delivery.
Today I turn them completely out of bar, along with a host of other parts such as safety valves, miniature boiler fittings and bushes.
Even crank pins are produced out of bar as well as miniature drain cocks a quarter of the size of a small finger nail.' Larger parts such as smoke boxes, which are 8 inches diameter by 4 inches long are all turned from aluminium castings and he claims to machine six months stock of wheel castings in around an hour.
'That would have taken me days before on an ageing capstan and centre lathe installed in a corner of the workshop, and it would have demanded all my skills as a toolmaker to get the parts right.' In particular, the brass dome that sits on top of the boiler is now produced from a lost wax casting.
'I programmed and turned the blank for the casting in under an hour,' and he proudly demonstrates the smoothness and finish of the blend radii of the dome.
Having recently purchased a mail order model engineering supplies company, Bruce Engineering, which is now run by wife Jayne and supplies proprietary model parts such as steam stop valves, injectors and water gauges, the Polly Model workshop is almost bursting at the seams which might mean a move to new premises.
Sales have climbed by almost 75 per cent in the three years he has been trading and Andy Clarke now plans for further growth and diversification of the business.
'Before the Tornado was installed and with just me making parts I could never have improved the business.
Skilled labour is very expensive, sub-contract machining would mean I could lose control and so decided the latest turning technology would give me what I needed.
I can't believe how right that decision was!'
Three years ago, when 46 year-old ex-toolmaker Andy Clarke gave up his 20-year career in the construction industry to return to engineering and bought Polly Model Engineering, his friends thought he'd gone off the rails! But today, the man and wife business of making miniature steam locomotives up to one metre long and able to carry up to 8 people in carriages that can travel at up to 15 miles an hour, is certainly on the right track and is about to expand by at least a third over the next 12 months. Key to this expansion plan has been the installation of a CNC slant bed production lathe from Colchester Sales of Heckmondwike. Normally, model makers go for bench-top training type machines, but not Andy Clarke.
Alongside a vertical machining centre installed last year in his small workshop in Long Eaton near Nottingham, now sits a full size Colchester Tornado A90 CNC lathe.
And, as a result of the acquisition, he now has the capability to automatically batch machine under his own control all the parts for his locomotives and driving trucks except the boilers which are purchased fully certificated from specialist subcontractors.
Says Andy Clarke: 'As an example of how the business is developing, my wife Jayne and I went to a two-day show in April and sold models equal to almost half my present year's production.
Demand is rising so fast from all over the world that I had to develop batch making techniques, and the Colchester lathe is so ideal for this.
I turn everything, even though I have never been on a CNC course in my life, and the parts include wheels, axles, motion parts, buffers, valves, piston heads and cylinders, steam chests, steam connectors, brakes, smoke box and parts for cabs, tenders and tanks.' When he took delivery of the Tornado he maintains he didn't even know where the on-button was.
'Within a week I was making bits and found the machine so easy to use.
Where I used to buy castings, I can often machine direct from bar now and so far have programmed about 250 different parts, which I can run-off as and when I need them in batches of 100 or so.' There are five easy-to-assemble steam kits in the Polly Model range aptly designated Polly 1 to Polly V.
Polly V is the latest addition and is a 5 inch gauge 2-6-0 tank locomotive some 37 inches long by 10 inches wide, weighs 54kg and is powered by 5 inch driving wheels.
Customers are as diverse as solicitors, a church organ restorer, a retired policeman and a lorry driver in Scotland who bought one for the track in his front garden! And there are currently two women who are building locomotives from kits to which Andy Clarke confirms: 'From my contact with them, they are progressing very well'.
Clarke normally links customer build to production, by selling each locomotive in 12 separate kit packages.
Customers order the engine which can cost between GBP 3,000 and GBP 5,000 and pay a 20 per cent deposit.
The remaining 80 per cent is then split over 11 months in exchange for the next monthly set of parts and build instructions.
Although he admits one young lad does get special treatment and phones him every time he has some extra money and asks 'what can I buy for this?' This 'pay as you go' purchase also helps him organise the batching of parts.
'With the Colchester Tornado, not only do I know that the tolerances, surface finish and quality will be consistent over the batch, I can press the button - make the bits while I get on with something else.
'OK if the part is a casting, I just reload the machine as I pass by but I use a bar puller and machine a batch of parts from bar in one go.' He maintains: 'I'm not after cycle times, it's all about quality.
When you are selling to South Africa, France, Germany, Denmark and very soon the USA, these keen model enthusiasts will not tolerate inferior parts.
My reputation is at stake with every engine I make because enthusiasts are very keen to talk to each other.' He then describes how the Colchester machine has proven its worth.
'Castings for cylinder covers used to cost GBP 2.50 and I always had to wait for delivery.
Today I turn them completely out of bar, along with a host of other parts such as safety valves, miniature boiler fittings and bushes.
Even crank pins are produced out of bar as well as miniature drain cocks a quarter of the size of a small finger nail.' Larger parts such as smoke boxes, which are 8 inches diameter by 4 inches long are all turned from aluminium castings and he claims to machine six months stock of wheel castings in around an hour.
'That would have taken me days before on an ageing capstan and centre lathe installed in a corner of the workshop, and it would have demanded all my skills as a toolmaker to get the parts right.' In particular, the brass dome that sits on top of the boiler is now produced from a lost wax casting.
'I programmed and turned the blank for the casting in under an hour,' and he proudly demonstrates the smoothness and finish of the blend radii of the dome.
Having recently purchased a mail order model engineering supplies company, Bruce Engineering, which is now run by wife Jayne and supplies proprietary model parts such as steam stop valves, injectors and water gauges, the Polly Model workshop is almost bursting at the seams which might mean a move to new premises.
Sales have climbed by almost 75 per cent in the three years he has been trading and Andy Clarke now plans for further growth and diversification of the business.
'Before the Tornado was installed and with just me making parts I could never have improved the business.
Skilled labour is very expensive, sub-contract machining would mean I could lose control and so decided the latest turning technology would give me what I needed.
I can't believe how right that decision was!'
CNC lathe offers large bore, high torque option
The biggest through bore spindle and a high torque capacity option features the latest addition to a range of precision CNC lathes that employ a massive slantbed cast iron base construction.
The biggest through bore spindle for a Hardinge CNC lathe ever will be launched at the forthcoming MACH 2004 exhibition. With a 250mm chuck as standard and a 78mm through spindle bar capacity, the Talent 10/78 complements the other Talent machines covering the 45 and 52mm bar range with 150 and 200mm chuck sizes respectively. A massive 30deg slantbed cast iron base construction is used providing good accessibility for loading heavy parts and a clear path for chips to fall into the slat type chip conveyor supplied as standard equipment with the machine.
The 10/78 has a powerful 18.5kW spindle drive as standard with 404Nm torque rating at a base speed of 437 rpm.
For those really heavy cutting jobs on big diameters there is a high torque option with 605Nm of torque at only 292 rpm using the latest Fanuc electronic gearbox technology.
An A2-8in spindle is mounted in a combination taper and angular contact four bearing arrangement to produce optimum angular and radial stiffness producing good roundness part concentricity.
With a maximum turning length of 600mm, a VDI-40 12 station turret and No 5 MT fully programmable tailstock the Talent 10/78 takes Hardinge into the big league when it comes to turning capacity.
The carriage and crosslide are both mounted on heavy duty 6 ball contact linear guideway designs driven by 40mm ballscrews with a maximum traverse rate of 30mpm.
Ideal for OEM customers and sub-contractors alike, the Talent range now covers more than 75% of all the turned parts produced on CNC lathes by size.
From small batches to dedicated volume manufacturing the Talent has found its niche for economical part production of turned parts.
A 5.63kW 4,000 rpm driven tooling option is available for the Talent 10/78 enabling complete machining of many parts using C-Axis milling, cross and end drilling and tapping in the same operation.
The fully programmable No 5 MT hydraulic tailstock has 625mm of travel on the base and 150mm of travel on the quill for easy loading of shaft type parts.
Talent 10/78 has Fanuc model OiTB CNC control along with the latest digital Series spindle and axis drives and motors.
A full range of optional and additional equipment is offered for bar and chucking work, including Renishaw automatic tool probe/tool wear monitoring system, part probes, part catcher/conveyor, barfeeds, turret and spindle tooling.
The biggest through bore spindle for a Hardinge CNC lathe ever will be launched at the forthcoming MACH 2004 exhibition. With a 250mm chuck as standard and a 78mm through spindle bar capacity, the Talent 10/78 complements the other Talent machines covering the 45 and 52mm bar range with 150 and 200mm chuck sizes respectively. A massive 30deg slantbed cast iron base construction is used providing good accessibility for loading heavy parts and a clear path for chips to fall into the slat type chip conveyor supplied as standard equipment with the machine.
The 10/78 has a powerful 18.5kW spindle drive as standard with 404Nm torque rating at a base speed of 437 rpm.
For those really heavy cutting jobs on big diameters there is a high torque option with 605Nm of torque at only 292 rpm using the latest Fanuc electronic gearbox technology.
An A2-8in spindle is mounted in a combination taper and angular contact four bearing arrangement to produce optimum angular and radial stiffness producing good roundness part concentricity.
With a maximum turning length of 600mm, a VDI-40 12 station turret and No 5 MT fully programmable tailstock the Talent 10/78 takes Hardinge into the big league when it comes to turning capacity.
The carriage and crosslide are both mounted on heavy duty 6 ball contact linear guideway designs driven by 40mm ballscrews with a maximum traverse rate of 30mpm.
Ideal for OEM customers and sub-contractors alike, the Talent range now covers more than 75% of all the turned parts produced on CNC lathes by size.
From small batches to dedicated volume manufacturing the Talent has found its niche for economical part production of turned parts.
A 5.63kW 4,000 rpm driven tooling option is available for the Talent 10/78 enabling complete machining of many parts using C-Axis milling, cross and end drilling and tapping in the same operation.
The fully programmable No 5 MT hydraulic tailstock has 625mm of travel on the base and 150mm of travel on the quill for easy loading of shaft type parts.
Talent 10/78 has Fanuc model OiTB CNC control along with the latest digital Series spindle and axis drives and motors.
A full range of optional and additional equipment is offered for bar and chucking work, including Renishaw automatic tool probe/tool wear monitoring system, part probes, part catcher/conveyor, barfeeds, turret and spindle tooling.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Low cost CNC universal lathes cut idle time 25%
Low capital cost is the hallmark of universal CNC lathes that offer up-to-the-minute technology at a bargain price and ensures up to 25% idle time reduction.
Low capital cost is the hallmark of models in DMG's CTX 10-Series of universal lathes. At MACH 2004 the high end of the series is represented by the new CTX 410, and making its first appearance in the UK at the show is the smallest in the range, the new CTX 210. Compared with competitive products, these machines offer up-to-the-minute technology at a bargain price.
Also available is the existing CTX 310 and new CTX510 machines.
Thanks to efficient production and assembly methods, the CTX 410 carries a typical price tag starting at GBP 54,900 with Fanuc control.
The use of high-tech components ensures up to 25% idle time reduction, resulting in greater productivity and profitability.
Examples include the integrated spindle motor that delivers drive power of 21kW and the fast 12-tool, servo-turret with change times of just 0.1 second.
The CTX 210 has a starting price of GBP 34,900 with Fanuc control.
Its integrated electro-spindle produces 7.5kW of drive power and its 12-tool servo-turret has an indexing time of 0.49 second.
A programmable tailstock is provided in the standard configuration of this machine.
In common with the other machines in the CTX 10-Series, the CTX 210 and 410 can be configured with options such as fixed and driven tools in all stations for powerful boring and milling.
High rapid traversing speeds ensure shorter positioning times.
To suit the customer's preference and application needs, all CTX models are available with a choice of three controls.
The guide price of the CTX 410 includes the Heidenhain IT with DINPlus and the CTX 210, the Fanuc 21iTB with ManualGuide.
The third option is the Siemens 840D with the latest Shop Turn 3D programming software.
All CNC systems provide superior 3D graphics, which can be viewed on all 4 CTX 10 line machines on the tilt-out operator panel for optimal ease of operation.
Low capital cost is the hallmark of models in DMG's CTX 10-Series of universal lathes. At MACH 2004 the high end of the series is represented by the new CTX 410, and making its first appearance in the UK at the show is the smallest in the range, the new CTX 210. Compared with competitive products, these machines offer up-to-the-minute technology at a bargain price.
Also available is the existing CTX 310 and new CTX510 machines.
Thanks to efficient production and assembly methods, the CTX 410 carries a typical price tag starting at GBP 54,900 with Fanuc control.
The use of high-tech components ensures up to 25% idle time reduction, resulting in greater productivity and profitability.
Examples include the integrated spindle motor that delivers drive power of 21kW and the fast 12-tool, servo-turret with change times of just 0.1 second.
The CTX 210 has a starting price of GBP 34,900 with Fanuc control.
Its integrated electro-spindle produces 7.5kW of drive power and its 12-tool servo-turret has an indexing time of 0.49 second.
A programmable tailstock is provided in the standard configuration of this machine.
In common with the other machines in the CTX 10-Series, the CTX 210 and 410 can be configured with options such as fixed and driven tools in all stations for powerful boring and milling.
High rapid traversing speeds ensure shorter positioning times.
To suit the customer's preference and application needs, all CTX models are available with a choice of three controls.
The guide price of the CTX 410 includes the Heidenhain IT with DINPlus and the CTX 210, the Fanuc 21iTB with ManualGuide.
The third option is the Siemens 840D with the latest Shop Turn 3D programming software.
All CNC systems provide superior 3D graphics, which can be viewed on all 4 CTX 10 line machines on the tilt-out operator panel for optimal ease of operation.
Open house to show off latest CNC lathes
30 models in a complete range of CNC lathes offer a combination of quality, speed, rigidity and performance, particularly under intermittent cutting conditions.
Pollard is holding an open house from June 21-24 at its Leicester showroom, to launch the new NL Series Mori Seiki lathes. There are over 30 models in the complete range, offering a combination of quality, speed, rigidity and performance. Intermittent cutting conditions can cause surface defects.
Thanks to the rigid triangle structure of the NL Series, exceptional tool nose rigidity has been achieved, eliminating this problem.
Additionally, the motor for milling operations is built into the turret, offering levels of speed, surface quality and accuracy normally associated with machining centres.
Pollard will also be showing the new MAPPS II control, which combines the best technology from the MAPPS I and Seicos control units, providing continuity for existing customers and a step change in performance.
These are just a few of the developments that will make a trip to Pollard's showroom worthwhile.
About Pollard - formed in 1911, Fredk.
Pollard and Co is a privately owned company, and is one of Britain's premier suppliers and manufacturers of high quality, high precision machine tools and workholding equipment.
It works in partnership with its customers using its engineering expertise to cost effectively implement high precision and leading edge technology solutions.
Pollard is holding an open house from June 21-24 at its Leicester showroom, to launch the new NL Series Mori Seiki lathes. There are over 30 models in the complete range, offering a combination of quality, speed, rigidity and performance. Intermittent cutting conditions can cause surface defects.
Thanks to the rigid triangle structure of the NL Series, exceptional tool nose rigidity has been achieved, eliminating this problem.
Additionally, the motor for milling operations is built into the turret, offering levels of speed, surface quality and accuracy normally associated with machining centres.
Pollard will also be showing the new MAPPS II control, which combines the best technology from the MAPPS I and Seicos control units, providing continuity for existing customers and a step change in performance.
These are just a few of the developments that will make a trip to Pollard's showroom worthwhile.
About Pollard - formed in 1911, Fredk.
Pollard and Co is a privately owned company, and is one of Britain's premier suppliers and manufacturers of high quality, high precision machine tools and workholding equipment.
It works in partnership with its customers using its engineering expertise to cost effectively implement high precision and leading edge technology solutions.
Chinese machine tools made their debut at Shanghai
Visitors from home and abroad viewed CNC lathes, vertical turning lathes and vertical and horizontal machining centres that were shown in Shanghai, China, during April.
RIFA Precision Machinery attended the CCMT2004(China CNC machine tools Show) held in Shanghai. Four models representing respectively the RIFA CNC horizontal lathes, RIFA vertical lathes, RIFA vertical machining centers and RIFA horizontal machining centers were showed on the exhibition and attracted the attention of professionals coming from home and abroad. CCMT(China CNC Machine Tools Show ) and CIMT(China International Machine Tools Show ) are alternately held in China as the most important machine tools fairs there.
CCMT is held for the China manufacturers to show their newest products, and CIMT is held not only for the China manufacturers also for the foreign manufacturers who are interested in the Chinese market.
About 60 companies attended CCMT2004 and they represent the most important of the Chinese machine tools industry.
In 2005, CIMT2005 will be held in Beijing.
RIFA Precision Machinery will show its machines built to a higher standard.
RIFA Precision Machinery attended the CCMT2004(China CNC machine tools Show) held in Shanghai. Four models representing respectively the RIFA CNC horizontal lathes, RIFA vertical lathes, RIFA vertical machining centers and RIFA horizontal machining centers were showed on the exhibition and attracted the attention of professionals coming from home and abroad. CCMT(China CNC Machine Tools Show ) and CIMT(China International Machine Tools Show ) are alternately held in China as the most important machine tools fairs there.
CCMT is held for the China manufacturers to show their newest products, and CIMT is held not only for the China manufacturers also for the foreign manufacturers who are interested in the Chinese market.
About 60 companies attended CCMT2004 and they represent the most important of the Chinese machine tools industry.
In 2005, CIMT2005 will be held in Beijing.
RIFA Precision Machinery will show its machines built to a higher standard.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Subby let-down led to in-house CNC investment
When one of its principal subcontractors started to become unreliable, a toolmaking company quickly installed an electronic lathe, eliminated grinding and brought work back in-house.
With cost and reliability, two of the key elements in any precision toolmaking business, Redditch-based KFC Engineering knew it had to act fast when one of its principal subcontractors started to become unreliable. To bring control of its production back in-house and also cut the expenditure of subcontracting, KFC selected a DMT 400 electronic lathe from StarragHeckert UK of Brackley. Serving the needs of the automotive, medical and electronic industries for the past 23 years, KFC Engineering is a small but efficient precision toolmaking company.
As managing director, Kevin Creighton explains: 'We are a small firm, and we tended to subcontract a lot of what I would call our 'clever turning' to another company, unfortunately, they started to let us down and in toolmaking there is a low tolerance for any lapse in lead times.
We can't afford to let our customers down so we decided it was time to invest in our own CNC turning facility.' To add weight to the decision, some of KFC's components were being sent outside for grinding as a secondary operation, but as Creighton explains: 'We knew if we could meet the drawing demands from turning we would be able to eliminate grinding from the equation.' The search began, encompassing the full spectrum of new and CNC electronic lathes available.
'We looked very closely at a number of machines, but the DMT 400 definitely proved to be the best option for us.
Its accuracy combined with the tooling package and its ease of programming made it the clear favourite' he maintains.
In fact, the ease of programming became the most important factor behind the decision to purchase because the standard canned cycles it contains are extremely easy to apply and adapt.
He says: 'The combination of teach/repeat and canned cycles on the DMT 400 include threading, rough and finish profiling, undercutting, grooving, tapers and spiral groove type forming, which are just what we needed.' He has found the control provided as much or as little CNC assistance as the operator needed in a well-proven operator friendly style developed by Heidenhain in its 'Manual Plus' control system.
'With a memory capacity for 96 programs, a 96-tool inventory, a good range of macros and terminology that is very familiar to an operator, this means we have seamless program generation - which is ideal,' he says.
KFC produce components out of tool steel in batch sizes no larger than six and here, the DMT 400 is testament to the argument that it is no longer necessary to make a straight choice between CNC or conventional machines, by offering CNC capability on a conventionally configured lathe.
The machine can be used in CNC mode with typical high resolution of the Heidenhain dynamic graphics support, or as a conventional centre lathe with electronic handwheels making it ideally suited for single part followed by automatic repeat cycle turning operations.
The DMT 'electronic' turning machine range has a swing over bed up to 800mm and can be specified with up to 4000mm between centres.
In CNC mode, constant surface speed ensures high and consistent surface finish, while spindle speed and feed rates can be adjusted during machine cycles via the simple apron mounted travelling control panel.
Rapid traverse rates are 5m/min in X and 10m/min in Z.
'Since installation in December 2003 the machine has run perfectly,' says Creighton, 'in fact we haven't had to contact StarragHeckert UK since, as there simply hasn't been any problems.
As a small company we always have to keep one eye on the future and the accuracy and surface finish capabilities of the DMT 400 mean that we have saved both on the cost of subcontract work and especially the problems and costs associated with secondary operations such as grinding.
But what is most important, is that we are in control of our own destiny in terms of what we give and when we deliver to our customers.
With cost and reliability, two of the key elements in any precision toolmaking business, Redditch-based KFC Engineering knew it had to act fast when one of its principal subcontractors started to become unreliable. To bring control of its production back in-house and also cut the expenditure of subcontracting, KFC selected a DMT 400 electronic lathe from StarragHeckert UK of Brackley. Serving the needs of the automotive, medical and electronic industries for the past 23 years, KFC Engineering is a small but efficient precision toolmaking company.
As managing director, Kevin Creighton explains: 'We are a small firm, and we tended to subcontract a lot of what I would call our 'clever turning' to another company, unfortunately, they started to let us down and in toolmaking there is a low tolerance for any lapse in lead times.
We can't afford to let our customers down so we decided it was time to invest in our own CNC turning facility.' To add weight to the decision, some of KFC's components were being sent outside for grinding as a secondary operation, but as Creighton explains: 'We knew if we could meet the drawing demands from turning we would be able to eliminate grinding from the equation.' The search began, encompassing the full spectrum of new and CNC electronic lathes available.
'We looked very closely at a number of machines, but the DMT 400 definitely proved to be the best option for us.
Its accuracy combined with the tooling package and its ease of programming made it the clear favourite' he maintains.
In fact, the ease of programming became the most important factor behind the decision to purchase because the standard canned cycles it contains are extremely easy to apply and adapt.
He says: 'The combination of teach/repeat and canned cycles on the DMT 400 include threading, rough and finish profiling, undercutting, grooving, tapers and spiral groove type forming, which are just what we needed.' He has found the control provided as much or as little CNC assistance as the operator needed in a well-proven operator friendly style developed by Heidenhain in its 'Manual Plus' control system.
'With a memory capacity for 96 programs, a 96-tool inventory, a good range of macros and terminology that is very familiar to an operator, this means we have seamless program generation - which is ideal,' he says.
KFC produce components out of tool steel in batch sizes no larger than six and here, the DMT 400 is testament to the argument that it is no longer necessary to make a straight choice between CNC or conventional machines, by offering CNC capability on a conventionally configured lathe.
The machine can be used in CNC mode with typical high resolution of the Heidenhain dynamic graphics support, or as a conventional centre lathe with electronic handwheels making it ideally suited for single part followed by automatic repeat cycle turning operations.
The DMT 'electronic' turning machine range has a swing over bed up to 800mm and can be specified with up to 4000mm between centres.
In CNC mode, constant surface speed ensures high and consistent surface finish, while spindle speed and feed rates can be adjusted during machine cycles via the simple apron mounted travelling control panel.
Rapid traverse rates are 5m/min in X and 10m/min in Z.
'Since installation in December 2003 the machine has run perfectly,' says Creighton, 'in fact we haven't had to contact StarragHeckert UK since, as there simply hasn't been any problems.
As a small company we always have to keep one eye on the future and the accuracy and surface finish capabilities of the DMT 400 mean that we have saved both on the cost of subcontract work and especially the problems and costs associated with secondary operations such as grinding.
But what is most important, is that we are in control of our own destiny in terms of what we give and when we deliver to our customers.
Frequent changeovers determined CNC lathe choice
General engineering company needs as much flexibility in its machine tools as it can get, which is why it sought a CNC lathe to change over quickly and frequently between bar and chuck work.
South Wales based general engineering company D'Arcy Engineering Co needs as much flexibility in its machine tools as it can get and certainly pushes the capacity right to, and often beyond, the limit. As a prime example, its Colchester Tornado 220 two-axis CNC slant bed lathe is used for both bar work up to 65mm diameter and chucking applications to which the proprietor Nigel Allsop maintains: 'We frequently change the machine over from bar feed to chuck or back again inside 10 minutes and we have even stretched its turning capacity from the specified 260mm to 300mm diameter and that's on steel components.' D'Arcy which is a very successful machinist company has its premises on one of the largest business parks in Europe at Llansamlet, just north of Swansea. That said, it still has to work hard to meet its customers demands for quality and delivery in the medical, construction, automotive and general machining sectors which means choosing the right machine for its needs is critical in its success.
Here, the installation of the Colchester Tornado 220 with its integrated MBF 1000 bar feed package bought from Erith, Kent, the new Colchester Sales Technical Centre partner RK International, was seen as important in the plans for future growth.
With a slightly different operation to most subcontract machinists, Allsop has his feet in two camps.
Not only is his general machining operation very successful in supporting locally based international names such as Sony, Bosch and Morganite it has strong links with a prolific local scientific research and development company where it provides a highly successful design for production service.
Set up some 12 years ago D'Arcy employs six people and moved to its current site six years ago when it outgrew its original premises.
At the time of the move, Allsop invested in several CNC machines.
However, to meet the growing production machining requirements for batches that vary between one and 500 parts and especially the fast turnaround the company has to make to customers.
'We then decided to purchase the newly launched Tornado 220,' he says.
Materials now turned on the Tornado 220 include brass, PTFE, engineering plastics and both mild and high tensile steels and while its regular customer base places scheduled orders giving the 'bread and butter' to the business, they tend to be at the top end of the quality spectrum in terms of tolerances and finish.
Allsop describes a recent automotive schedule for aluminium mounting components to be used on high end audio systems in the executive/luxury car market sector.
'These parts had to be machined for the first tier automotive systems manufacturer and had to be totally compliant with their strict drawing and quality demands.
The Tornado met all the requirements for the job and the project was completed with great success,' he says.
D'Arcy's business involvement with the research and development company has placed significant demands on the machine shop on the back of the burgeoning success of a number of products being brought to market.
Here, Allsop' s experience in machining has led to an important boost to this side of the business especially influencing the design for manufacture element, where he can advise and prove the benefit of cost reduction and simplification.
He is also able to help develop features on a design based on the practicality and advantages gained from a particular machine tool, tooling and control system A prime example, which led to gas nozzels, brass pins and mechanical handling equipment for the medical sector being very efficiently produced on the Tornado came out of the design for production development programme.
One particular project, code named Predator, is a gas scavenging system which is currently under development for high quality manual or automatic MIG or TIG welding.
Predator detects the presence of shield gas allowing welding to continue right up to the point when the gas bottles are empty rather than the normal procedure which requires pre-emptive changing of bottles.' The Tornado 220 is powered by a 22kW AC spindle motor which Nigel Allsops' machine setters use to the full explaining that when over capacity turning the 300mm steel billet, the power meter never even moved from its normal position.
The machine was specified with the 3,500 revs/min lower speed option spindle with rapid traverse rates for the VDI 40, 12 station turret being 25m/min in X and 30m/min in Z.
While swing over the bed is 510mm, the maximum turned length is 540mm which is described by D'Arcy's setter as 'very handy' for the exceptional larger part they sometimes have to turn.
According to Allsop, features of the Tornado 220 that have proven to be an excellent bonus is the basic stability of the machine which he puts down to the Duo-stable engineered polymer concrete filled base.
'Even when we put oversize work or really push the machine it is inherently stable,' he says.
And following on to conclude he maintains: 'The thermal properties of the machine are such that it is able to reach operational stability within 10 minutes of start up.'
South Wales based general engineering company D'Arcy Engineering Co needs as much flexibility in its machine tools as it can get and certainly pushes the capacity right to, and often beyond, the limit. As a prime example, its Colchester Tornado 220 two-axis CNC slant bed lathe is used for both bar work up to 65mm diameter and chucking applications to which the proprietor Nigel Allsop maintains: 'We frequently change the machine over from bar feed to chuck or back again inside 10 minutes and we have even stretched its turning capacity from the specified 260mm to 300mm diameter and that's on steel components.' D'Arcy which is a very successful machinist company has its premises on one of the largest business parks in Europe at Llansamlet, just north of Swansea. That said, it still has to work hard to meet its customers demands for quality and delivery in the medical, construction, automotive and general machining sectors which means choosing the right machine for its needs is critical in its success.
Here, the installation of the Colchester Tornado 220 with its integrated MBF 1000 bar feed package bought from Erith, Kent, the new Colchester Sales Technical Centre partner RK International, was seen as important in the plans for future growth.
With a slightly different operation to most subcontract machinists, Allsop has his feet in two camps.
Not only is his general machining operation very successful in supporting locally based international names such as Sony, Bosch and Morganite it has strong links with a prolific local scientific research and development company where it provides a highly successful design for production service.
Set up some 12 years ago D'Arcy employs six people and moved to its current site six years ago when it outgrew its original premises.
At the time of the move, Allsop invested in several CNC machines.
However, to meet the growing production machining requirements for batches that vary between one and 500 parts and especially the fast turnaround the company has to make to customers.
'We then decided to purchase the newly launched Tornado 220,' he says.
Materials now turned on the Tornado 220 include brass, PTFE, engineering plastics and both mild and high tensile steels and while its regular customer base places scheduled orders giving the 'bread and butter' to the business, they tend to be at the top end of the quality spectrum in terms of tolerances and finish.
Allsop describes a recent automotive schedule for aluminium mounting components to be used on high end audio systems in the executive/luxury car market sector.
'These parts had to be machined for the first tier automotive systems manufacturer and had to be totally compliant with their strict drawing and quality demands.
The Tornado met all the requirements for the job and the project was completed with great success,' he says.
D'Arcy's business involvement with the research and development company has placed significant demands on the machine shop on the back of the burgeoning success of a number of products being brought to market.
Here, Allsop' s experience in machining has led to an important boost to this side of the business especially influencing the design for manufacture element, where he can advise and prove the benefit of cost reduction and simplification.
He is also able to help develop features on a design based on the practicality and advantages gained from a particular machine tool, tooling and control system A prime example, which led to gas nozzels, brass pins and mechanical handling equipment for the medical sector being very efficiently produced on the Tornado came out of the design for production development programme.
One particular project, code named Predator, is a gas scavenging system which is currently under development for high quality manual or automatic MIG or TIG welding.
Predator detects the presence of shield gas allowing welding to continue right up to the point when the gas bottles are empty rather than the normal procedure which requires pre-emptive changing of bottles.' The Tornado 220 is powered by a 22kW AC spindle motor which Nigel Allsops' machine setters use to the full explaining that when over capacity turning the 300mm steel billet, the power meter never even moved from its normal position.
The machine was specified with the 3,500 revs/min lower speed option spindle with rapid traverse rates for the VDI 40, 12 station turret being 25m/min in X and 30m/min in Z.
While swing over the bed is 510mm, the maximum turned length is 540mm which is described by D'Arcy's setter as 'very handy' for the exceptional larger part they sometimes have to turn.
According to Allsop, features of the Tornado 220 that have proven to be an excellent bonus is the basic stability of the machine which he puts down to the Duo-stable engineered polymer concrete filled base.
'Even when we put oversize work or really push the machine it is inherently stable,' he says.
And following on to conclude he maintains: 'The thermal properties of the machine are such that it is able to reach operational stability within 10 minutes of start up.'
'Lights out' turning package starts at GBP 53,000
A 'lights-out' unmanned turning package enables highly automated production across a range of two-axis and three-axis machines at a very competitive price starting at under GBP 53,000.
The 'Lights-out' unmanned turning package developed by Colchester Lathe is the flagship for its Tornado range of lathes. It enables highly automated production across the range of two-axis and three-axis machines at a very competitive price which starts at under GBP 53,000. The new livery and ergonomic guard design of the Lights-out package comprises the Colchester developed MBF 1000 integrated barfeed, parts-catcher, swarf conveyor, tool monitoring and sister tool replacement.
In-process gauging and production scheduling software are also included in the purpose-developed, competitively priced unit.
The T2 two-axis 60 (degrees) slant bed machine package using Colchester's Duo-stable construction that provides thermal and dynamic stability up to 300 per cent greater than cast iron, has a 42mm bar capacity and 5.5kW, 6,000 rev/min spindle with 12 position VDI 30 turret.
The MBF 1000 bar magazine is fully integrated with the Fanuc control and as a result has no mechanical stops, takes minutes to change over from, say, hexagon to round bar and programming is quick by using dialogue input.
As each bar is measured, the onboard machine software computes the number of pieces from each bar and recalculates when to stop the automatic production cycle.
The production schedule software enables direct on-machine control over workpiece batches while the tool monitoring, based on axis torque loading, will initiate sister tool replacement from the 12 station VDI turret or stop the machine if the problem is deemed more serious.
To help with program generation, on-board Colchester develop COLCAM software gives fast and simple machining cycles.
Automatic alarm generation and call out is included in the event of cycle stoppage from the Fanuc 21i-TB Series control with 10.4 inch colour LCD display.
Through Renishaw's LT02 optical transmission probing technology for comparison against drawing limits and feed-back to control, any deviation for automatic tool offset correction can be made.
The 'Lights-out' unmanned turning package developed by Colchester Lathe is the flagship for its Tornado range of lathes. It enables highly automated production across the range of two-axis and three-axis machines at a very competitive price which starts at under GBP 53,000. The new livery and ergonomic guard design of the Lights-out package comprises the Colchester developed MBF 1000 integrated barfeed, parts-catcher, swarf conveyor, tool monitoring and sister tool replacement.
In-process gauging and production scheduling software are also included in the purpose-developed, competitively priced unit.
The T2 two-axis 60 (degrees) slant bed machine package using Colchester's Duo-stable construction that provides thermal and dynamic stability up to 300 per cent greater than cast iron, has a 42mm bar capacity and 5.5kW, 6,000 rev/min spindle with 12 position VDI 30 turret.
The MBF 1000 bar magazine is fully integrated with the Fanuc control and as a result has no mechanical stops, takes minutes to change over from, say, hexagon to round bar and programming is quick by using dialogue input.
As each bar is measured, the onboard machine software computes the number of pieces from each bar and recalculates when to stop the automatic production cycle.
The production schedule software enables direct on-machine control over workpiece batches while the tool monitoring, based on axis torque loading, will initiate sister tool replacement from the 12 station VDI turret or stop the machine if the problem is deemed more serious.
To help with program generation, on-board Colchester develop COLCAM software gives fast and simple machining cycles.
Automatic alarm generation and call out is included in the event of cycle stoppage from the Fanuc 21i-TB Series control with 10.4 inch colour LCD display.
Through Renishaw's LT02 optical transmission probing technology for comparison against drawing limits and feed-back to control, any deviation for automatic tool offset correction can be made.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Manual/CNC lathe reduces hours' work to minutes
One of the main factors for choosing a manual/CNC lathe was that it is very easy to learn to use and also very much quicker than manual lathes, says a subcontractor.
The speed, extra capability and performance of its Harrison Alpha 1400S manual/CNC lathe have powered Wolverhampton company, Shinton Engineering, into new market sectors, just weeks after acquiring the brand new machine from Harrisons main distributor, Datamach of Coventry. Formerly using entirely manual-type lathes, the firm in Ettingshall Road - established around 40 years ago by the current proprietor Tommy Shinton - became highly specialized in producing one-off replacement machine parts, especially for presses and other industrial machine tools. Now, Shinton Engineering, which has a staff of 12 people, is rapidly building on this core business by manufacturing medium-volume batches of small components, such as quality-finished castings for motor engines and other applications.
The company says the Alpha 1400S is perfectly suited to producing 50-100 items with very fast turnaround times and high precision results.
Shinton Engineering manager, Neil Whitaker said: 'One of the main factors for choosing the new machine was that it is very easy to learn to use and also very much quicker than manual lathes.
It will do things in a few minutes that would have taken us a couple of hours of heavy work to complete.
It is a lot quicker and we achieve much better finishes.' Shinton said the Alpha 1400S, which has a 400mm swing and 1.250cm between centres, has much more flexibility than traditional lathes and opens up new niche market areas: 'We are now realizing that there was a lot of work available for our company which we could not have taken on, from customers with a requirement for quantities of 50 or 100 items produced quickly and precisely.
We can now price these jobs competitively.' The 1400S is one of five Harrison Alpha models making up the Harrison S1000 lathe series: 1350S (350mm swing), 1400S (400mm swing), 1460S (460mm swing), 1550S (550mm swing) and 1800S (800mm swing).
All lathes incorporate the most advanced and easiest to use manual/CNC lathe control in the world - the Fanuc Colour Touchscreen control system, with a 10.4 inch wide touch panel with clear, colour step-by-step graphics, Alphanumeric keypad and system selection key to give operators the widest possible range of machining permutations.
From effortless manual turning to sophisticated semi-automatic and full CNC machining, the Alpha S1000 series delivers maximum flexibility to perfectly match the machining requirement, while a major new feature of the S1000's control capability is its Manual Guide System - a touchscreen accessible cutting programme enabling the full generation of simple cutting profiles and complex automatic programmes to be carried out directly at the machine.
The Alpha lathe's integral teach facility allows hand wheel-initiated moves to be recorded as a programme and re-run automatically after completion of the first component, while all new programmes generated can be stored to memory for later use or saved to the integral AlphaLink software.
Additionally, all programmes generated in this comprehensive 'Cycle Cutting' mode can be converted to a full CNC programme.
The Alpha range also incorporates a semi-automatic machining capability for stops, taper turning and automatic thread cutting, plus an off-line CAD/CAM machining facility.
Harrison's sales director, David Smith, said: 'The success being achieved by Shinton Engineering perfectly illustrates how the speed, ease-of-use and flexibility of Harrison Alpha lathes can exceed the expectations of customers and open doors to increased business in new market sectors.
'The latest generation of Alpha lathes are extremely technically advanced, highly equipped and superbly designed and constructed for maximum performance, excellent machining results time after time, very low maintenance and a long, trouble-free operating life.'
The speed, extra capability and performance of its Harrison Alpha 1400S manual/CNC lathe have powered Wolverhampton company, Shinton Engineering, into new market sectors, just weeks after acquiring the brand new machine from Harrisons main distributor, Datamach of Coventry. Formerly using entirely manual-type lathes, the firm in Ettingshall Road - established around 40 years ago by the current proprietor Tommy Shinton - became highly specialized in producing one-off replacement machine parts, especially for presses and other industrial machine tools. Now, Shinton Engineering, which has a staff of 12 people, is rapidly building on this core business by manufacturing medium-volume batches of small components, such as quality-finished castings for motor engines and other applications.
The company says the Alpha 1400S is perfectly suited to producing 50-100 items with very fast turnaround times and high precision results.
Shinton Engineering manager, Neil Whitaker said: 'One of the main factors for choosing the new machine was that it is very easy to learn to use and also very much quicker than manual lathes.
It will do things in a few minutes that would have taken us a couple of hours of heavy work to complete.
It is a lot quicker and we achieve much better finishes.' Shinton said the Alpha 1400S, which has a 400mm swing and 1.250cm between centres, has much more flexibility than traditional lathes and opens up new niche market areas: 'We are now realizing that there was a lot of work available for our company which we could not have taken on, from customers with a requirement for quantities of 50 or 100 items produced quickly and precisely.
We can now price these jobs competitively.' The 1400S is one of five Harrison Alpha models making up the Harrison S1000 lathe series: 1350S (350mm swing), 1400S (400mm swing), 1460S (460mm swing), 1550S (550mm swing) and 1800S (800mm swing).
All lathes incorporate the most advanced and easiest to use manual/CNC lathe control in the world - the Fanuc Colour Touchscreen control system, with a 10.4 inch wide touch panel with clear, colour step-by-step graphics, Alphanumeric keypad and system selection key to give operators the widest possible range of machining permutations.
From effortless manual turning to sophisticated semi-automatic and full CNC machining, the Alpha S1000 series delivers maximum flexibility to perfectly match the machining requirement, while a major new feature of the S1000's control capability is its Manual Guide System - a touchscreen accessible cutting programme enabling the full generation of simple cutting profiles and complex automatic programmes to be carried out directly at the machine.
The Alpha lathe's integral teach facility allows hand wheel-initiated moves to be recorded as a programme and re-run automatically after completion of the first component, while all new programmes generated can be stored to memory for later use or saved to the integral AlphaLink software.
Additionally, all programmes generated in this comprehensive 'Cycle Cutting' mode can be converted to a full CNC programme.
The Alpha range also incorporates a semi-automatic machining capability for stops, taper turning and automatic thread cutting, plus an off-line CAD/CAM machining facility.
Harrison's sales director, David Smith, said: 'The success being achieved by Shinton Engineering perfectly illustrates how the speed, ease-of-use and flexibility of Harrison Alpha lathes can exceed the expectations of customers and open doors to increased business in new market sectors.
'The latest generation of Alpha lathes are extremely technically advanced, highly equipped and superbly designed and constructed for maximum performance, excellent machining results time after time, very low maintenance and a long, trouble-free operating life.'
High speed manual/CNC lathe turns smaller parts
In direct response for turning small-diameter components to the highest levels of accuracy and finish quality, a lathe builder has developed a 5000 rev/min version of its manual/CNC lathes.
In direct response to customers requiring the capability to turn small-diameter components to the highest levels of accuracy and finish quality, British lathe specialist Harrison has introduced a high speed version of its Alpha 1330U manual/CNC machine with a maximum operating speed of 5,000 rev/min. The new high-speed Alpha 1330U-HS provides a 40% increase in spindle speed over the established Alpha 1330U. Demand for the new lathe - which incorporates a revised bearing configuration of five high-precision, angular contact bearings providing low noise levels and optimum surface finishes at high rotational speeds - is growing steadily across European markets following its announcement by Harrison at the MACH 2004 machine tool exhibition held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, earlier this year.
The new 5,000 rev/min spindle assembly incorporates five ABEC 7 Precision angular contact bearings which are arranged with three at the front and two at the rear of the 54mm bore spindle.
These bearings enhance the machine's smooth running and low heat generation, which in turn contribute significantly to low-tolerance rotational accuracy.
The bearings are pre-greased for life for continuous operation and the 'pre-load' is set by the bearing manufacturer to simplify maintenance procedures.
The A2-5 spindle nose is designed to accommodate specialised high-speed workholding equipment, specified at the time of order.
Optional workholding equipment includes: specialised manual high speed three-jaw chuck; Pratt Burnerd power operated three-jaw chuck and power operated collet chucking for either Crawfords Multibore or 5C collet systems.
In other technical respects, the new version of the 1330U, with 360mm swing over bed (206mm swing over cross-slide) and 7.5kW motor, incorporates the same advanced features as Harrison's flagship U1000 lathe series, launched last year.
Its composite base assembly provides optimum stability and rigidity, while the operator-friendly 30 degree box-section slant-bed design makes for easier loading of the workpiece, better access for tool-setting, increased visibility and greatly reduced swarf clearing compared with a traditional flat-bed format.
Like other Harrison U1000 series lathes, it also benefits from Harrison's world-famous Alpha 1000 control system, which offers the widest choice of turning options ever offered on a manual/CNC lathe.
Effectively, all U1000 lathes can be operated from the colour touchscreen control console in four separate selectable modes: manual handwheels with digital positional display; sequential (Alpha) semi-automatic; manual guide (Teach); and ISO (CNC) to produce simple and complex components in one-off and small-medium batch sizes.
The mode of operation can be selected to match the complexity of the workpiece, operator skill level and batch size.
This selection offers the ultimate versatility and flexibility to the customer.
Harrison is confident that the new Alpha 1330U-HS with 5,000 rev/min represents an important new asset in its product line-up, which will attract significant sales from both existing and new customer sectors.
In Finland, for example, one of the first 5,000 rev/min machines was supplied by Harrison's distributor, Cron Tek Oy, to a company specialising in surgical equipment, while its Swiss distributor, Josef Binkert AG, is supplying to manufacturers of electrodes and other high-precision parts.
David Smith, Harrison's Sales Director, said: 'This new 5,000 rev/min lathe represents an important step forward both for ourselves and for many Harrison customers around the world.
It underlines Harrison's commitment to meeting its customers' exact requirements and expectations in the ever-changing marketplace for turning equipment.
It also demonstrates the in-built flexibility and technical excellence of our products to match our customers' needs.
'For new and existing customers requiring an advanced manual/CNC machine which produces the highest quality results on small-diameter items where accuracy, low tolerances and high precision are crucial factors, this machine represents an exciting opportunity to boost their businesses and achieve the excellent turning standards associated with Harrison's world-famous lathes.'
In direct response to customers requiring the capability to turn small-diameter components to the highest levels of accuracy and finish quality, British lathe specialist Harrison has introduced a high speed version of its Alpha 1330U manual/CNC machine with a maximum operating speed of 5,000 rev/min. The new high-speed Alpha 1330U-HS provides a 40% increase in spindle speed over the established Alpha 1330U. Demand for the new lathe - which incorporates a revised bearing configuration of five high-precision, angular contact bearings providing low noise levels and optimum surface finishes at high rotational speeds - is growing steadily across European markets following its announcement by Harrison at the MACH 2004 machine tool exhibition held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, earlier this year.
The new 5,000 rev/min spindle assembly incorporates five ABEC 7 Precision angular contact bearings which are arranged with three at the front and two at the rear of the 54mm bore spindle.
These bearings enhance the machine's smooth running and low heat generation, which in turn contribute significantly to low-tolerance rotational accuracy.
The bearings are pre-greased for life for continuous operation and the 'pre-load' is set by the bearing manufacturer to simplify maintenance procedures.
The A2-5 spindle nose is designed to accommodate specialised high-speed workholding equipment, specified at the time of order.
Optional workholding equipment includes: specialised manual high speed three-jaw chuck; Pratt Burnerd power operated three-jaw chuck and power operated collet chucking for either Crawfords Multibore or 5C collet systems.
In other technical respects, the new version of the 1330U, with 360mm swing over bed (206mm swing over cross-slide) and 7.5kW motor, incorporates the same advanced features as Harrison's flagship U1000 lathe series, launched last year.
Its composite base assembly provides optimum stability and rigidity, while the operator-friendly 30 degree box-section slant-bed design makes for easier loading of the workpiece, better access for tool-setting, increased visibility and greatly reduced swarf clearing compared with a traditional flat-bed format.
Like other Harrison U1000 series lathes, it also benefits from Harrison's world-famous Alpha 1000 control system, which offers the widest choice of turning options ever offered on a manual/CNC lathe.
Effectively, all U1000 lathes can be operated from the colour touchscreen control console in four separate selectable modes: manual handwheels with digital positional display; sequential (Alpha) semi-automatic; manual guide (Teach); and ISO (CNC) to produce simple and complex components in one-off and small-medium batch sizes.
The mode of operation can be selected to match the complexity of the workpiece, operator skill level and batch size.
This selection offers the ultimate versatility and flexibility to the customer.
Harrison is confident that the new Alpha 1330U-HS with 5,000 rev/min represents an important new asset in its product line-up, which will attract significant sales from both existing and new customer sectors.
In Finland, for example, one of the first 5,000 rev/min machines was supplied by Harrison's distributor, Cron Tek Oy, to a company specialising in surgical equipment, while its Swiss distributor, Josef Binkert AG, is supplying to manufacturers of electrodes and other high-precision parts.
David Smith, Harrison's Sales Director, said: 'This new 5,000 rev/min lathe represents an important step forward both for ourselves and for many Harrison customers around the world.
It underlines Harrison's commitment to meeting its customers' exact requirements and expectations in the ever-changing marketplace for turning equipment.
It also demonstrates the in-built flexibility and technical excellence of our products to match our customers' needs.
'For new and existing customers requiring an advanced manual/CNC machine which produces the highest quality results on small-diameter items where accuracy, low tolerances and high precision are crucial factors, this machine represents an exciting opportunity to boost their businesses and achieve the excellent turning standards associated with Harrison's world-famous lathes.'
Flat bed CNC lathe has large gap for big parts
Flat bed CNC lathe enables parts up to 554mm diameter by 2000mm long to be swung over the bed or up to a massive 830mm by 216mm within the gap bed.
The Colchester MultiTurn 4000 flat bed CNC lathe enables parts up to 554mm diameter by 2000mm long to be swung over the bed or up to a massive 830mm by 216mm within the gap bed. The machine provides the full advantage of the latest Fanuc control that is equally useable for single part manual cycles or under full CNC control for repeat batches of parts. Now available from Colchester Lathe of Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, the 3.6 tonne, larger capacity MultiTurn embodies all the features and advantages of the highly successful 1000 and 2000 versions launched last year.
However, with more powerful spindle and servo drives fitted to the machine, this enables effortless cutting cycles to be performed on larger part sizes.
The MultiTurn CNC lathe is very competitively priced and provides high levels of functionality that takes full advantage of the 11kW spindle drive.
The spindle is carried on a cast iron flat bed with an eight-station 360mm diameter, electrically indexing turret capable of holding 25 mm by 25mm tool section size and 40mm diameter boring bars.
Quick-change toolposts from Parat, Multifix or Dickson are available on request.
The success of the smaller MultiTurn versions has been from the ability to combine the versatility of full CNC, electronic and manual operation through Fanuc's latest Series OiTB CNC TFT contouring control with Manual Guide Oi conversational programming.
The machine uses twin electronic handwheels to manipulate the Fanuc digital drives package and, with the simple and quick conversational programming, is directed at users requiring additional large CNC capacity or small batch size component turning solutions.
In addition, it will be equally productive as a universal turning machine to the workshop requiring a solution to the wide range of turning operations faced by a general machinist.
Prime considerations are high flexibility to replace or upgrade existing machining capacity with a reliable and modern, high quality, metal cutting machine without compromising the investment budget.
Three-jaw geared scroll or four-jaw independent chucks up to 405mm with a 104mm bore define the capacity of the machine which can also be supplied with travelling or stationary steadies up to 308mm capacity.
The tailstock is No 6 MT with 145mm travel and is available with heavy duty or general purpose centres.
The ergonomically positioned travelling Fanuc OiTB control has an 8.4in TFT flat colour screen with a 10 GByte hard disk and electronic handwheels for manual operation.
These can be used in conjunction with Manual Guide Oi programming with combinations of advanced canned cycles such as stock removal, threading and grooving to create a fully integrated operation.
Automatic cycling direct from memory gives a full CNC capability from within the fully interlocked enclosure with twin slide-aside guard doors.
The Colchester MultiTurn 4000 flat bed CNC lathe enables parts up to 554mm diameter by 2000mm long to be swung over the bed or up to a massive 830mm by 216mm within the gap bed. The machine provides the full advantage of the latest Fanuc control that is equally useable for single part manual cycles or under full CNC control for repeat batches of parts. Now available from Colchester Lathe of Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, the 3.6 tonne, larger capacity MultiTurn embodies all the features and advantages of the highly successful 1000 and 2000 versions launched last year.
However, with more powerful spindle and servo drives fitted to the machine, this enables effortless cutting cycles to be performed on larger part sizes.
The MultiTurn CNC lathe is very competitively priced and provides high levels of functionality that takes full advantage of the 11kW spindle drive.
The spindle is carried on a cast iron flat bed with an eight-station 360mm diameter, electrically indexing turret capable of holding 25 mm by 25mm tool section size and 40mm diameter boring bars.
Quick-change toolposts from Parat, Multifix or Dickson are available on request.
The success of the smaller MultiTurn versions has been from the ability to combine the versatility of full CNC, electronic and manual operation through Fanuc's latest Series OiTB CNC TFT contouring control with Manual Guide Oi conversational programming.
The machine uses twin electronic handwheels to manipulate the Fanuc digital drives package and, with the simple and quick conversational programming, is directed at users requiring additional large CNC capacity or small batch size component turning solutions.
In addition, it will be equally productive as a universal turning machine to the workshop requiring a solution to the wide range of turning operations faced by a general machinist.
Prime considerations are high flexibility to replace or upgrade existing machining capacity with a reliable and modern, high quality, metal cutting machine without compromising the investment budget.
Three-jaw geared scroll or four-jaw independent chucks up to 405mm with a 104mm bore define the capacity of the machine which can also be supplied with travelling or stationary steadies up to 308mm capacity.
The tailstock is No 6 MT with 145mm travel and is available with heavy duty or general purpose centres.
The ergonomically positioned travelling Fanuc OiTB control has an 8.4in TFT flat colour screen with a 10 GByte hard disk and electronic handwheels for manual operation.
These can be used in conjunction with Manual Guide Oi programming with combinations of advanced canned cycles such as stock removal, threading and grooving to create a fully integrated operation.
Automatic cycling direct from memory gives a full CNC capability from within the fully interlocked enclosure with twin slide-aside guard doors.
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