Product category:
Miscellaneous machine tools, gear cutting machines and equipment
News Release from: Costruzioni Meccaniche Caorle | Subject: End-working machining centre
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 October 2005
End-working machining centre cuts shaft
costs
Robostised cell equipped with an end working machining centre has solved a problem of machining a wide range of shafts for alternators, reducing costs and raising quality.
With this special machining centre for end-working a company has been able to equip a turning cell of high productivity, which succeeded in solving their problem of machining a wide range of shafts for alternators with excellent results as for quality of the product, machining costs and reliability of the production A suitable example of how some machines develop in time and get qualified to carry out previously unimaginable kinds of machining is a centering and facing machine which has recently been installed by an well-known Venetian Company, where it performs important production operations The name of this Company is Mecc Alte (Creazzo, Vicenza, Italy) and it manufactures a wide range of generators from 1 to 3,000kVA at the rate of about 350.000 units/year
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 22 Mar 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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To machine hundreds of shafts quicker, an NC 'island' completes in one cycle by using an end- working machine to carry out the first machining operations and so speed up subsequent operations.
Since any alternator has a shaft, the aforesaid production implies considerable facing needs.
The crop ends are obtained from bars cut by a belt saw, but they require not only dimples for the essential support-centers, but also further machining on the same ends: depending on the kind of alternator, the shaft may show some out-of-center as well as threaded axial holes which are necessary for the couplings of the torque.
All these operations are carried out at a high rate and fully automatically by a centering and facing machine Caorle, model CL 132-T12, an original and unusual machine coming from the traditional facing models that have been enriched with new functions and possibilities.
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New generation of end working machines
The model CM102-T12 one of a new generation of end working machines and it works by means of a spindle connected with a tool changer.
Because of the great amount of shafts wanted, their machining has been organised in a robotised turning cell, laid-on with crop ends cut by a saw installed in the same cell.
To get turned, the crop ends need spot-drilling, but since further types of machining need to be performed on the shaft-heads, the above mentioned operations were decided to be assigned to the same unit which was to carry out the spot-drilling.
This way the multitasking machine that performs the following operations is relieved of part of its work.
"The market," says Arnaldo Manunta, Mecc Alte's production manager, "Offered different examples of this kind of machines, but not all of them would be able to meet our requirements and that was one reason why we chose Caorle".
"The model that company suggested to us after examining our request was able to perform not only spot-drilling on both sides of the workpiece, but also some different kinds of machining such as the out-of-center threaded axial holes, which otherwise had to be made on the machining center, thus complicating their working cycle." Practically the centering and facing machine Caorle performs some operations, in order to make the tasks of the turning center easier, to the advantage of the cycle time and productivity.
"It is called centering and facing machines," says Manunta, "But this is a limited definition: actually the machine has higher functions and performances which make it resemble a real machining center." * The centering and facing machine Caorle CL132-T12 - basically this is a unit to carry out seats for support-centers and facings, but actually it is a real machining center for end working.
It is equipped with two opposed heads which allow the working on both sides of the piece at the same time.
The machine has a magazine that receives the crop ends from the saw and transfer them to the machining field, where the two dimples of the support-centers are prepared for the subsequent turning operation and, if required, the aforesaid out-of-center axial and threaded holes are performed.
This kind of manufacture is made thanks to the multiple drilling heads of the tool crib, which are interchangeable like normal tools.
For this purpose, in the phase in hand the workpiece is locked in the middle, in order to free its end - allowing the approach of the multiple heads (one for drilling, the other for tapping).
The same cribs may house many heads of this kind with tools for different drilling and tapping operations (different number of holes and diameters).
The availability of interchangeable multiple heads is a feature that grants the machine the status of excellence and avant-garde and it is this wide range of possibilities that warrants the definition 'machining center for end working'.
The diameter of the workpiece can range from 45 to 85mm, its length from 208 to 845mm and the machine can perform up to six M12 holes on its ends.
The right and left tool cribs may house each up to 12 or 10 tools with maximum diameter 120mm or 6 tools with maximum diameter 200mm.
The capacity of the middle head is 15kW.
As already said, this model proves that a normal facing machine can be gradually improved, allowing new functions and skills to grant better and better performances.
An important feature of this machine is the automation not only of all its different functions, but also synchronisation with the other units of the cell.
The machine gets the pieces from the saw, machines and prearrange them, which will be taken by a robot transferring them to the turning unit.
As for the software, the harmonious coordination of all machines is granted by original Caorle programmes.
With this peculiar machining center for end working Mecc Alte has been able to equip a turning cell of high productivity, which succeeded in solving their problem of machining a wide range of shafts for alternators with excellent results as for quality of the product, machining costs and reliability of the production.
* About Mecc Alte - Mecc Alte (Creazzo, Vicenza) became very popular on the Italian and world market as a manufacturer of a wide range of synchronous alternators.
The Company produces both standardized models for common needs and special ones to meet the requirements of more particular customers.
The Company manufactures more than 350.000 pieces a year with capacity from 1 to 3,000kVA.
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