Product category:
CNC turning centres, mill/turning, multi-tasking centres, horizontal and VTLs.
News Release from: C Dugard | Subject: Hyundai-Kia SKT 210 SY mill-turn centre
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 13 July 2007
Y-axis on turning centre raises
competitiveness
A model kit maker wanted a mill-turn centre with a Y-axis to be more competitive by using the flexibility and capability to do as many machining applications as possible in one set-up.
Towncross Engineering makes parts for the 'home assembly' models of electro-magnetic engines that work on 3 to 6V battery power Without having to use coal, the models mimic steam engine technology of original working engines developed between 1836 and 1860
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 20 Aug 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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According to the model maker - The Old Model Company of Chichester, UK - the electro-magnetic machine development helped lead the mechanical breakthrough that created the rotary motion for the modern electric motor.
Towncross managing director Paul King, and business partner Linda Palmer, run the toolmaking-turned part production machine shop in Bognor Regis.
The machine shop was set up in 1978 and has produced around 300 sets of the 60 or so engine parts for the model maker.
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One general machinist and four skilled CNC machinists produce the parts in the 1,400ft2 machine shop.
Parts include the main beam, flywheels and centre pins for the electric coils.
The company also produces a whole host of fittings as well as its own BA nuts and bolts, as well as fulcrum pins, to original, but scaled down specification.
The company's Dugard Eagle 32 sliding headstock lathe with subspindle turns, mills and drills some parts in a single cycle.
A Hyundai-Kia HiT 155 2-axis lathe and a vertical machining centre (VMC) machine other parts.
Towncross puchased these over several years from C Dugard of Hove.
Lately, a Hyundai-Kia SKT 210 SY mill-turn centre with subspindle and a Y-axis crossfeed to the 12 station turret machines the curved spoke flywheels for the models highly visual appearance in a single 'one-hit' cycle.
According to King, the decision to buy this high specification machine - the largest ever investment in the business - was not a foregone conclusion.
He recounted: "This purchase was so important to us we studied the machine tool market intensively for turn/mill centres spurred on by the winning of an important contract to produce digi-cells - basically high quality surface finish aluminium cups that screw together and house instrumentation for performing chemical analysis." Towncross won the contract not on price, but the quality of the pre-production samples machined on the Hyundai HiT two-axis lathe bought in 1996, and the VMC.
King said: "But we needed higher flexibility as we could not afford tooling costs for multiple operations or the time to produce them".
"The risk of damage and marking the machined surfaces due to handling and relocation were also a concern".
* Y-axis capability - King said: "We really needed the 'competitive edge', flexibility and capability to do as much as possible on one machine".
"We have so much work and too few hours available in the day so we have to automate or start turning work away." He insisted: "The machine has already made a difference - we can quote far more competitively for work and win orders".
King gave an example of a collar machined in Delrin on the Hyundai-Kia SKT 210 SY.
The machine turns all over, drills clamping holes, and mills a wide slot in the wall of the component.
King said: "We produce it in one operation on the main and subspindle and use the Y-axis to mill the slot, in less than half our previous cycle time".
"We also have the spin-off from quicker machine setting and there is no lost time waiting for other machines to become vacant".
"This means we can quickly plan a job through the shop against the delivery date and we know the part will be right".
* Off-centre drilling and milling aided by Y-axis - Towncross also needed the mill/turn centre to work accurately off-centre for drilling and milling and be able to turn the 2.1/2in bar and 3in aluminium billets for the digi-cell contract".
""If we went to a larger machine, a direction some suppliers wanted us to take, we would not have the spindle speed advantage and, of course, we only had a limited budget".
"The Dugard machine represented very good value for the performance available and met all our requirements on the cutting trials".
"One ideal point for the Hyundai-Kia SKT 210 SY was that the turret gave a good spread for tools, so we have no worries over collisions when setting the Y-axis," he said.
Indeed, falling back on its toolmaking expertise, Towncross made good use of the turret arrangement and the +/-40mm of Y-axis stroke by developing its own toolblock.
The toolblock is able to carry eight tools on one position of the 12-station turret.
It allows four additional tools, such as drills and taps, to be used to service each of the main and subspindles from that same station.
The two aluminium digi-cells are produced in batches of 500 from 2011 free-cutting aluminium.
The part is finished turned using Sumitomo polycrystalline diamond (PCD) at 3,500 rev/min and 0.07mm/rev feed with an absolute minimum depth of cut".
""Here the high pressure coolant option has proven to be so important to clear any swarf and prevent it marking or scoring the surface of the part," King said.
The larger of the two digi-cells are produced from a 3in billet.
At the main, 15kW 4,000 rev/min spindle, the face is machined and a 55mm hole drilled from solid using a U-drill followed by finish boring and the drilling of a small centre hole.
The OD is turned then a portion knurled.
The subspindle then takes the part, locating from the bore in soft jaws and the part is faced to length.
A 42mm U-drill, followed by a finish boring tool, and an undercut tool is then used and an internal thread is produced.
The OD is finish turned using PCD and a driven tool used to mill a recess.
While tolerances are within +/-0.05mm, according to King the machine easily maintains size within 0.02mm diameter from cold".
""It is very stable," he maintained.
* Automated machining cycles - for the smaller cup, produced from 2.1/2 inch bar, Towncross is able to run fully automated cycles.
These are very similar to the larger cup except 35mm U-drills are used on the first bore and the subspindle is used as a bar puller before part-off.
In the 3.7kW 6,000 rev/min subspindle the part-off face is then turned, the OD rough turned and knurled and a recess produced in the front face.
PCD tooling then finishes the front face, the OD and a front radius.
The knurl is chamfered before the part is placed in a rubber lined parts-catcher.
Towncross is very flexible and still maintains some manual equipment for second operation work and for producing tools, jigs and fixtures.
The company also falls back on its toolmaking heritage to overcome any 'technical' problems.
It supplies electrical and electronic companies, oil, instrument, medical and sports car customers, of which 95% are within seven miles of the factory.
Also, as it machines most types of material from super alloys, tool steels, stainless, brass and aluminium, through to plastics and nylons, it makes full use of its wide experience from the five people employed.
* CNC sliding head lathe - the sliding headstock Dugard Eagle 32 lathe with subspindle and driven tools is used to produce batches of up to 5,000 parts.
These include many repeat batches of 20 or 30 impellers for flow meters.
These are produced in a single cycle and to tolerances within 15 microns.
As King outlined: "The machine was supplied ready to run by C Dugard, we only had to add the tools and collets".
"The tool platen is quick to change over for different part types and like everything else here, the machine is so flexible".
The impellers range from 1/4in to 16in diameter.
The smaller sizes are machined in a single cycle while the larger components are produced in batches of five or 10 and are fabricated with the blades inserted on assembly.
According to the application of the parts, materials used include stainless steel, special high nickel steels and even some solid nickel that tends to be very difficult to cut and very labour intensive requiring careful setting, and constant attendance to the process.
* Company expansion - Towncross is now seeking larger premises, having already seen a 50% increase in business.
Its owners are currently negotiating on a new factory with plans to be fully installed there before the end of 2007".
"Said King: "While we serve a lot of customers we have grown with two particular companies that we have worked with for more than 25 years". Request a free brochure from C Dugard ...
"Now by investing, we hope we can move the business forward again and they are very keen to continue to work with us.".
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