Product category:
General Machining Subcontracting Services
News Release from: Hemlock Engineering | Subject: 5-axis aluminium machining
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 June 2006
Subcontractor leads in 5-axis aluminium
machining
Subcontract machinist has set up a very purposeful niche operation, based upon the latest 5-axis machining centre technology, and offers production machining of complex aluminium components.
Based in Stapleford, Nottingham, UK and just having invested over GBP 1 million in new equipment, Hemlock Engineering's investment has created a very purposeful niche operation, based upon the latest five-axis machining centre technology It is now able to provide single operation sub-contract production machining of complex aluminium components, carry out reverse engineering data collection, incorporate solid model CAD to CAM and provide a very hands-on design for production consultancy, to enable the most cost-effective machining solution to be initiated
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 22 Jul 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Says managing director Paul Cobb: "The five-axis machining service has been created from discussions with key customers who are saying this is what they need from a subcontract supplier - cheaper prices and improved quality.
With the two new five-axis machining centres, we can achieve both with the added bonus of reduced leadtime.
We also have developed a closer working relationship with customer design and development teams, which helps them to reduce costs and improve function." The privately owned Hemlock Group has followed a regular investment policy and as a result, achieved very high success in combining operations in turning and milling.
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The company already has two Nakamura multi-axis lathes, and 10 Citizen CNC sliding head autos providing 'one-hit' machining operations.
So the decision was made to try to adopt the same strategies for CNC milling using five-axis machining centres with automatic pallet loading devices combined with zero-point fixtures.
These new machines complement the 17 three and four-axis vertical machining centres that are already installed using multi-vice and zero-point tooling setups.
The move to adopt five-axis machining led Paul Cobb and his team to make a market study to find the best high speed vertical machining centre that would incorporate pallet loading for extended running.
It also sought out a new co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) and the best available 3D software solid modelling and programming software able to machine in true continuous five-axis mode.
Most critical was that the machining centre had to be able to interpolate and repeat to high orders of accuracy in order to combine turning and boring with milling cycles along with the capability to perform compound angle drilling and milling of features to very high orders of surface finish and tolerance in unmanned cycles.
Summed up by Cobb: "The objective was to automate the CNC milling process in the same way as we have with CNC turning." Hemlock Engineering's 3D machining specialist Nick Marks explained: "With the five-axis capability we have installed we can set totally new standards in production machining by attacking five faces of a component in one high speed machining set-up.
This enables better control of critical feature relationships and also reduced piece part price due to the reduction or elimination of labour cost with machines of this level of sophistication we can also provide dramatic improvements in surface finish." Hemlock Engineering has already had customers keen to take advantage of the machining from solid capability to help reduce lead time.
Because castings are no longer required and the part can be effectively machined from a solid billet, problems of blow holes or porosity are eliminated and fixture and tooling charges dramatically reduced.
But Hemlock is going much further than that.
It is geared up to provide a complete service including sub assembly and test.
The 36 people operation at Stapleford is providing a true design for production consultancy working from solid models using the latest version of Open Mind's Hypermill/HyperCAD GSM software and also SolidWorks and SolidCAM programming software.
This means Hemlock can take virtually any part from CAD to assembly.
The set up allows them to reverse engineer an existing part through the Cosmos 3 software on the new Mitutoyo Crysta Apex C574 CMM with Renishaw P410 probe, and production machine the part on the two five-axis Mikron XSM 600U vertical machining centres.
Both Mikron machines are fitted with high torque StepTec 36,000 rev/min spindles, with 90m/min rapid traverse rates, a seven pallet system and 60 tool magazines.
With linear drives on all five axes they are even able to spin the rotary table continuously at 300 rev/min.
This unusual capability can be used to turn with a milling tool and can also be very useful for rapid spinning of the bed to remove swarf and coolant from blind pockets or holes.
Because of the configuration of the machines, they are able to mill, drill, bore and turn features of a part in the same cycle using standard tooling developed around Hemlock Engineering's existing aluminium machining expertise.
At 36,000 rev/min, a removal rate of up to half a litre of aluminium per minute can be achieved using only a 10mm diameter cutter.
As part of Hemlock's specialist aluminium machining operation originally set up in 1986, the company can also incorporate vibratory deburring, vapour honing, colour, hard and natural anodising, cleaning and degreasing and even wrapping, packaging, palletising and certification.
Next day delivery is available anywhere in the UK.
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