Product category:
Machining centres - all types
News Release from: Hurco Europe | Subject: Milling machines and machining centres
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 12 March 2003
CNC flexibility avoids taking the bitter
pill
CNC's power and flexibility allows complex milling and machining centre programs for tablet blister pack tooling to be created with ease on the shop floor.
Next time you remove a couple of paracetamol tablets from their foil-backed packaging, spare a thought for those who help to manufacture this handy dispensing system One such company is pharmaceutical blister-pack tool producer, TJ Wire Erosion in Dursley, Gloucestershire, which has used Hurco mills and vertical machining centers (VMCs) for its non-EDM prismatic metalcutting operations since 1988, largely due to the power and flexibility of the patented Ultimax control system
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 5 Feb 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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It allows complex programs to be created with ease on the shop floor by TJW's machine operators, including routines with 3D milling and fully interpolative 4-axis work.
Latest to be acquired are two of Hurco's largest VMCs, designated VMX64, which were installed in 2002 to extend the size of component that can be produced at Dursley in one clamping to 1625mm x 860mm x 760mm and to over 2.7 tonnes in weight.
They brought the total number of machines on site from this supplier to eight.
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Said Managing Director, Tony Bartholomew, "We produce blister-pack and strip-pack blow moulds in very small batches, usually one-offs.
Similarly we tend to specialise in complex, low volume, high added value subcontract work in other areas such as aerospace, motorsport and electronics; indeed, this was our original business.
"So programming normally accounts for a high proportion of total manufacturing time and it would dent our profitability considerably if we had to employ a full time, off-line programmer to feed all our VMCs with cutting cycles.
Indeed, some of the jobs we produce would be financially unviable." Technical director, Ben Bartholomew, went on to explain that not only is the twin-screen Ultimax CNC sufficiently powerful to produce complicated programs using simple conversational techniques on the touch screen, but the process is performed in background while the Hurco VMC is cutting the previous part, so minimal production time is lost during changeover.
He also pointed out that when only ones and twos are required, each program must be right first time; there is no leeway for cutting an incorrect trial component as that would immediately turn profit into loss.
The straightforward routines on the Ultimax and colour graphical representation of the component plus simulation of the machining cycle on the second screen ensure that the first-off part is always correct.
The control's simplicity of use means that one operator can look after three or even four Hurco machines, helping to keep manufacturing costs down and profitability up.
Despite their simple appearance, blister-pack blow moulds are quite complex, as the blind pockets may be either circular or elliptical, have tapered sides and a spherical base containing normally two or three sub-millimetre diameter through-holes.
Nevertheless, programming is completed on the Ultimax CNC unless a complicated feeding system profile or engraved customer logo is to be incorporated, in which case TJW's off-line programming system is brought into use.
The required parts of the program are imported directly into the control as DXF files created on the company's CAD system.
However, this is necessary in only a few percent of cases.
Typical cycle time for either a top or a bottom forming tool for a blister-pack is several hours, but some take much longer, such as a recently-machined 50-pocket version with eight 0.6mm diameter blow holes in the base of each pocket plus an engraved logo.
In this case, the customer was an overseas manufacturer of chewing gum, rather than of pharmaceutical products.
In addition to the aluminium forming tools, various other components are manufactured by TJW from tool- and stainless-steels to make up the blow mould package, such as the track, roller, cutter and sealing plate.
Some of the tracks are 1600mm long and used to be produced in two hits, followed by hand blending to polish out the transition mark.
With the availability of the Hurco VMX64s, the same job is done in one operation both faster and to a higher quality standard, so the part now goes straight to bead blasting and anodising. Request a free brochure from Hurco Europe ...
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