Product category:
CNC turning centres, mill/turning, multi-tasking centres, horizontal and VTLs.
News Release from: Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools | Subject: Traub TNK36 CNC lathe
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 27 November 2007
CNC lathe cuts plastics pen barrels in
one set-up
CNC lathe equipped with a modified short bar feeding system produces plastics pen components in one operation and has halved floor-to-floo time and reduced production costs.
A UK subcontractor based in Dorking, Carville, has been using a Traub TNK36 CNC lathe to machine plastics crylic barrels and caps for the Parker Pen Company's world famous writing instruments since March 2007 The single set-up operation has replaced two set-ups: halving floor-to-floor time and reducing the cost of production
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 26 Aug 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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UK agent for Traub, Germany, Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools, supplied the TNK36 lathe with an LNS short bar magazine modified to feed plastics billets.
Plastics bar cannot be used, as the acrylic is hand cast with a built-in pattern, either check or marbling, and it is only possible to make it in short lengths.
Formerly, two conventional fixed-head lathes were used to machine the barrels and caps.
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One performed rough-turning of a billet and the second carried out diamond-turning until a component was cosmetically perfect.
At the end of 2006, an effective global marketing campaign by Parker Pen to promote its current International, Centennial and Mini pen ranges in 'check' and 'pearl and black' sent sales soaring.
Parker asked Carville to increase barrel and cap production by 50% very quickly, so another lathe dedicated to the work was needed.
Carville's managing director, Peter Robinson, said: "Ideally we would produce these shaft-type components on a sliding-head lathe, but working from billet precludes that option.
We wanted a lathe that would rough the billet and then diamond-turn the profiled outside diameter (OD), plus machine the threads on both ends, all in one hit".
He said: "Only the Traub TNK36 was able to accomplish this to the required quality at a high rate of production, 18 hours a day".
* Machining sequence - the machining sequence for a barrel is as follows.
* A 160mm long, square cross section billet for 'check' pens or a 90mm long round billet for 'pearl and black' is fed from the LNS magazine through the main spindle.
* The billet is drilled along its length and rough-turned on the OD with a taper from the centre towards both ends.
* The barrel is then counterbored and an internal thread for the nib assembly and an external thread that will secure the cap are cut.
* A cone mounted in the in-line front-working tool carrier advances to support the end of the component while a diamond tool in the front-working turret finish-turns the OD.
The cone retracts and the counter spindle comes in to grip the end of the component for parting off.
* Simultaneously with front-end machining of the next barrel, rearworking tools complete the machining operations on the reverse end, comprising drilling, counterboring, and screwcutting an internal thread to accept the barrel button.
Total cycle time is about 3 min, including auto load/unload, after which, the barrels are washed and polished.
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