Product category:
Special purpose and multi-function tooling, broaching, etc.
News Release from: Sandvik Coromant UK | Subject: Coromant special tooling
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 September 2003
Special tools make the most of
multi-function m/c
Domestic fittings manufacturer opted for special tooling for a multi-functional machine to mill, drill, turn, bore, over-turn and interpolate shower mixer bodies, often at very complex angles.
As part of a major investment in its manufacturing facilities, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire based domestic and commercial showering and washroom controls specialist Kohler Mira has installed a GBP 670,000 machining centre manufactured by Riello Sistemi and equipped with tooling packages from Sandvik Coromant UK One of only two machines of its type in the UK, the 44 tonne Riello machining centre is a Vertiflex 6, 8 module, 22 axis CNC rotary transfer machine
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 3 Apr 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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On average the individual mixer valve tooling packages comprise 30 tools, predominantly special tools designed and manufactured in Coromant's UK headquarters at Halesowen.
All have HSK couplings and in operation, any combination of 6 tools will running simultaneously in the Riello.
"This is a high volume environment machining around 40 mixer valve bodies an hour (1 every 90 seconds), 24 hours a day, 6 days a week," says Kohler Mira's senior production engineer Clive Hughes.
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"The Vertiflex investment was timed to support the introduction of 4 brand new Mira consumer shower products in addition to existing components and there is a dedicated tool package for each mixer body.
When in full production the centre will machine 8 different designs of mixer bodies with annual combined volumes up to 300,000 components.
Across the range there will be 62 special tools individually designed and manufactured by Coromant.
"However, in order to bring the machine into Cheltenham as near ready to run as possible, engineers from Kohler Mira, Sandvik Coromant UK, Riello and Sandvik Italy all combined to provide a superb teamwork performance to prove out the machine before it made the 1100 mile trip from Vicenza in Northern Italy." As Coromant area sales engineer Terry Marmont explains, in tooling terms this was a very exacting project.
"Without doubt this has been a very complex tooling project because the multi-functional machine has the ability to mill, drill, turn, bore, over-turn and interpolate, often at very complex angles.
We opted for special tools because to achieve optimised (and minimal) cycle times, multi-functional tooling is essential.
However, where possible we have specified products from the standard Coromant range such as CoroMill R390 end mills and some Plura solid carbide cutters.
"Mindful that the customer was introducing new designs within a very tight timescale and that each product needed a bespoke tooling package, we worked very closely with all parties involved.
"This included frequent video conferences held at Cheltenham and Vicenza which involved engineers from all parties.
The work also included over-the-weekend road journeys by Mira project engineer Dave Gregory, Clive Hughes and Terry Marmont when they transported the second component special tooling package, specialist chuck jaws and gauges.
At Riello, the first component was run briefly and any tooling issues dealt with.
Four weeks later the same team accompanied by a Kohler Mira quality control engineer re-visited Riello to run the machine pass-off trial on three different components.
The result was impressive and Dave Gregory signed off the machine on behalf of Kohler Mira.
But as Marmont explains, the machining processes were not without their problems.
"The mixer bodies are cast in resin based sand cores and as part of this process, a certain amount of sand washes into the DZR brass casting creating very aggressive, difficult machining areas.
These are not only very abrasive but also intermittent due to core shift and it has been necessary to specify an indexable insert grade and geometry that can accommodate these very difficult conditions.
Coromant recommended two uncoated insert grades - H13A and H10A - for roughing and semi-finishing with a range of solid and brazed carbide tools to undertake the tight tolerance, precision finishing operations.
Typically these can be between +/-0.1mm and +/-0.05mm.
The nature of a shower mixer body design necessitates a number of sealing faces where +/-0.02mm to +/-0.01mm tolerances are necessary and these are achieved using special overfinishing tools.
"As a special tooling project this has been a major success story for Coromant," concludes Terry Marmont.
"There has been a tremendous amount of co-operation throughout and it proves the value of bringing together the resources of all involved to ensure a more than satisfactory result for the customer.".
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