Product category:
Vertical machining centres (VMC)
News Release from: 600 Centre | Subject: Fanuc Robodrill Alpha T14iB vertical machining ctr
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 08 July 2004
VMC spurs jeweller into watch case
machining
Having bought a high speed VMC for its toolroom one of the UK's leading jewellery manufacturers plunged into a new venture of making high quality watch cases.
Having bought a high speed Fanuc Robodrill Alpha T14iB vertical machining centre for its toolroom at Oldbury in the West Midlands, one of the UK's leading jewellery manufacturers almost immediately had it seized by the production team and, inspired by its performance and capability has led the company into a new venture of making high quality watch cases Says technical manager of J A Main, Terry Easthope: "The machine has proven to be so successful, it is now used for full production - our toolroom guys have to jump-in when they can!" Known as 'The Masters of Fine English Jewellery', a reputation it had built up over 60 years, J A Main was becoming very concerned with growing competition from Italy and emerging economies that could threaten, not its design and craftsmanship skills, but its speed of manufacturing jewellery
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 22 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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This led to a decision to investigate how new technology could influence the production of its highly desirable range of lockets, crosses, St Christophers, bracelets and collarettes in 9 ct and 18 ct gold, white gold and silver as well as high quality gold and rolled gold watch bracelets.
These are sold to the jewellery trade and to those who want very exclusive, bespoke designs which they purchase from major international houses.
In deciding which vertical machining centre to buy, the company made visits to UK and overseas machining centre suppliers which in turn led to a watch factory in Switzerland.
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While looking at one particular vertical machining centre in action, Easthope saw a Fanuc Robodrill deployed to cut stainless steel to which he adds the description: "It worked with great effect." So on return to the UK he contacted the 600 Centre for a demonstration.
"There was absolutely nothing wrong with the Swiss machine except its price - three times that of the Fanuc Alpha.
So when we looked at the ratio of price against capability and quality, I don't think we could have made a better decision," he maintains.
The visit to 600 Centre proved extremely fruitful.
"We took a sample of our tool steel and a program of the part we wanted to make and watched the Fanuc go through its paces.
"What more can I say - we bought the machine!" He maintains: "Once the machine was installed it was then that we really began to see its potential and what it could do for us.
This led us to start thinking of making our own watch cases.
This decision was distinctly against the tide because it seemed that everyone that had been making cases for watchmakers in England had gone out of business." Easthope then explains that a watchcase involves so many operations and is traditionally a very labour intensive process which can make it uncompetitive because it is difficult to achieve within a target price.
The normal process of manufacture involves an original forming operation to generate the basic shape of a watchcase, which is then followed by several machining operations.
These include cutting the groove for the glass, machining the opening for the dial, drilling the hole for the winder, producing the 'snap-shut' feature on the rear of the case and diamond cutting the face of the watchcase.
So the decision was made that the Fanuc machine would enable all these processes to be produced on the machine far more competitively, so one of the last jobs the toolroom were able to do on their new machine was to produce an innovative three-station fixture for holding the watchcase.
Explains Easthope: "We simply would never have entertained the idea of manufacturing watchcases before having the Fanuc Robodrill, it is so capable of performing so many operations that it is now a key part of our production and allows us to produce a watchcase in a cycle time of just 90 seconds!" Minimal idle time is an important contributor to the fast cycle time with a chip to chip time of 1.8 seconds, a rapid acceleration of 1.2G to 54m/min that means when 10 tool changes are involved on a component, it creates a significant saving.
Now the toolmakers at J A Main are not so happy as the production team.
Originally purchased for them, they now struggle to gain any machine time.
Easthope explains: "It is utilised very heavily by production and so it has become difficult for the toolroom.
We are thinking about leaving some long-running tooling jobs to run unattended overnight, but the fact is that buying another duplicate Fanuc Robodrill is probably the better option." A further advantage of the machine is the level of component quality it provides.
Watch cases are made from 9 carat gold and they really don't want to be generating scrap as the recycle value is far below finished component value.
"Fortunately we hardly ever find a reject, " he maintains.
As a first venture into CNC, J A Main's team of toolmakers found it quite easy to learn how to use.
After a week-long training course with 600 Centre they easily took to the technology and the machine is now programmed via an offline CAM system and the program transferred by DNC to the machine.
Easthope explains: "Such is the versatility of the machine that it has transformed the way we work both on production and toolmaking.
When we made tooling before we had to produce a drawing, scale it using a pantograph, and then create a wooden model which would take several days.
Now we simply use CAM to generate the toolpaths, download them and let the Robodrill do the rest.
We have found the Fanuc to be outstanding - we simply wouldn't be without it now.".
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