Product category:
Motor sports manufacturing: machining, software, CAM
News Release from: 600 Centre | Subject: Fanuc Robodrill Alpha T21iD VMC
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 27 September 2004
VMCs run in the fast track to meet
sport's needs
Installed over Christmas 2003 to machine bespoke racing motorcycle components as part of a fast reaction, in-house supply philosophy two VMCs are themselves being run flat-out.
Installed over Christmas 2003 to machine bespoke components as part of a fast reaction, in-house supply philosophy to meet requirements of the race team at Honda Racing, two Fanuc Robodrill Alpha T21iD vertical machining centres are themselves run flat-out every day According to Simon Buckmaster, workshop co-ordinator: "Not only did they meet our technical requirements but with the backing of supplier 600 Centre, they are really repaying the investment with dividend." Indeed, as a result of the support given in the early days of installation by the 600 Centre of Shepshed, near Loughborough to help Honda Racing to maximise its component manufacture response time and the provision of such high levels of machining flexibility given by the two machines, Honda Racing invited the 600 Group PLC company to form a three-year technical partnership agreement
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 22 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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While the deal involves the machine tool supplier in the race team's activities, it is providing front line application engineering support whenever they need help and advice.
As Honda Racing demonstrates, racing motorcycles is a high pressure, high profile sport that demands the best, not just from its support team at the track, but also its suppliers.
Component response time and machining flexibility is of paramount importance in a hectic racing calendar, as the team drives forward in its quest for yet further British Superbike, Supersport, 125GP and Motocross championship glory.
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Honda Racing has been based at its current, pristine facility in Louth since 1998, from where it manages Honda's UK motorcycle racing activities and logistics.
The impressive, high technology workshop is the location for bike development and maintenance, and even includes a dyno room with high speed fans capable of blowing in excess of 100 mph to simulate track conditions.
It was becoming evermore apparent last year that most of its in-house component manufacture now centred on milling operations and it needed to expand both its capability and capacity.
Says Simon Buckmaster: "We went to the market looking for two high quality machining centres that would give a good return in capability for the investment.
After looking at a few vendors we visited 600 Centre and saw the Fanuc Robodrills in action and knew immediately we had our machines." Buckmaster follows on to explain: "Not only did the Fanuc Robodrills meet all of our technical requirements, the package price for two machines was very competitive but more important to us was the support element and this is proving worth while because the decision to buy is now paying dividends." Installed at Louth over Christmas, the two Fanuc Robodrill Alpha T21iD vertical machining centres were immediately employed to produce parts such as suspension linkages, bridge mounts and link arms, as well as special wheel spacers for the new CBR1000RR Fireblade.
As Buckmaster maintains: "We are also producing an improved gear change lever on the Robodrills for our motocross team but what we have found is that we really do have the ability to react very quickly to team requirements.
Since installing the machines we also have the capacity to manufacture commercial parts such as footrest assemblies." As components such as the suspension and gear change parts require the machining of very complex 3D profiles, one of the Robodrills was specified with a Nikken rotary table to provide a fourth-axis capability.
This can also be mounted at 90 deg to the table if required to give even greater freedom to machine the component design.
The other machine is permanently set with a pair of twin vices, to manufacture backplates for instance, as well as a standard machine vice.
Both machines have the flexibility of a 21-tool automatic toolchanger and 10,000 rev/min spindles with a working volume of 500mm in X, 400mm in Y and 330mm in Z.
Table size is 650mm by 400mm.
Such is the complexity of many of the parts that two or sometimes three set-ups are required using special fixtures and these are also developed and produced in-house using the Robodrills.
Honda Racing has found that fast setting and changeover are helped on the T21iDs by the machine tool's latest features included in the control such as set-up file - able to hold 30 sets of program data with automatic initialisation.
Through 2004, Honda Racing enjoyed yet another successful season on the track in the British Superbike Championship, with riders Michael Rutter and Ryuichi Kiyonari.
In the British Supersport Championship, rider Karl Harris has proven to be a winner claiming his second consecutive title aboard the HM Plant Honda Racing CBR600RR.
Karl Harris chalked up a massive 222 points in the 12 round series beating his nearest rival by 39 points.
One of the influential issues of race outcome is weight.
Here Simon Buckmaster estimates that up to 95 per cent of the components that are machined on the Robodrills are aluminium, either 6082 grade or 7075 aircraft specification aluminium.
This is chiefly to give strength and reduce bike weight to help shave fractions of a second from lap times.
And, despite many of the components produced being part of superficial assemblies, many dimensions demand tight tolerances.
For example, the bore on the suspension linkage which is designed to accept a bearing journal, is tied to +/-0.015mm.
Surface finish is also important as many of the components are visible and need to reflect quality and not create stress points.
Software improvements to the Fanuc 16i-MB control which Honda Racing are making use of, include Fanuc's optional Auto Intelligence (AI) contour control and Nano contour technology, which uses a RISC processor to read up to 600 blocks in advance.
This capability enables precise contour control when milling to be maintained involving axis acceleration and deceleration without feed rate variation.
This ensures a continuous, ultra-smooth surface texture.
"We manufacture parts to very high standards so there were high expectations for the machines when they arrived.
To date, I can't recall a single reject that could be attributed to either machine," Buckmaster says.
Manufacturing precision surface contours on the T21iD is helped by a jerk control option, with automatic feed rate control at corners, which reduces mechanical shock from the 1.5G acceleration capability to the 54m/min rapid traverse rate.
High resolution is achievable through the latest fast response servo motor developments that introduce an ultra-precise pulse coder offering 16 million pulses per revolution.
"This has helped as all the components processed through the Robodrills so far are machined out of solid in batch sizes ranging from five to 50," explains Buckmaster.
He is first to admit the company is not in the volume market.
"As we don't make parts for any Honda road bikes, batches are quite modest in size.
However, with quality our highest priority the parts machined are a promotion of Honda Racing and our customers at the top end of the market." To which he concludes: "We feel our facility here at Louth is second to none in UK motorcycle racing.
The Fanuc Robodrills are quick and precise and they have helped us take an important step forward.
We can now make any component in-house.
It is impossible to put a high enough value on that for a team that is winning championships and competing at the highest level.".
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