Nikken and Boeing in technical partnership

At its innovation Centre on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sheffield, Nikken Kosakusho Europe recently hosted a visit from Boeing senior executives and engineers to sign a long-term technical partnership between the two companies.

Boeing senior executives Dave Hyem, Don Hendrickson and James Needham are pictured with Nikken Kosakusho Europe director Gary Williamson and European CEO Tony Bowkett, following the signing of an integrator agreement to provide precision tool holders, cutting tools and tool pre-setting solutions to the aerospace giant’s new Sheffield manufacturing facility, the first in Europe, based within the High-Value Manufacturing (HVM) cluster in Sheffield.
As Integrator and technical partner, Nikken will work closely with Boeing’s engineering team to help optimise manufacturing processes and achieve production goals and Industry 4.0 ambitions.
Boeing Sheffield will employ approximately 30 people, including 18 apprentices, when it opens later this year as part of Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ (BCA) fabrication operations, and will work closely with Boeing Portland, a company Centre of Excellence for complex machining, gear systems and flight controls. The manufacture of high-tech components for Boeing’s Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX and 777 aircraft is due to commence at the new facility in September 2018.
“This is a very proud moment for the Nikken European team, resident here on the AMRC park,” says Bowkett. “We have worked tirelessly to put together a total support solution that will allow the Boeing engineers to produce upwards of 10,000 parts per month, supporting its Portland facility in the USA. It’s a great opportunity for our engineering and logistics teams to integrate world-class machine tools and equipment, and to use their knowledge and experience to optimise their performance, resulting in productivity and efficiency gains.”
For further information www.nikken-world.com

Rotomors bespoke solutions now available

Leader Chuck Systems recently announced a partnership with Turin-based tailor-made workholding and component manipulation specialist, Rotomors.

The new collaboration allows Leader to exclusively offer Rotomors bespoke solutions to manufacturing and precision engineering companies in the UK and Ireland.
Rotomors was established in Turin in 1966 as a company that focused initially on the design and manufacture of special self-centring chucks for lathes used by the automotive industry. Today, the company specialises in the design and manufacture of workholding systems, the development of automatic pallet-changing systems for vertical lathes and machining centres, and die-change shuttles for presses.
“Each project is developed according to the specific requirements of the individual customer,” explains Mark Jones, managing director of Leader Chuck Systems. “As the offerings are specially designed, they extend the range offered by Leader with pneumatic and hydraulically operated systems. Chucks start at 200 mm diameter and go all the way up to 7000 mm diameter, with many different styles to clamp just about any shape with variable clamping forces for thin-walled components, as well as heavy-duty clamping when required for aggressive machining applications. For example, the six-jaw chuck we would define as two-plus-two-plus-two, where each of the three pairs of jaws work together to compensate for any out-of-roundness without distorting the workpiece.”
Turning and milling centres, both horizontal and vertical, represent the natural opportunities for Rotomors equipment to make a positive impact on productivity. Each of the workholding and manipulation systems can synchronise with the Rotomors pallet changing systems to support automation and the drive towards Industry 4.0.
For further information www.leaderchuck.com

Efficient pneumatic workpiece ejector

Clamping specialist Hainbuch is now offering users of its Mini series, or the earlier Toplus or Spanntop chucks, a device that is designed to save time and cost.

The Vario part and Vario quick end-stop systems, already in the product portfolio, are joined by a third variant: the Vario flex pneumatic workpiece ejector that ejects the component from the chuck automatically.
Hainbuch’s pneumatic workpiece ejector allows users to adjust the depth flexibly by means of a novel retaining mechanism, ensuring it can be positioned in the machine exactly as required for the workpiece. The Vario flex can also be used as a basic end stop for coolant wash or air flush. To achieve this function, the pneumatic spring is removed and a feed tube attached. The optional workpiece-specific end stop with holes for the wash and air flush can then be mounted directly to the interface.
Set-up time can be saved using the standardised end stops. Whether to use Vario quick or Vario part is just a matter of preference. For precise, rigid clamping, Hainbuch recommends using the Vario part system, which works on the same principle as a gauge block, and its height can be adjusted in 1 mm steps with gauge discs. With an axial run-out of <0.02 mm at the part of the end stop that touches the workpiece, Vario part is suitable for machining finished parts. The Vario quick variant is intended for fast, flexible clamping as it has a precise trapezoidal thread screw to allow the clamping length to be adjusted quickly. A half-turn is equivalent to an axial adjustment of 1 mm. For further information www.hainbuch.com

Power chuck offers stable, precise machining

Power chucks have to mount parts in just a few seconds, clamp them reliably, accurately and stably, and then release them again reliably after machining.

It does not matter whether the task is machining rods and tubes, or flange-like workpieces, high clamping forces are usually required. According to Röhm, these objectives have been achieved with the company’s KFD-HS power chucks.
“We know the high demands that are placed on the work material in machining operations,” says Fabian Baur, product manager at Röhm. “Our power chucks are designed to meet these needs. The centrifugal forces that occur during machining are absorbed in such a way that they only have a minor effect on the clamping force.”
Indeed, the drop in clamping force is said to be very low even at extremely high speeds, which is assured by Röhm’s particular type of wedge-hook connection.
Especially when machining rod material, the KFD-HS is characterised not only by its high flexibility (due to the large passageway), but it also boosts efficiency thanks to high cycle rates, says the company.
“Economical manufacturing means automated manufacturing,” says Baur.
According to Röhm, there is great potential in the KFD-HS. Thanks to high clamping forces and high resilience, even the fiddliest clamping tasks can be solved economically.
“Precision machining, process stability when changing the workpiece, as well as the highest resilience in 24/7 operation are simply part of it,” says Baur.
Specifically, high rigidity is achieved through the screw connection of the chuck body and chuck flange. In such a way, chucks of this type offer optimum conditions for the precise machining of both shaft and flange-type workpieces.
For further information www.roehm.biz

Workpiece palletising and handling systems

1st Machine Tool Accessories has introduced a range of workpiece handling cells that allow components to be clamped manually on to pallets, automatically loaded into store and subsequently retrieved for robotic transfer into and out of machining centres.

The equipment, which is manufactured by French company Engineering Data, is suitable for long periods of unattended and lights-out running. According to 1st MTA, the modular pallet-handling systems are said to increase production output from non-pallet-change machining centres by up to 50%.
A representative model, EasyBox T30, was demonstrated on the 1st MTA stand at MACH 2018 in April. The compact system with a footprint of just 2 sq m can be configured to feed a machine from the left, right or front. Two versions are available for storing 42 or 64 pallets. They are equipped with a three-axis robot capable of handling components up to 200 x 200 x 180 mm, and a maximum load of 30 kg, including workpiece, fixture and pallet.
Half a day training is all that is needed for an operator to be conversant with the system, which is designed to automate small to medium batch production. The single load/unload station is positioned at an ergonomic height at the front of the store for convenient workpiece clamping and unclamping. An adjacent touch-screen panel for operating the robot is easily interfaced with all major types of machine tool control including Heidenhain, Siemens, Fanuc and Mazatrol.
A larger EasyBox T100 in a compact version for handling 100 kg pallets is also available. Additionally offered are: a rail-mounted linear version, L-range, for feeding up to six machining centres; and a 350° R-range rotary version for feeding one or two machining centres.
For further information www.1mta.com