Milling cells boost motorcycle part production

Established 20 years ago, Exeter-based motorcycle aftermarket specialist HEL Performance has for half of that time manufactured its brake line fittings in-house from stainless steel bar using an array of sliding-head CNC lathes, of which 14 are currently in use. The idea was to have full control not only over the design but also over the production and quality of these mainline products.

HEL Performance could therefore not have moved further away from its comfort zone when it decided to manufacture two new families of prismatically machined components from solid aluminium billets, namely master cylinders and radially mounted brake calipers.
Turnkey production systems were clearly needed and managing director Simon Lane researched the market for a suitable machine tool supplier, an exercise which culminated in the purchase from Whitehouse Machine Tools of three Speedio machining centres built by Brother, Japan.
Supplied with tooling, fixtures and programs, two are S700X1 four-axis, 21-station turret-type models installed in March and June 2018, while the third is an M140X2 trunnion-type, five-axis machine with a 22-position tool magazine, which arrived in August.
The S700X1 machines are currently devoted to producing either ‘100’ or ‘108’ caliper sets in two operations using bespoke, four-station fixtures on either side of a trunnion, so two complete components come off each machine every time the doors open. On the M140X2, one master cylinder is produced in two operations in a total cycle time of one hour.
When fully operational, each of the three Speedio machines will produce around 100 components per week, based on a single eight-hour shift per weekday. Lane foresees quantities rising four-fold in the next five years, and has already expressed interest in acquiring a Brother Feedio robotic component handling system to increase production efficiency and introduce unattended running overnight.
For further information www.wmtcnc.com

Okuma launches MCR-S machining centre

Okuma, represented in the by NCMT, is releasing its MCR-S (Super) double-column machining centre, which is particularly suited to the machining of press dies. The machine also unites subtractive and additive manufacturing methods, allowing for process-intensive production.

MCR-S possesses a cast-iron double-column structure. Equipped with Okuma’s ‘Thermo-Friendly’ concept, any unnecessary heating-up can be prevented, while thermal deformations are compensated. When manufacturing press dies, this factor is especially important because the machining process can take days or even weeks, making it vulnerable to changes in temperature.
By using a swivel image sensor that rotates relative to the indexing angle of the tool, accurate measurements of cutting edge position can be provided, improving accuracy even further.
Okuma’s ‘Hyper-Surface’ premium solution eliminates the need for hand-finishing by creating die surfaces that are ready for use. Hyper-Surface improves surface quality by automatically detecting disturbances in the CAM-output machining data and correcting them on the CNC while maintaining the required shape accuracy.
The machine possesses a heavy-duty cutting capacity, reaching a chip removal rate of
710 cm3/min when face milling. Average continuous feed rates of 20 m/min for the X and Y axes, and 10 m/min for the Z axis, contribute to the machine’s productivity.
For process-intensive manufacturing, the machining centre is equipped with a laser that allows for additive manufacturing via laser metal deposition (LMD). This way, subtractive and additive manufacturing methods are combined in one machine, enabling manufactures to not only produce complex parts, but repair defective workpieces. The laser can also be used for surface treatments such as laser hardening.
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

HMC for airframe structures

A six-axis, horizontal-spindle machining centre with a working volume starting from 4100 x 1600 x 650 mm, with options of 2.1 and 2.6 m in the Y axis, and up to 30 m in the X axis, has been introduced by F Zimmermann specifically for producing structural components in the aerospace industry.

Availability in the UK and Ireland is through sole agent Kingsbury, and in the Middle East through subsidiary company, Kingsbury Gulf.
Equipped with an integrated, expandable, patented pallet-change system that automatically loads the component into the vertical plane for machining, the FZH400 is the first horizontal machining centre from F Zimmermann, a long-established manufacturer of gantry-type, vertical-spindle machines.
A horizontal configuration harnesses gravity to allow the removal of copious volumes of aluminium swarf generated from solid billets by the 100 kW spindle. Trials have demonstrated material removal rates of over 13 l/min, due in part to linear axis acceleration at 6 m/s2, with rapid feed rates up to 60 m/min in the X axis, and 40 m/min in Y and Z.
The spindle head has three CNC axes, hence its designation M3 ABC, offering extra versatility compared with two-axis heads for executing complex programs. Movement of ±110° in the A axis, ±225° in the C axis and the addition of ±14° in the B axis eliminates the risk of singularity errors occurring in cutter paths, without the need to use avoidance algorithms.
Another patented feature of the machine is a water-cooled travelling column that does not suffer from the traditional drawback of spindle deviation as the slide extends in the Z axis.
For further information www.kingsburyuk.com

Aerospace specialist relies on Haas

Frank Brown and Son is a Luton-based engineering company specialising in the design and manufacture of ground-support equipment for the aerospace and aircraft industry throughout the world.

The company bought its first Haas machine in 1996: the VF-2D vertical machining centre ran every day until two years ago, when the team decided to part-exchange it for a new Haas VF-2SS Super Speed.
“We certainly got our money’s worth from that original machine,” says machine shop supervisor, Andy Knight. “It was running well until its last day; it was always accurate, we just upgraded to something a bit quicker in the end.
“The machine shop has doubled in the past 20 years and, with 20 Haas machines [six lathes and 14 mills], the majority of our CNC machinery is still supplied by Haas,” he adds. “Our workload has changed dramatically in recent years. Not so long ago we were making stock packs of 10 a year, but now its 40 plus. And everything that needs machining goes on a Haas.”
The latest investment is a VF-4SS with through-spindle coolant and five-axis trunnion. “The five-axis machines are doing some really nice work,” says Knight. “They have cut our operations from six to two, which is a massive reduction. We’re producing a lot of Boeing 737 and Airbus tooling, and it’s really made a difference. It’s knocking the stuffing out of the cycle times, cutting them by a third at least.” In fact, the company has purchased four Haas Super Speed mills in the past four years. “The rapids, tool-change speed and 12,000 rpm spindle are phenomenal on the new machines,” concludes Knight.
For further information www.haas.co.uk

Sunnen makes direct sales

Starting January 2019, Sunnen is bringing direct sales and service to Canada, providing an enhanced customer experience and full access to the company’s total bore solutions.

The establishment of a Canada-based sales and support team will provide increased access to customer service and offer the full support of Sunnen’s corporate headquarters located in St Louis, Missouri. Sunnen products were previously available in Canada via a factory authorised distributor. All Canadian orders and customer-service requests will now be handled directly by a staff of sales representatives and technical personnel located in Canada.
For further information www.sunnen.com