Collaboration delivers sustainable solution

Bristol-based Domin has developed a competitive range of servo valves and is now setting out to showcase how engineering start-ups can drive value for UK industry.

Supported by metal additive manufacturing technology from Renishaw, the innovation represents Domin’s first step towards drastically reducing CO2 emissions from the fluid-power industry: every valve can save one tonne of CO2. By using the Renishaw RenAM 500Q, a four-laser AM system, the company was able to increase its productivity, achieve design freedom and reduce cost per part.

For further information
www.renishaw.com

Up to 20% faster reaming times

The Ceratizit Fullmax universal solid-carbide reamer is now available in a short version. Offering even greater stability, the Fullmax short variant allows for higher cutting speeds, with the added advantage of long service life and a lower price.

With its reduced length, the Fullmax solid-carbide reamer offers numerous advantages. Firstly, the tool is very stable and characterised by low vibration, resulting in up to 10% higher cutting speeds in the main application areas of steel and cast iron. Secondly, feed rates can increase by 10-20%.

This combination delivers machining times up to 20% faster.

In addition, there are better reaming results in terms of surface finish and dimensional accuracy, reports Ceratizit.

Like the universal standard Fullmax reamers, the short versions are characterised by their specialised coating and cutting edge pitch, which help to reduce chatter marks and improve chip formation. In detail, the unequal division, with cutting edges facing each other in pairs, leads to reduced deviations in circularity and cylinder shapes. The increased angle differences reduce the tendency for the tool to oscillate and form chatter marks.

Thanks to the flute-shape opening angle adapted to the new pitch, there is sufficient space for optimised chip removal, even on long-chipping materials. The targeted coolant supply provides further assistance. Although the Fullmax short-version reamer is suitable for deployment on all CNC milling and turning centres, its reduced dimensions make it particularly attractive for use on sliding-head lathes.

The short series Fullmax is available from stock in H7 tolerance and 1/100 mm increments. Dimensions are individually configurable in the diameter range from 2.96 to 20.05 mm.

For further information
www.ceratizit.com

Walter expands indexable drilling line

Walter has expanded its D4120 drilling line to introduce 2xD, 3xD, 4xD and 5xD dimensions, therefore superseding the B4000 Series Xtra.tec insert drills.

Regarded as a flexible all-rounder, the extended D4120 indexable insert solid drill line is available in a range of diameters that span from 13.5 to 59 mm. The product expansion now incorporates the D4120-02 2xD and D4120-03 3xD drills for creating holes from 13.5 to 41.3 mm diameter, as well as the D4120-04 and D4120-05 4xD and 5xD drills for holes from 17 to 59 mm diameter.

The drills feature outer and centre inserts that ensure precision balancing of the cutting forces to maximise productivity. To this end, the centre insert is slightly larger than the outer indexable inserts, which are equipped with a corner protection chamfer. As well as providing greater process reliability, this design plays a crucial part in increasing precision levels, stability and reducing drilling noise. Adding to process reliability is a hardened and polished drill body design that offers increased protection against friction in operation, and an improved coolant channel design that allows the flow of 25% more coolant than previous drills.

Walter is also now offering inserts with a wiper edge for high-quality surface finishes. The drill body features two through coolant channels and a measuring collar for easy drill identification, even when assembled. Polished flutes and a hardened surface further optimise chip evacuation and wear resistance.

The combination of the D4120 drill body and the four-edged indexable inserts offers users cost-efficiency advantages and high levels of flexibility thanks to a co-ordinated system.

For further information
www.walter-tools.com

Pulling out all the stops

Mills CNC Automation has recently supplied a new Doosan collaborative robot (cobot) to NPI Solutions Ltd, a precision subcontractor based in Irvine, Ayrshire. The M1013 cobot, with its 1.3 m reach radius and 10 kg payload, is integrated with a Doosan DNM 350 5AX five-axis machining centre previously acquired from Mills CNC in 2016. Since installation, the cobot has proved its worth by helping NPI to optimise the spindle uptime on the Doosan machine, minimising operator interventions and improving output.

NPI is a company committed to continuous improvement and best practice. As such, the business regularly monitors, collects and analyses machine-tool performance data; calculating the effectiveness and efficiency (OEE) of the equipment it uses. The objectives are to accurately identify production ‘pinch points’, to remove and/or reduce the issues that cause machine downtime, and make manufacturing processes as productive as possible.

Says NPI’s managing director Kevin Priestley: “We invested in a Doosan five-axis machining centre five years ago to make us more productive, efficient and competitive. The ability to machine precision parts in one set-up, via 3+2 and 4+1 machining, was the appeal…and the goal.”

However, analysis of the machine’s performance over a period of time revealed that it was failing to deliver the expected results.

“It wasn’t the machine’s fault,” explains Priestley. “It was directly related to the type of production work we do, which is characterised by low volumes and small batches, and by short part cycle times.”

Being a high-mix, low-volume component manufacturer meant that the DNM 350 5AX could be idle for long periods each day to allow for frequent job set ups and changeovers.

“Machines don’t make money if they are not making chips,” states Priestley. “To improve our profitability we needed to increase the spindle uptime on our DNM 350 5AX.”

The company subsequently began to explore automation as a means of improving the machine’s utilisation and output.

NPI is no stranger to automation or unmanned operations, having previously invested in high-performance bar feeders to increase the productivity and performance of its CNC turning operations. To increase the productivity of its DNM 350 5AX machine, the company explored a number of automation options before deciding on the cobot investment.

Says Priestley: “There were a number of potential automation solutions available. We looked at automatic workpiece pallet-change systems and industrial robots, but their cost, floor-space requirements and complexity ruled them out.”

NPI required a more economically-viable and ‘simpler’ solution: one offering quick installation to transform the DNM 350 5AX into a flexible, automated manufacturing cell.

“We had investigated cobot technology before,” remembers Priestley. “The versatility of cobots in addition to their safety, their relatively lower investment cost and ease of deployment were attractive propositions. When we found out that Mills CNC, through its newly-created Automation Division, could supply us with not only a Doosan cobot but also project manage and undertake its installation and provide comprehensive training and applications support – we decided to put our plans into action. We visited Mills CNC Automation’s facility in Leamington to meet the application engineering team and discuss our specific requirements in more detail. Ultimately we gave the ‘green light’ to the investment.”

To undertake what are essentially machine-tending operations, NPI worked alongside Mills CNC Automation engineers to select the right cobot for the job. The chosen cobot (based on the dimensions and weight of parts machined on the DNM 350 5AX) was the M1013 model.

Offering a 10 kg maximum payload and 1.3 m reach, the M1013 also features six high-torque sensors that provide ‘best-in-class’ collision protection. The M1013 was supplied with a controller, a teach pendant, an RG6 (OnRobot) gripper and a Schunk work-holding package.

Situated adjacent to the DNM 350 5AX which, as part of the installation was fitted with an automatic door opening/closing facility, the cobot is programmed to pick up blanks positioned on a peg table and load them, in turn, into the machine where they are machined to completion.
Once machining operations are complete, the cobot takes the finished component from the machine and places it back on the peg board in its predetermined position. This cycle then repeats, with no operator intervention, until the completion of all parts.

Parts machined on the DNM 350 5AX are typically made from aluminium. These components vary in size from 15 x 15 x 15 mm at one end of the spectrum, through to 150 x 150 x 20 mm at the other. Cycle times can be as short as 2 minutes, or up to 60 minutes depending on part size, complexity and features.

“The ambition to create a flexible automated manufacturing cell has been realised through the cobot investment,” says Priestley. “During the day, the cell is programmed to machine components (with relatively short cycle times) unattended, allowing operators to work on other machines or perform other tasks. For parts with longer cycle times the cell is programmed to run attended overnight.”

NPI’s new cobot cell has helped it improve productivity, efficiency and competitiveness. The DNM 350 5AX is now running at 85% efficiency as opposed to just 50% efficiency prior to the cobot investment.

NPI is quick to acknowledge the skill and expertise of Mills CNC Automation’s engineers in designing and installing its new flexible automated manufacturing cell.

Says Priestley: “Everything went smoothly, from the design of the system through to its installation, proving out, and on-site and remote training. Mills CNC Automation took the time to understand our requirements. They demonstrated [up front] the productivity gains we could expect to realise from the investment – and they have been proven right. The support they provided throughout the project was first class, and I can’t recommend them highly enough.”

NPI’s automated cobot cell has now been operational for six months. Such have been the productivity and efficiency improvements realised that the company is now actively considering investing in a second cobot.

Concludes Priestley: “Despite the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, we’ve been unbelievably busy over the past 12 months. To meet demand from customers for our precision machining services, we will be investing in more automation in the near future.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

Automated battery production

The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) has selected Comau UK to develop and deploy a semi-automated battery module and battery pack assembly line for the publicly-funded ‘open-access’ battery production development facility in Coventry. One of the unique elements of the project was the requirement for agile flexibility, which will allow UKBIC to manufacture a wide range of modules and packs, and support various customer requirements without the need for major process changes.

Comau UK provided all of the necessary technology and know-how to manage the entire battery module and pack manufacturing process, from cylindrical cell preparation and pouch cell stacking, to battery pack assembly. In addition to helping ensure the safety and reliability of the manufactured batteries through the use of smart cameras, thermal imaging and end-of-line leak test technologies, the solution offers built-in scalability.

For further information
www.comau.com