Innovative front axle machining made easy

Bharat Forge Kilsta is one of the world’s largest forging companies, specialising in heavy crankshafts, front axle beams, steering arms and other chassis components. The company is based in Karlskoga, a Swedish city renowned for its centuries-old forging tradition. Here, Bharat Forge Kilsta mainly produces front axles for trucks and buses. It first forges beams from steel and machines them to make full front axles. To do this, the company previously used CNC machines of the older Unisign Univers model. However, the company invested in a trio of Unitwin6000 machines in 2022/2023.

Prior to expanding with the new models, Bharat Forge Kilsta needed to outsource part of its manufacturing process. “We didn’t have the capacity to machine all the front axles that our customers requested,” explains production development engineer Thomas Forsling. “To be less reliant on subcontractors we wanted to do more of our machining in-house. That’s why we started to explore options for extra machines.”

According to Forsling, the Unitwin6000 provides even greater speed, reliability and precision, although two of the older machines are also still in use. The Unitwin6000 enables Bharat Forge Kilsta to manufacture almost all of its front axles in-house. Another major benefit is speed.

“The old machines have one spindle that does the machining, which means we can do one side of the beam at a time,” explains Forsling. “In contrast, the Unitwin6000 machines both sides simultaneously. The handling is also quicker, because we don’t have to change the beams manually in the machine. As a result, our production speed is now a little over double what it was previously.”

For further information www.unisign.com

FANUC RoboDrill offers mill-turn capability

FANUC UK now offers what it describes as an affordable muti-axis turning and machining solution aimed at helping manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, utilities and energy supply chains reduce cycle times, cut costs, save space and boost production efficiency.

The FANUC RoboDrill D21LiB5ADV Plus vertical machining centre has a 24,000 rpm spindle and a Nikken two-axis high speed rotary table featuring a built-in direct drive motor that achieves 1500 rpm. Visitors to the MACH exhibition in Birmingham earlier this year could see the machine in action producing scroll compressor aluminium housings. The demonstration showcased the cost-saving and performance benefits available from combining milling and turning processes.

“FANUC and Nikken worked together to create a combined machining/turning cell with an extended range of functionality, offered at a fraction of the cost of machines with similar capabilities,” says Oliver Selby, head of UK sales at FANUC UK.

He continues: “At the heart of the solution is our D21LiB5ADV Plus RoboDrill, which is a three-axis machine in its core configuration. The Nikken table adds a further two axes, allowing users to turn and machine components on the same unit. This is a real breakthrough, bringing the functionality of million-pound machines within reach of SMEs at a significantly lower cost. It helps them become more competitive and to consider undertaking work that was previously beyond reach.”

Less than 3 m long and a little over 2 m wide, the RoboDrill/Nikken solution is a lean machine with a compact footprint. The Nikken 5AX-201 tilting-rotary table features pneumatic clamping to allow the rapid mounting and changing of difficult-to-hold components.

For further information www.fanuc.eu

Quaser from ETG offers the right solution

It is often the impulsive decisions in life that create an impact, which was certainly the case for Chris Smedley of Malvern Engineering. When he was made redundant over 15 years ago, he walked out of his employment and 45 minutes later signed a contract for an industrial unit and started Malvern Engineering. This entrepreneurial spirit and level of determination have served the company well since its inception and are still imbued in the ethos of the small business to this very day. So, when Smedley’s regular machine tool dealer could not offer the solution required, he approached the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) and bought his first 4th-axis machining centre: a Quaser MV184 EV. It arrived in autumn 2023.

“We looked at a couple of machines, but when we visited the ETG technical centre and demonstration facility in Wellesbourne, we were flabbergasted by the quality, service and the set-up of the company,” says Smedley. “The Quaser MV184 EV offers us greater flexibility than our existing machine tools and we can reduce the number of required set-ups on complex parts. This capability is subsequently improving our quality, our throughput and creating greater efficiencies throughout the business.”

As a subcontract manufacturer with four three-axis machining centres and two turning centres, the latest Quaser addition opens the door to new types of work previously out of reach.

“The Quaser has a much more compact footprint than our existing machines, which is invaluable to a small business where space is at a premium,” explains Smedley. “Like our existing machines, the Quaser was supplied with a Heidenhain CNC system that creates familiarity for our team to interchange between machines.”

For further information www.engtechgroup.com

DMG Mori launches travelling-column VMC

DMG Mori has added a four/five-axis travelling-column machining centre with a working volume of more than 4.6 m³ to the upper end of its swivelling-spindle-head DMF range. The machine is suitable for integration into a user’s digital infrastructure and is compatible with the manufacturer’s exclusive technology cycles, such as in-cycle gear skiving or grinding.

Compared with the previous model (superseded), the DMF 400|11 is nearly one-third larger in capacity and 20% stiffer to enable more precise, vibration-free operation. An optional partition wall creates two separate workspaces for pendulum machining, allowing set-up of the next workpiece while the previous part is in production.

Stable machining performance is largely a result of a massive cast-iron bed and three cooled linear guideways in the X axis over which the column moves. In a double ballbar test, the DMF 400|11 achieves an accuracy of 5 µm, making the machine suitable for producing large moulds, dies and tools, as well as precision structural parts within the machine’s 4000 x 1100 x 1050 mm working envelope.

The fixed table accepts components weighing up to 8 tonne for the three- or four-axis machining of large components. Users can opt to integrate one or two flush rotary C-axis tables for fully interpolative five-axis machining, each capable of supporting components weighing 1200 kg, while a torque table option is available for demanding mill-turn applications. An add-on table as an A axis with a load capacity of 500 kg is a further option.

The ±120° B axis houses an integrated 15,000 rpm SpeedMaster spindle as standard but is available in a 20,000 rpm version or as a 12,000 rpm PowerMaster spindle having higher torque at 288 Nm.

For further information www.dmgmori.com

Crossen invests in another Hurco machine

Based in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, Crossen Engineering produces precision mould tools mainly, but not exclusively, for the medical industry. Prismatic machining on-site is via numerous vertical machining centres (VMCs) from Hurco Europe, predominantly its own machines but also an RXP500 VMC supplied under Hurco’s sole agency agreement with German manufacturer, Roeders.

As a long-term user of Hurco machine tools, Crossen is aware of the capabilities of the supplier’s range and sometimes needs to produce parts to slightly higher accuracy and surface finish. That notion was behind its recent investment in a Hurco BX40i, which is of bridge-type design and has an HSK63A 18,000 rpm motor spindle. Direct drives and linear scales in all axes provide dynamic motion and accurate positional feedback.

Crossen toolmaker Colin Morrow says: “We require a super-fine finish for shut-off faces in moulds and the BX40i is able to produce them with little or no subsequent hand finishing.
We’re also looking for accuracy throughout the whole job, as well as high feeds and speeds. With it being a double-column VMC, it’s very rigid and gives us the required productivity and precision.”

The Roeders RXP500 high-speed machining centre on site has a 42,000 rpm spindle, linear motors in the X, Y and Z axes, and travels of 550 x 450 x 240 mm. According to Hurco, the machine is able to achieve levels of accuracy and surface finish superior to almost any other machine on the market. Although often used to machine electrodes, the VMC also mills detailed cavities directly into hard metal, reducing the number of operations needed to produce a mould and shortening turnaround times.

For further information www.hurco.co.uk