Alcon installs trio of VTLs

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied brake and clutch system specialist Alcon Components with three new Doosan vertical turning lathes (VTLs).

The trio of Doosan V8300 VTLs were installed at Alcon’s Tamworth facility as part of a process improvement solution to manufacture the company’s range of high-performance brake discs.
Prior to the acquisition of the Doosan lathes, and the implementation of the new manufacturing process, Alcon machined its brake discs on three horizontal fixed-head lathes. These ‘legacy’ machines, while still performing satisfactorily, are relatively old having been purchased in 1983 when Alcon Components was first established. As a consequence, the machines are slow and increasingly prone to breakdown.
Explains Brian Cutler, Alcon Component’s production engineering manager: “Our business is growing and demand for our braking systems is at an all-time high. So it was clear that we needed to invest in and significantly upgrade our brake disc manufacturing cell.”
The new flexible manufacturing cell at Alcon comprises three new Doosan 15” chuck V8300 VTLs with Fanuc controls. Each is positioned in close proximity to the next, enabling rapid part transfer. A range of different sized brake discs is being produced. The discs are made from cast iron and machined to tight tolerances and high surface finishes. Alcon currently machines approximately 500 to 600 discs per week in the new cell. Brake disc diameters vary in size (from 200 to 405 mm) depending on the end application.
“The machining process using the three V8300 VTLs has enabled us to ramp up production and reduce part
cycle times by up to 40%,” concludes Cutler.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Precision and passion for customer satisfaction

Teixidó has been specialising in the mass production of precision parts since it was founded in 1952.

Based in Catalonia, the bar turning company is the largest of its kind in Spain, supplying sectors that include automotive, pneumatic and aerospace. Teixidó produces over 300 million parts every year with an average PPM of 3.
The bulk of the company’s production covers diameters from 0.5 to 20 mm. As Spanish group sales director Xavier Teixidó Pont explains, “many bar turners are capable of producing these diameters, but what distinguishes us from our competitors is our ability to adapt to the tightest tolerances”.
Teixidó has relied on Tornos and its machines since its outset, today running several dozen Tornos CNC machines, including two EvoDeco 20 models that replaced two old Deco 20s.
“We’ve a number of multi-spindle machines as well as our Deco, Delta and EvoDeco fleets,” states production manager Josep Colina Vidal. “We have SAS 16, SAS 16.6 and BS 20.8 cam-type multi-spindles, MultiAlpha, MultiSigma and MultiDeco CNC machines, and several recently acquired MultiSwiss 6×16 machines, including two machines with a Y axis.
“These machines can exceed the specifications required of single-spindle models, offering stable, highly precise machining,” he adds. “And their six spindles make them extremely productive; we can produce far more parts per square metre. This means a MultiSwiss can easily replace three single-spindle turning machines. It’s a very high-performance machine, and I think it’s fair to say we have been seduced by its performance.”
For further information www.tornos.com

Five more Citizen lathes at Renishaw

The installation of five more Cincom CNC sliding-head turning centres from Citizen Machinery at Renishaw raises the metrology equipment producer’s tally of lathes from this supplier to 58. Renishaw’s annual output of components from the machines exceeds 2.5 million.

Three of the latest 12 mm capacity Cincom B12 lathes fitted with Iemca Elite 112 bar magazines were installed at Renishaw’s Miskin plant in Wales, where 20 Citizen sliding-head turn-mill centres are already in use. The other two went to the company’s Stonehouse factory in Gloucestershire.
Robert Horsley, senior production engineer, says: “This latest investment in Citizen lathes, which raised the number we use by nearly 10%, was driven by increased demand for our measurement technology. The B12 lathes are mainly used for turning and milling 303 stainless steel bar to manufacture styli and other probe components. We normally produce a month’s worth for stock, which can be anything from 1200- to 30,000-off, before we change over a machine to start a new batch. Run times are at least eight hours.
A number of different materials are processed, ranging from mild, stainless, carbon and low-alloy steels, through brass and aluminium, to corrosion-resistant copper-nickel-zinc alloys. According to Horsley, all of the lathes hold tolerances down to ±20 µm parallelism and squareness, and ±50 µm on milled features. Surface finish down to Ra 0.4 is easily achievable, doing away with the need to cylindrically grind cosmetic features.
Head of communications for Renishaw, Chris Pockett, says: “We have standardised on Citizen sliding-head turning machines since the 1980s, when the company demonstrated what, at the time, was ground-breaking technology. The commonality of lathe layout ensures ease of training and complete flexibility for our production engineering staff to develop processes and program any machine.”
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Dugard enters sliding-head lathe market

At the back end of 2018, Dugard became the sole UK and Ireland sales and distribution outlet for the Korean brand of Hanwha sliding-head machine tools, since when the company has appointed Colin Thomson as its sliding-head specialist to drive the benefits of the technology to its customer base.

Commenting upon bringing the Hanwha brand into the Dugard fold, Thomson says: “While complementing the larger fixed-head range of Dugard turning centres, the Hanwha brand has capacity and power capabilities which far exceed that of existing sliding-head alternatives, allowing Dugard to truly bridge the gap between fixed and sliding-head technology.”
The Hanwha range is available in four range variants: the XD, XD Special/STL, XE and XP series of machines. Giving an overview of the Hanwha range, Thomson says: “The Hanwha sliding-head series is so diverse, we have something for everyone. The XE and XP are both great all-rounders with an economical price point that makes them best-selling machines for performance and productivity on a budget. Hanwha’s STL series is the most powerful turret model with a 10-station turret for VDI and BMT configurations. Taking this capability a step further is the XD Special series, which offers the ultimate tooling flexibility with
its B axis and Y2 axis, as well as its specially configured tool layout for the production of complex parts.”
He continues: “Added to the various models, we can configure the machines to meet the needs of the end user with a host of options that include tool breakage detection, through-coolant, guide bush and guide bush-less operation, driven tooling, chilling units, gear hobbing, modular tool configurations, chip conveyors, extended coolant tanks, motorised air spindles, and a selection of cross-drill configurations.”
For further information www.dugard.com

Over 280 apprenticeships available

In-Comm Training, which has facilities in the Black Country and Shropshire, says it has more than 280 apprenticeship opportunities currently available and is urging companies and young people to engage.

Gareth Jones, joint managing director, made the rallying call last week and believes there are still lots of individuals looking to get involved in engineering and manufacturing who are not taking advantage of the world-class training centres on their doorstep.
“Currently, we have 280 positions vacant at our three academies, and these are for part and full-time trailblazer courses that culminate with a job at a local manufacturer,” he says. “This means you can learn from the best trainers, on the best equipment and get paid for it, with our partners at the University of Wolverhampton also offering a pathway to a degree – all without the associated debt. That’s a £100,000 opportunity. Current vacancies range from apprenticeships in machining and maintenance, to mechatronics and welding.”
For further information www.in-comm.co.uk