Worthing-based Bowers & Wilkins, a manufacturer of loudspeakers found in recording studios and the homes of serious audio fans, machines the wooden speaker cabinets of its flagship 800 D3 series loudspeakers to extremely high tolerances. Furthermore, due to the great deal of customisation that take place during the process, each cabinet takes 31 days to manufacture. To facilitate faster tool changes without any loss
of accuracy, Bowers & Wilkins decided to implement zero-point mounting systems from Roemheld.
Senior production engineer Derek Saunders was instrumental in designing the project to fit Stark Easy Click zero point elements to 12 tables on seven machines, five of which were twin-table models. Each table had a minimum of six Easy Click zero point elements, with the largest table measuring 2 x 1.25 m. Once in place, the Roemheld system reduced set-up times from 2-4 days down to just a matter of hours.
Chief engineer at Bowers & Wilkins, Jerry Gray, says: “We had two measures of success: we had to be able to take the tool out and put it back without any alterations to programming or tooling; and we had to be able to change the product over, load the tools, and the only change allowed was to set the tool lengths. We achieved both of these measures, which in combination with reduced set-up times, makes us more flexible and agile as a company since we can work on smaller batch sizes and undertake two or three tool changes a day.”
For further information
www.roemheld.co.uk

Mapal has developed its first line of hydraulic chucks specifically for tool grinders. The HydroChuck Grind-A and HydroChuck Grind-M are manufactured for shank tolerance h6 and demonstrate low wear characteristics, says the company. In designing the new HydroChuck line, Mapal has paid particular attention to minimising access restrictions to the tool and achieving the best possible grinding wheel run-out.
The automatic workpiece clamping of the HydroChuck Grind-A is characterised by its energy-efficient function. The workpiece is clamped by means of a cup spring pack that ensures the hydraulics of the machine are only required for releasing the workpiece. Using two dial gauges, the hydraulic chuck can be set and adjusted in just a few minutes to micron precision. Furthermore, any ‘wobble’ can be compensated, says Mapal.
Complementing the automatic chuck (Grind-A) is the HydroChuck Grind-M, which is designed for manual workpiece clamping using a hexagonal head screw.
The HydroChuck Grind-A is available for the clamping of tool shank diameters of 20mm, whereas the HydroChuck Grind-M has been developed for 12, 20 and 32 mm tool diameters. Reducing sleeves are available to accommodate common tool shank sizes.
For further information
www.mapal.com