Promotion at Walter Ewag

Walter Ewag UK, the Warwick-based source of Walter and Ewag tool and insert grinding/erosion/laser processing machines, as well as Walter tool measuring machines, has promoted Matthew Redfern to customer care co-ordinator. Redfern has been with Walter Ewag UK for almost 10 years as a service technician, after an apprenticeship with a specialist tooling supplier that led to various roles, including machinery maintenance. He says his new position interacting with an extensive UK-wide customer base “will complement my enthusiasm for getting hands on and solving customer problems”.

For further information
www.walter-machines.com

OEM and subcontractor back a ‘Favorit’

In 2010, West Sussex based Cox Powertrain began its mission to deliver a new concept in ultra-lightweight diesel outboards. This process was the genesis of the CXO300. Since then, Cox has successfully raised over £120m of private investment in order to turn the outboard from a dream into a reality.

Cox Powertrain has invested £6.7m in a world-class production facility, with all components procured from a range of manufacturers. For instance, Delta Tooling (Horsham) produces the CXO300’s drive shafts using a machine tool acquired by Cox Powertrain.

Cox Powertrain’s head of DFM & manufacture Colin Stapley scrutinised several CNC universal cylindrical grinding machines with input from Gary Childs, the managing director of Delta Tooling. Stapley decided that the Studer Favorit was the ideal solution to meet the demanding dimensional and surface finish tolerances.

“With the assistance of Peter Harding, the owner of UK Studer agent, Advanced Grinding Supplies, Colin and I were able to precisely specify the Favorit to exactly meet Cox Powertrain’s demanding needs. Peter worked closely with us in areas such as developing the grinding process and ensuring the use of the correct wheels; he also helped organise the machine’s trouble-free installation and operator training.

“The machine is now in regular use and the quality of the drive shafts adheres to their challenging dimensional and surface finish specifications,” he continues. “In addition, the productive machine is helping us to satisfy ever-increasing demand.”

Stapley adds: “The decision to purchase a Studer Favorit and install it at the premises of Delta Tooling has proven to be a successful one.”

For further information
www.adgrind.co.uk

Turnkey grinding system for EV industry

GCH Machinery has recently shipped a turnkey grinding system to a major automaker. The system will manufacture transmission parts for the carmaker’s EV (electric vehicle) product line. Not only was the automaker’s older dual-head grinder updated to the latest technology, it was redesigned and repurposed by GCH Machinery to fulfil the global company’s green initiative. High-efficiency motors and a mist containment system are among new system’s components that will support the automotive plant’s move toward environmentally friendly manufacturing.

“Before reviewing the specifications of the car builder, we had a number of ideas of how to best serve the EV industry,” says Dan Geddes, president of GCH Machinery. “Everyone is going green and, as a cutting-edge grinder remanufacturer, we’ll play an important role in the EV industry.”

This fully automated grinder, with two separate and independent grinding wheel spindles, can process two ends of the part simultaneously, thus eliminating the need for a second grinder. Furthermore, the machine’s ability to process specific sections of the part at the same time leads to a more accurate part, which is critical to any transmission.

“We took an older machine that wasn’t able to hold size and was difficult to keep in operation due to its many older components, and retooled it for two brand-new EV parts,” explains Geddes. “The automated turnkey system produces parts that meet the automaker’s tight tolerances.”

The grinder meets all of the automaker’s green standards, as well as safety standards established by the UL.

Other features of the remanufactured grinder include updated electrical controls, an internal robot, an in-process part gauging system, an HMI touchscreen, a wheel balancer, an automatic part de-oiler, and new lubrication, pneumatic and electrical systems.

For further information
www.gchmachinery.com

Machining large quantities of stator housings

Electric cars still account for a relatively small proportion of total car sales, and a trend toward rapid growth for electric car production is still a long way off. But there are exceptions, as demonstrated using EMAG Scherer’s technology at a supplier in Central America. A total of 12 CNC vertical turning centres of type VDZ 520 XL ensure that up to 3000 stator housings, used solely in electric car motors, are machined every day.

Eight processes take place on the stator housing in only 240 seconds of chip-to-chip time. Ultimately it is possible to produce about 320 components per machine and day, although the customer ordered six machines to produce higher quantities. In the meantime, 12 machines are in use, which shows this solution is meeting expectations in every respect.

The finished component has a wall thickness of just 4 mm, with tolerances of only 0.016 to 0.25 mm and very precise roundness. At the same time, there are many bore holes and grooves, and the geometry is not rotationally symmetric.

Using the VDZ 520 XL, eight cutting processes take place in succession on the injection-cast blank – from the highly precise roughing and finishing of internal surfaces, external connecting surfaces and sintered bushes, to the milling of grooves and the drilling or milling of various cross and oblong holes.

The customised clamping solution from SAV has a special role, aligning and centring the sensitive component with high precision. Furthermore, the entire design of the machine is advantageous. Its vertical machining configuration ensures optimal chip flow despite the closed stator housing, while its synchronous drive technology with 64.4 kW power and 1110 Nm nominal torque ensures reliable, quick processes.

For further information
www.emag.com

Hardinge unveils upgraded Talent 42/51

Hardinge has introduced its newly upgraded Hardinge Talent 42/51 multi-tasking CNC lathe, which the company now manufactures in the USA. Designed to work with a number of different types of work-holding systems, the new Talent 42/51 provides machine shops with a highly versatile turning centre complete with new Fanuc 0i-F Plus control.

“We’ve been a proud partner of American manufacturing since the 1890s and are excited to have our Talent series lathes produced under the same roof as our Super-Precision turning centres at Hardinge’s Elmira, NY location,” says Jeremy Michael, the company’s director of turning and milling. “It is through domestic production that Hardinge can provide the quality, flexibility and responsiveness required by our customers to help them succeed in today’s competitive manufacturing world.”

The new Talent machine offers a combination of features for accuracy, flexibility and durability in a compact design. Notably, the novel collet-ready main and sub-spindle concept will increase part accuracy and improve surface finish, says the company.

Other key features of the upgraded model include machining specifications up to 12 axes, six spindle axes and two paths. Users can perform four-axis simultaneous or 3+2 axis machining. Multiple configurations are available, including live tooling, Y axis and sub-spindle variants.

With the FANUC 0i-F Plus CNC system, users can take advantage of conversational programming via Manual Guide i, as well as improved processing power with 400-block look-ahead capability and enhanced safety thanks to FANUC’s Dual Check safety function.

The upgraded Hardinge Talent 42/51 made its debut appearance at the recent PMTS exhibition in Cleveland, Ohio.

For further information www.hardinge.com