CombiClick drives savings at Werhand

‘Less is more’ does not necessarily apply at Werhand in Neuwied, as the company is organised in line with customer wishes. Master mechanic Jörg Hörter has nevertheless been successful at creating more with less. He has significantly reduced the number of tools used for everything from coarse grinding to polishing in order to save time and money.

Weld seam preparation and post-processing, and work on surfaces from coarse grinding to polishing, are the focal points of processes in the workshop.
“We grind a lot and underwent a complete realignment in that area five years ago,” states Hörter. “We simply used too many tools. As a result, our deployment, procurement and warehousing processes were complex and time-consuming.”

Together with the regional Pferd representative, the company streamlined its processes, moving from grinding wheels and flap discs to the Pferd CombiClick system.
“Back then, we usually began processing with the grinding wheel,” explains Hörter. “Next, we removed the grinding wheel from the angle grinder and clamped on a flap disc, before removing the flap disc and putting on a Velcro backing pad. And then we had two additional operations with fleece discs featuring different abrasive grains.”

He adds: “Today, we clamp the CombiClick backing pad to the angle grinder, use the CO ceramic oxide grain fibre disc in grit size 120, and then the Polivlies grinding disc – without having to remove the CombiClick backing pad. Job done.”

With the change, Hörter says the company is not only able to save on many tools, but save the time related to tool changeover.
“Even if a changeover only takes 20 seconds – in my workshop there are 15 people, eight of whom regularly work with the angle grinder. Changeover time quickly adds up over days, weeks, months and years.”

For further information
www.pferd.com

AMRs populate factory of the future

A new first-of-its-kind fully connected factory is applying game-changing technologies – including MiR Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) supplied by RARUK Automation – to help advance the manufacture of the UK’s next-generation combat aircraft system, Tempest. Located at the Warton facility of BAE Systems, the ‘Factory of the Future’ has been designed in such a way that it can flex to manufacture different products within the same area, leveraging the advantages provided by the MiRs and intelligent systems to accommodate changes quickly.

“The MiRs enable a fully autonomous logistics solution for material flow within the facility,” explains Ismail Master, Manufacturing Development Engineer – Manufacturing Technology, at BAE Systems – Air. “We are developing this capability and exploring how it integrates into existing and new production facilities. The robots will work collaboratively alongside operators, distributing material line-side to assembly stations on a just-in-time basis.”

For further information
www.rarukautomation.com

East Midlands MRO hub

Brammer Buck & Hickman, a Rubix company and a UK supplier of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products and services, is opening a new East Midlands Hub. The hub arrives from the merger of its Nottingham and Leicester branches, creating a larger, single, more accessible location. In addition, the new East Midlands Hub, adjacent to East Midlands Airport, is considerably larger than either of the previous branches, enabling the retention of a wider range of stock for instant customer access and choice. The site offers easy access straight on to the M1, M42, A6 and A42 for maximum customer convenience.

For further information
https://uk.rubix.com

Milling system benefits automotive parts

The new MaxiMill 275 milling system from Ceratizit suits the rough machining of high-alloy stainless and refractory steels, materials often found in the manufacture of turbocharger housings and exhaust manifolds. Ceratizit’s MaxiMill 275 face milling system is suitable for processing flat surfaces on these components. The tool is robust in its construction and design, with a maximum number of indexable inserts for efficient machining. Inserts are ground all around to ensure a smooth milling action, high-quality surfaces, long tool life and high efficiency.

The face milling of turbocharger components presents huge challenges for cutting tools due to the demanding nature of the material – often refractory cast steel containing niobium. In addition, the features of turbocharger housings and exhaust manifolds frequently create insecure machining conditions, bringing a requirement for tool stability so that it cuts effectively and achieves the necessary quality.

“Our development team began the process by designing the cutter body to be extremely stable and have low vibration,” says Detlef Erdei, application manager automotive at Ceratizit. “We were then able to optimise the number of cutting edges based on the diameter.”

This work resulted in the largest MaxiMill 275 with 125 mm diameter featuring 18 teeth, while the smaller 63, 80 and 100 mm diameter variants have 7, 10 and 14 teeth respectively.

The Ceratizit development team paid particular attention to the accuracy of the insert seat, which keeps the indexable insert firmly and precisely in place using a wedge clamp.

Ceratizit’s indexable inserts have also been refined thanks to the use of a special cutting material for the highest thermo-mechanical demands. Furthermore, a positive geometry with a 20° rake angle enables the inserts to cut effectively and guarantee a smooth machining action.

For further information
www.ceratizit.com

Drilling and countersinking in one step

Kennametal has introduced its HiPACS drilling and countersinking system for aerospace fastener holes. Designed to drill and chamfer holes in one operation, the high-precision tool meets the aerospace industry’s stringent accuracy requirements, while delivering long tool life when machining composite, titanium and aluminium aircraft skins.

“Most fastener hole tools used today are complex made-to-order tools with long lead-times,” says Georg Roth, product manager at Kennametal. “HiPACS uses standard, off-the-shelf components for quick delivery and low cost per hole, by allowing the drill and chamfer insert to be indexed independently from one another. What’s more, it’s the
only indexable drilling and countersinking system on the market that can hold the aerospace industry’s required fastener hole chamfer tolerances in just one operation.”

Designed to be clamped in a standard hydraulic chuck, the HiPACS modular system consists of three components that are fast and easy to assemble: a reducer sleeve with a built-in high-precision pocket seat which, in conjunction with a standard hydraulic chuck, provides ultra-secure clamping and a runout of no more than 3 µm to increase tool life and hole quality; a PCD countersinking insert that eliminates the need for expensive custom solution step drills, thus reducing manufacturing costs while meeting the industry’s accuracy requirements; and two series of solid-carbide drills – both diamond-coated and PCD-tipped – covering all material combinations found in a typical aerospace assembly. In addition, the straight shanked tools allow for length adjustments in increments of 10 mm.

It is possible to utilise the new HiPACS drilling and countersinking system on all machines typically used for aerospace applications. In less stable conditions, such as robot end effectors, the diamond-coated carbide drills offer long tool life and high hole quality.

For further information
www.kennametal.com