Feature on Grinding and Surface Finishing

Wall thickness challenges in deep-hole boring

Tubular components are present in many sectors of manufacturing, but their design and specification vary enormously according to the intended application. In some industries, such as aerospace and medical instrumentation, tubes require machining to incredibly tight tolerances. Inaccurate machining can result in high reject rates, material losses and poor component function which, in some circumstances, can endanger end users.

Hone-All has over two decades of experience in machining high-precision tubular components. By combining expertise with the latest equipment and tools, the company says it can meet exacting specifications to achieve high surface finishes and tight tolerances for tubes up to 3 m in length.

According to Hone-All, among the challenges of machining tubular components is concentricity. In simple terms, concentricity is the measure of wall thickness consistency along the length of a tubular component. To calculate this characteristic it is necessary to measure the difference between the inside and outside diameters of the tube at different points along its length relative to the central axis.

When carrying out deep-hole boring to achieve a thin wall, it is important to start with a larger diameter material and then bore and turn gradually in stages. This approach reduces movement in the material which can lead to inconsistent concentricity and compromised tolerances. While there is a minimum wall thickness associated with deep-hole boring, Hone-All says it can achieve incredibly thin walls while maintaining concentricity.

Customers should note that it may be necessary to invest a little more initially, but this will be worth it in the long run, as the results will include less wastage and more accurate components. In turn, customers will enjoy longer, more reliable performance – saving more over time.

More information www.hone-all.co.uk

Advanex upgrades part cleaning capabilities

Advanex Europe’s latest leap forward in component cleanliness arrived following its purchase of a MecWash MWX400. Advanex has bought three parts washing systems since initially speaking to MecWash at the MACH 2012 exhibition. The upgrades were required to meet capacity increases and the strict cleaning requirements of customers.

“Every machine from MecWash has provided us with a leap forward in efficiency,” states Rob Newham, operations manager at Advanex. “Our MWX400 has made a substantial difference in the volume and speed of parts washing. The previous MecWash machines exceeded our expectations and the MWX400 has done the same.”

The precision engineering firm bought its first MecWash cleaning system, an AVD 300, to replace an ultrasonic tank system. In 2018, Advanex invested in a Duo from MecWash to ensure that increasing levels of demand, and the high standards of cleaning and drying complex machined coiled or pressed medical parts, continued. Since then, the business has grown substantially, thus the need for a continual improvement in cleaning productivity over the past decade.

“The MWX400 is the most advanced of the MecWash machines and, as a long-time customer, it was the best choice to satisfy our high-volume production requirements,” says Newham. “The machine meets and surpasses our needs and more by giving a controlled, validated outcome on each cycle.”

John Pattison, managing director of MecWash, adds: “The sale of the MWX400 and the continued relationship with a loyal customer such as Advanex is further proof of the effectiveness of a MecWash system. Investing in a MecWash machine generates significant benefits for manufacturers, with measurable improvements in cleanliness and productivity.”

More information www.mecwash.com

Premex diversifies into skiving with Anca CPX

In just one year, 125,000 tonnes of carbide are turned into 2.5 million high-quality precision tool blanks of all kinds – Premex says it masters this diversity like no other. The manufacturer of semi-finished carbide products processes around 65,000 orders a year. This requires, among other things, the best equipment in terms of machines for blank processing, especially when it comes to special segments such as gear skiving.
 
“We see ourselves as a link between carbide manufacturers and tool grinding shops,” says Marc Huser, managing director of Premex GmbH from Remchingen-Wilferdingen. “Our core requirement and – at the same time – our distinguishing feature, is the large number of daily enquiries and variety of items requested. Our entry into the skiving segment fits perfectly with this.”
 

Premex has invested in a CPX blank processing machine from Anca, not only making production in general more flexible, but also paving the way into the specialist world of gear skiving.
 
“With its good removal rate and high loading capacity, the CPX is a real asset to our business, especially for blanks in the medium and larger diameter range,” says Huser. “Thanks to the user-friendly interface, our operators were able to familiarise themselves with the product in a short time and work effectively with it. The Anca team has always shown great motivation and interest in supporting us.”

He adds: “Skiving is currently one of the most exciting segments in our market. Anca has developed a great deal of expertise in this area. We’re happy to use this knowledge to supply the corresponding blanks as an important part of the process chain for high-quality skiving and perfect gearing.”

More information www.anca.com

Milling and grinding to micron accuracy

Gerhard Rauch GmbH in Trasdorf, Austria, machines complex mechanical components and assemblies to tight tolerances. For high-precision prismatic machining, the company has standardised on the use of milling centres from German firm Roeders, which are available in the UK and Ireland exclusively from Hurco Europe.

CEO Anton Buresch says: “We produce punching tools to extremely high accuracy. For example, the mass production of aluminium foil yoghurt pot lids requires tools with clearances of 2 µm in some cases. This requires a tolerance of less than ± 1 µm for both the punch and the die.”

In the past, the company required multiple operations to manufacture such tools. Following pre-milling, hardening would result in a certain amount of distortion. Separate milling and grinding would take the tools to their final dimensions. This multi-stage process was necessary because the previous machining centres struggled to process hardened steel.

The solution was to invest in prismatic machining centres from Roeders, which are both rigid and precise enough to machine even extremely hard materials to the required accuracy, including tungsten carbide. Gerhard Rauch GmbH can now clamp and machine to final dimensions by milling and jig grinding on the same platform. This capability results in enormous savings in terms of personnel, throughput time and cost.


Today there are five five-axis Roeders machines on the shop floor in Trasdorf: three RXP 501 DS and two RXP 601 DSH models. All are automated with an RCE 1 pallet storage system which, depending on the pallet type, can hold between eight and 45 workpieces.More information www.hurco.co.uk

Next-generation gear grinders arrive

Kapp Niles says it has reached a new milestone thanks to the introduction of its KNG 350 machine series, with availability in the UK via the Engineering Technology Group (ETG). The previous KX 300 P gear centre was a success with more than 500 machines sold. Kapp Niles’ new KNG 350 series is taking on the mantle thanks to even greater flexibility and productivity.

The KNG 350 is a compact, set-up optimised machine for everything from job shop environments to the large-series production of geared components with diameters of up to 400 mm. Thanks to the integrated ring loader, non-productive times are no more than 5 seconds. The machine can automatically load bore parts and shaft-type workpieces up to 600 mm in length. Loading flexibility extends from manual loading or simple pallet conveyors, up to complex robot solutions.

A functional and ergonomic machine design pairs with a user-friendly interface to support the user during set-up and the optimisation of grinding projects. Process monitoring, part tracing and inline quality assurance are available as an integral component of this Industry 4.0 capable machine.

Regarding energy efficiency, hydraulic functions are reduced to a minimum, while electric drives take the place of pneumatic functions. Moreover, the switch from a base made of cast iron to one of polymer concrete reduces the machine’s overall CO2 equivalent.

The automatic HSK interface allows for a semi-automatic tool change, which Kapp Niles implemented consistently in both the ‘Expert’ machine and other variants in the series. Thanks to selectable dressing methods, it is possible to meet all requirements in a cost-efficient way, from single-item manufacture such as topological dressing to mass production like multi-ribbed dressing.

More information www.engtechgroup.com