Archive for the ‘CNC machine tools’ Category:
First preview of Renishaw’s exhibits at MACH 2010
Renishaw will be featuring systems for assessing the performance of both three- and five-axis machine tools, plus products that increase machine tool automation, improve process control and allow advanced on-machine part verification at MACH 2010 (stand 5439).
First preview of Renishaws exhibits at MACH 2010In addition to the range of featured products already announced, (listed below), Renishaw will be making further announcements in the run-up to MACH 2010.
Ultra-compact touch probes with radio signal transmission
Renishaw will demonstrate touch probe systems, that use its unique frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) probe signal radio transmission technology, to allow automated job set-up and in-process measurement on all sizes of CNC machine tools.
Multi-axis development for PC-based probe software
Measurement on multi-axis machine tools will be supported with the introduction of a new version of Renishaw’s Productivity+ suite of PC-based probing software. A key improvement is a multi-axis option, supported by Renishaw’s Rengage 3D technology-based touch probes, and ultra-compact radio probes.
Wireless ballbar allows volumetric testing of machine tools
The QC20-W ballbar is a completely new design featuring a Renishaw developed linear sensor and Bluetooth wireless technology, which also allows testing in 3 orthogonal planes, through a single reference point.
Automated health check for multi-axis machine tools
AxiSet Check-Up extends Renishaw’s range of machine tool testing and calibration systems, with a cost-effective solution for checking the alignment and positioning performance of rotary axes.
Cost-effective CMM upgrades
Renishaw offers cost-effective CMM retrofits for all budgets and applications, from touch trigger probing and 3-axis scanning, through to the latest ultra-fast REVO five-axis measurement system.
Absolute optical encoder and 1 nm resolution incremental encoder
RESOLUTE is an absolute encoder capable of 27-bit resolution at 36,000 rpm, giving a resolution of just 1 nm at 100 m/s for both linear encoder and angle encoder applications.
http://www.machinery.co.uk/article/24160/First-preview-of-Renishaws-exhibits-at-MACH-2010-.aspx
Machine tool makers de-risk their business
They also expect a recovery during the last quarter of 2009-10, following the late revival of the monsoon.
The economic downturn of the past 12 months has taught Indian industry many lessons in its quest to become competitive, cut costs and stay alive in the market. Some sectors have had to change the very way they do business. The machine tool sector, considered the mother of all industries, has learned a lesson in how to de-risk itself.
The biggest lesson the industry learnt was the danger of over-dependence on any single market segment. Until a year ago the machine tool industry was heavily dependent on automobile and auto components manufacturers for orders. Today, because of the downturn, which badly hit the automobile sector, machine tool manufacturers have reduced their dependence on this sector and turned to other customer segments.
Says Shailesh Sheth, former president of the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) and an industry expert: “In the last one year, machine tool makers have started reducing their excessive dependence on the automobile and components sector and have turned towards the power sector, large government contracts and public sector enterprises for orders. There is a huge demand from PSEs like BHEL, BEML, BEL and Indian Railways, among others. There is no drop in spending by these PSEs.”
Other key trends resulting from the downturn, Sheth points out, are cost cutting and right-sizing of manpower levels. This has helped companies reduce product prices and increase competitiveness, even though margins are under pressure. However, machine tool units, mostly run by technocrat-entrepreneurs, are not bleeding heavily yet, and Sheth believes that there is no scope yet for consolidation in the industry.
After chalking up a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 25 per cent over the last few years, the Indian machine tool sector’s total production (CNC and non-CNC machines put together) declined by 35 per cent to Rs 1,235 crore in 2008-09, compared to the previous year. This was mainly due to the decline in the automobile industry, which contributes around 70 per cent of the sector’s orders. The production of CNC machines fell by 44 per cent to Rs 713 crore in 2008-09, while the output of non-CNC machines dropped by 18 per cent to Rs 521.4 crore.
The slowdown was at its worst in the fourth quarter of 2008-09, during which the output of CNC and non-CNC machines dropped by 49 per cent to Rs 365 crore. The consumption of machine tools in 2008-09 declined by 24 per cent to Rs 6,542.8 crore compared to the preceding year. Indian industry, which is still largely dependent on imports for bigger and more sophisticated machines, also witnessed a fall in imports of machine tools to Rs 5,478.4 crore, a decline of 20 per cent over 2007-08.
During the first quarter of the current fiscal year (April-June 2009), the industry registered a near 50 per cent drop in output to Rs 201 crore, compared to the corresponding year-ago quarter. “Normally, business is always dull in the first quarter of every year. This year, due to the prevailing sentiment, there were even fewer orders than usual. But we hope to arrest the trend of falling orders towards the end of the year,” says Srinivas Shirgurkar, managing director of Ace Designers, a Bangalore-based machine tool manufacturer.
The industry is deliberately making an effort to develop alternative avenues for growth. “It is starting to look at other areas like government contracts, aerospace and general engineering sectors in a big way. This will not only help them survive the downturn, but also secure contracts for the future,” says Mohanram, director of the technology division of IMTMA.
The sector, having begun adopting newer technologies and having also become cost effective, is now able to compete with imported machines, Mohanram notes. The industry is developing more multi-function, more accurate and more productive machines with high-end features. Companies like BFW, HMT, Jyoti CNC, Lokesh Machines, Lakshmi Machine Works, TAL and Premier have introduced machines based on new technology in recent months.
Shirgurkar says, “The first half of 2008-09 was very good, but subsequently the output dropped by 60 per cent in the second half of the year. From July this year, we have seen signs of improvement. Going by current indications, we may end 2009-10 with a drop of just 25 per cent over the last fiscal.”
But Shigurkar notes that the industry has seen some positive factors as well. Apart from trying to reduce its dependence on the automobile sector and widening the search for customers, machine tool makers, who were until now focusing on small machines, have started work on producing large machines.
Moreover, most companies have exhausted their piled-up inventories and are set to book new orders. The industry hopes for a revival during the last quarter of the current fiscal, following the late revival of the monsoon and the quicker growth in the automobile industry over the last two months. It reckons that sales will stop declining towards the end of the year and thereafter move into positive territory.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/machine-tool-makers-de-risk-their-business/371688/
Tips for Buying a CNC Milling Machines
CNC stand for Computer Numerical Control, and refers specifically to the computer control of machine tools. The main purpose of CNC Milling Machines is to repeatedly manufacture complex parts in metal as well as other materials, using a specially coded program. This specially coded program that is used by CNC Milling machines is written in a notation called G-code. G-codes represent specific CNC Milling functions in alphanumeric format. CNC Milling was developed in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s by the MIT Servomechanism Laboratory.
1. About CNC
- Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Milling is the most common form of CNC – CNC mills can perform the functions of drilling and often turning – CNC Milling machines are classified according to the number of axes that they possess – Axes are labeled as x and y for horizontal movement, and z for vertical movement – The evolution of CNC milling machines drastically changed the manufacturing industry – Curves are as easy to cut as straight lines, complex 3-D structures are relatively easy to produce, and the number of machining steps that required human action is way down.
2. The Fabrication Process
With the use of CNC milling machine the fabrication process of the materials have been trimmed down to just a couple of steps. CNC Milling machines now days are driven directly from computer softwares crated by CAD software packages. With the use CNC Milling machines the assembly of parts can go from brief designs without any intermediate paper drawing works being required. In one sense, with the use of CNC milling machines industrials tasks are done must easier and much faster and the production cost of the company is also lessening out. CNC machines may be said to represent special industrial robot systems, as they are programmable to perform any kind of machining operation, within certain physical limits, like other robotic systems.
3. Buying Tips
Before buying a CNC milling machine it is a must that you should have knowledge about the CNC milling machines basic parts. A CNC milling machine is basically composed of a Safety shield that is usually a clear plastic cover that cover and protects the cutting area. The Tool bit, this part of the CNC milling machines is the one that do the cutting. Spindle Shaft, is the part that holds the tool bit. Spindle Motor, is the part of the CNC milling machine that drives the cutter. The Vertical Column, the part that holds the spindle and all of its part. The Cross Side, a moveable support where the work piece is being cut. The axis motors, which moves the cross side into different axis and the Controller box.
When purchasing your milling machine make sure to check that you have all of this part intact on your CNC milling machine, for if one of this parts is not there it will not surely work or will produce an undesirable end product. Also see to it to check out for safety features, never buy a CNC milling machine without an emergency stop button, this button automatically stops machining when it is pressed. Human, hardware or software errors could mean big losses if the CNC cannot be stopped quickly enough to correct the problem. Also check out the control panel part, it is advisable to buy one with a big control guide sticker so you can clearly see it.
Also check out the screws and tools with long overhangs and adapters, be more observant about cracks and breaks on this CNC milling tools. Make sure that the plastic shield that you are purchasing with your CNC milling machine is made up of high impact polycarbonate plastic. An insert break loose from a 35 mm diameter CNC milling cutter at a spindle speed of 45,000 rpm will be thrown out at a speed of 90 meters per second – equivalent to a bullet that is being shot out of a pistol!
Build a Cnc Machine Cnc Kits
Have you ever thought of how a CNC machines is built? Well, your answer certainly would be that the whole process would require a lot of tools, varied parts and components. However, what most people do not know is that these machines can also be built with CNC kits. There are several different components that require to be arranged together to build one of these machines.
When deciding on building a CNC machine, it is very necessary to decide on whether or not you would want to utilize a stepper. Also, make a decision on whether you would like to use a servo set up. This tends to be quite a debatable topic when building a CNC machine because most people are completely confused on what to use and what not. Now, the experts feel that the whole thing fully depends on your applications.
You would require CNC kits in order to build one of these machines. The kit includes the following components:
* High end electronic components
* Industrial quality printed circuit board
* Serigraphy
* Drilled solder mask
* Parallel wires connection cables to PC
* Hexagonal mountings
* Connectors in order to build extension cables to motors
* Identical stepper motors
* 12V 4A power supply.
* Software for the configuration of CNC
* Transformer
* Diodes electrolytic cap so as to construct your own power
* Manual with step by step guide
Here are some of the main features of the CNC kits that you purchase from the market:
* Included motors
* Interpolated axes (three in number) for coordinated movements
* Single supply of 12v DC
* Presence of Led signaling power
* Five digital inputs for home switches, emergency stop and feeling gauge etc.
* Two relays outputs required for vacuum cleaner, electric tool and much more
* PC connection by parallel port
* Compatible board that can be used practically with every parallel port CNC control software
* Some of the compatible software includes Master5, KellyCam, Ninos, TurboCnc, Cenece, Mach1/2/3 and much more.
If you are looking forward to purchase a CNC kits, here are some tips you can benefit from:
* Tip one – Multiple sets:
* It is very important to ensure that you purchase many sets of machine plans.
* Tip two – Analyze:
* You must look through CNC machines plans carefully.
* Tip three – The size:
* You need to make a decision on the overall size of the machine you desire to build.
* Tip four – Order:
* Make sure that you order all the CNC machines parts prior to actually starting to build the CNC machine.
* Tip five – Have a plan:
* It is crucial to have a sound machine building plan in hand ahead of time. This will make your task of building a machine quite easy and successful.
* Tip six – Professional help:
* It is always better to take some useful tips and tricks from the professionals and the experienced in this field. This will make your journey of building a CNC machines, a cakewalk.
CNC kits are very useful and help you a lot in building a machine. However, most people tend to get confused when it comes to assembling a machine kit. Here are some expert’s tips to make your task easy.
* Attain some knowledge about the mechanics of the machinery
* Read the instructions and precautions of each tool prior to using one
* Try watching a CNC kits assembling video online
Age of the robot
The engineering sector is the world’s biggest user of industrial robot technology. However, think of robots and operations such as welding, assembly, painting and inspection spring to mind: perhaps not so obvious is machine tool tending.
For whatever reason, investment in multi-axis robots has tended to lag behind that of new machine tools. However, the use of high precision industrial robots integrated with machine tools can offer benefits such as lower labour costs, reduced cycle times, lower floor space requirements and improvements in component quality.
One application where the use of multi-axis robots has brought significant advantages is in the machining of diesel injector valves at Delphi Diesel Systems. Douglas Curtis Machine Tools (01206 230032) was commissioned by Delphi to improve the production rates for these components at the UK factory in Sudbury, as well as at La Rochelle in France. The required operation was to extract part-machined components from the input pallet, precision gauge them (to sub-micron levels), present to a Supfina face grinding machine, unload, deburr and then re-palletise, all within the grinding cycle time.
When confronted with the challenge, DCMT decided to investigate the options of either adapting pick-and-place automation systems or the use of multi-axis robots. The application of three Stäubli RX60 robots (two at Sudbury) provided a less complex solution, requiring only 50 per cent of the floor space of the pick-and-place system, coupled with improvements in cycles times, quality levels, repeatability and reliability that were just not achievable with any other system. The Stäubli (01952 671917) robots can also readily incorporate changes in the operational sequence in response to design changes and product developments at Delphi.
Such is the demand for gains witnessed by companies such as Delphi Diesel that many machine tool builders, particularly lathe manufacturers, are beginning to introduce robots into their model specifications.
A case in point is multi-spindle lathe manufacturer Index, which has added Stäubli 6-axis robots into its latest models, contributing significantly to their performance and flexibility, especially for complex chucked components. Index’s MS52C lathe can be converted into an automatic chucking lathe by the addition of a Stäubli RX60 robot to load blanks for machining and remove finished components, while a RX90 robot can also be added to the larger MS52C.
The open-front design of both machines, which are available in the UK from Geo Kingsbury (023 9258 0371), allows the robot to be flange mounted on the workspace cover. A dual-gripper removes blanks from storage in front of the machine before they are brought to the working spindle and exchanged for finished parts that are then correctly orientated and placed in the exit storage, also at the front of the machine.
According to Fastems (01322 282276), virtually any make of CNC turning machine can be transformed into an unmanned production centre by retrofitting one of its RPC-16G robotic cells, which automates loading and unloading of workpieces into and out of the machine spindle. Each cell is purpose-built and comes complete with workpiece grippers and a cylinder kit for automating the opening and closing of the lathe door.
Biglia is also adopting automation on its B745 Y3 and B765 Y3 14-axis CNC lathes. Available from Whitehouse Machine Tools (01926 852725), both machines feature an integrated CNC unloading arm that removes finished components from either the main or counters spindle, provided that the parts have been machined from bar.
The demand for automation is forcing many machine tool and robot manufacturers to work together to develop simple-to-use solutions. ABB Robotics (01908 350300) and Okuma (UK agent NCMT – 020 8398 4277), for instance, have together developed an ABB standard interface for Okuma machine tools. Providing operators with a single operating environment, the interface saves production time and reduces operator training.
Developed on the open PC platform used by Okuma, the interface consists of two parts: the graphical interface and the extendable robot controller program libraries and configuration files, which allows for the creation of code for the robot tending of various machines, without the need for complex routines.
Image: Delphi wanted to improve production rates for its diesel injectors at sites in the UK and France
It is generally acknowledged that machine loading and unloading is a more complex application than basic material handling, as the robot needs to provide both manipulative and transport capabilities. One of the chief problems for robotic arms is that machine tool working areas are often restricted by the presence of hardware such as chucks, vices, spindles, toolposts and coolant nozzles. To counter such obstacles, Motoman (01295 272755) has introduced its IA20 7-axis robot, nicknamed ‘the snake’, due to its ability to access restricted spaces.
The robot was shown for the first time last year at the MACH exhibition in Birmingham, where it could be seen automatically loading and unloading a Hardinge XV710 vertical machining centre (0116 286 9900). The robot loaded a hydraulic fitting into the first collet of a Hardinge four-station indexing unit. After the first 4-axis machining operation, the part was transferred to the three other collets for additional operations before being unloaded.
Other recently introduced robot arm solutions for machine tool tending operations include the IRB 4600 from ABB, which offers twice the working range, half the weight and a 25 per cent better cycle time than its predecessor; and the Comau Smart M1 (0151 486 0668), which features normal or extended forearm, two different wrist designs and the possibility of overhead assembly.
Manufacturers that venture down the robot route rarely turn back, finding the return on investment and ongoing advantages too good to ignore. Just one example is Coventry-based King Automotive Systems. Six years ago, the company installed its first Fanuc robot (024 7663 9669), which loaded castings into a brake disc manufacturing cell. The project saved 50 per cent of operators over three shifts, and King has since installed a total of 11 Fanuc robots, with the latest lines producing knuckle joints for BMW’s Mini and for the Land Rover Freelander.
http://www.machinery.co.uk/article/19211/Age-of-the-robot.aspx