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Machining News

Arkansas operation zeroes in on auto aftermarket product

With the automotive aftermarket industry averaging 4 percent year-to-year growth lately, machining operations are finding that aftermarket components can be a lucrative niche.

The machining workhorse of choice at Service Tool is the MAG Fadal VMC 4020. Here, a technician washes some parts.

Such is the case for Service Tool in Little Rock, AR, a company that focuses on producing a throttle body “spacer” that enhances power, torque, and fuel efficiency. The 16-year-old company began producing the patented aluminum spacer in 1996 and has never looked back so that they can concentrate on producing upwards of 2,000 of the throttle body components per week.

The spacers, sold under the name Poweraid TBS and Aircell have a unique set of helix bores that cause a spinning action of the incoming air-charge as it passes through the throttle body. Needless to say, the spacers became popular with the performance crowd. But today, fuel economy is the primary selling proposition, especially for the heavy-duty truck market. Law enforcement departments and other fleet operators are saving on gas expenditures with the product also.

Business is brisk. “We’re running 120 different part numbers for the throttle body spacer, to accommodate a full range of engines and vehicles,” says Larry Patterson, president, Service Tool. “The first spacers were for our own trucks…then the word got out and now there are well over 800,000 of them in the field. The market for the product is still growing. New applications include non-automotive uses such as irrigation pumps.”

The machining workhorse of choice is the MAG Fadal VMC 4020 (vertical machining center). The company operates five of them. The Fadal machines are responsible for holding tight tolerances on the helix bore. Accurate circular interpolation, including the Z-axis upward movement, is critical to the quality of the product. Up to 40 offsets are used to machine batches of parts on a single fixture.

“We’re currently running one long 12-hour shift,” Peterson says. “Reliability is important, and the Fadal VMCs have delivered. Our oldest 4020 is 12 years old, and we’ve never had a major problem with it. We jokingly call the Fadal service guys ‘Maytag repairmen’ . . . there’s really no service required so we never see them.”

The MAG Fadal VMC 4020 table size of 48" x 20" (1219mm x 508mm) fits Service Tool’s work well. The machine features 900ipm rapid traverse, saving cycle time on ganged part batches. Maximum spindle speed is 10,000 rpm. Fadal’s “Cool Power” ensures thermal stability for consistent positioning repeatability. Flame hardened box ways provide high rigidity and vibration dampening that enhances accuracy.

“The Fadal MP CNC control works well for us,” Patterson continues. “We’ve found it to be conversational, and all of the programming is done at the machine. Every part number has its own profile, so there is input needed to create a new program, but it’s basically just a fill-in-the-blanks process. When we add new models, the part program practically writes itself. Back when we were doing job shop work, we would also do programming right at the machine because it was simple.”

“We’ve found that there is more money to be made in production than in job shop work, if you get the right machines. Fadal’s 4020 had the best specs for the price . . .in fact, our fifth Fadal, that we just installed, was less expensive than our first back in the 1990s.”

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MAG Fadal

Machining Products

New Tsugami Swiss-type/turret machine offers flexibility, precision, speed

Rem Sales, exclusive North American importer of Tsugami machine tools, announces the availability of a new machine that combines the benefits of a Swiss-turn and the flexibility of a turret machine.

The BH20SY features a sliding headstock with gang tools, a 12-station turret with stationary or rotating tools, plus a back spindle. All three “paths” can work on parts simultaneously, reducing cycle times, and offer the capability to completely machine complex parts up to 20mm diameter in a single setup.

Adding to the BH20’s productivity, spindle speeds up to 12,000 min-1 are possible on both the main and back spindles. Further, the BH20 can operate with or without a guide bushing so the most suitable operation for the workpiece length may be chosen. The spindle without a guide bushing doesn’t require ground bars, enabling high speed and high precision when machining cold drawn bars.

Users may opt for Tsugami’s automatic programming system permitting novice programmers to create CNC programs for complex, highly precise parts.

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Rem Sales

Mori Seiki offers first multi-axis machine with three turrets

Mori Seiki offers the NZ2000 T3Y3, a multi-axis machine manufactured with three turrets each containing a built-in milling motor and a Y-axis function.

Built for high-efficiency, mass production machining, the NZ2000 T3Y3 is a solution for machining bar material, shafts, flanges and precision equipment. Like other machines in the NZ series, the NZ2000 T3Y3 provides users with synchronized machining and dramatically reduced machining time. Specifically, the machine’s two-turret, two-spindle specifications can reduce machining time by approximately 30 percent when compared to other conventional machines.

The NT3200/1000SZ is an integrated mill turn center that performs at the highest levels of accuracy and precision. The machine employs DCG (Driven at the Center of Gravity) technology, as well as the box-in-box construction of the NH Series horizontal machining centers and the turret with built-in milling motor from the NL Series of CNC lathes.

Like other machines in the NT Series, the NT3200/1000SZ contains a B-axis that uses a DD (Direct Drive) motor, eliminating backlash and making high-speed rotation possible. Indexing specifications for the axis cater to high precision machining requirements, allowing for input by units of 0.0001 degrees.

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Mori Seiki

Maier introduces extremely fast and versatile Swiss turning centers

Maier has introduced the MLK 125 Linear Automatic Series of Swiss-type turning centers that are ideal for the accurate, high-volume production of parts for electronic component manufacturing and a broad range of other small part applications. The Linear Series feature1,600ipm rapids in all axes, reducing production lead times, part costs and cycle times.

Maier Linear Machines can accelerate up to 2g. Spindles (main and opposed) are driven by built-in 3hp (2.2 kW) integral motors that can reach a speed rate of 15,000rpm.

The MLK Linear Series offers flexibility with a “2 machines in 1” design function that allows removal of the guide bushing, which enables the machine to operate as a standard lathe, eliminating the need to centerless grind stock.

Capable of machining up to a half-inch, (12.5mm) bar stock, the Linear machines have a compact footprint of 60" x 32" (1,500mm x 800mm).. The cornerstone of the Linear Series is a 4,600lb (2,087kg) solid polymer concrete base which eliminates vibration and ensures an accuracy of 0.0001" (0.001mm). This solid machine bed provides safe, reliable processing, even at very high cutting speeds.

The Linear Centers accommodate up to 19 tools including four driven tools. With two independent slides that are movable in X and Y directions, high productivity can be achieved by simultaneously offering three tools in the cut. For example, turning can coincide with main and opposed spindle drilling operations.

The Linear Series includes additional features for turning operations. The linear motors require no ball packs, ball screws or servo motors thus reducing wear items. A main and opposed spindle offer both, C-axis indexing of .001 degrees and locked, 5-degree mechanical indexing capability with a 3hp (2.2 kW) power rating and a 1/2" (12.5mm) maximum spindle bore diameter. Head stock stroke on the main spindle is 6.3" (160mm). Machines are equipped with a GE Fanuc 16i TB CNC control system and are available with a two-year warranty.

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Maier Machines

Heavy-duty VMC boasts generous Y-axis capacity

Workplaces wanting speed, rigidity, and plenty of capacity in a competitively priced 50 taper vertical machining center should consider the SV-48H VMC by Johnford. Absolute Machine Tools Inc. offers this VMC, which is specifically engineered for heavy cutting applications.

The SV-48H’s Meehanite FC-30 castings provide the strength and vibration damping necessary for exceptional surface finishes and long cutting tool life. The machine also sports features including four square Y axis box ways and a large fully supported table with zero overhang. The large diameter, pretensioned ballscrews and the large diameter rigid spindle are ideal for heavy cutting. Mating Turcite-B coated surfaces are hand scraped for fit and precision.

The SV-48 has a 3.35" (85mm) spindle shaft employing five bearings for stiffness and cutting stability. Class 7 steel bearings permit standard spindle speeds up to 6,000rpm. For applications requiring high torque at low rpm, a standard two-speed geared head gives full power at 305rpm. The spindle delivers up to 10,000rpm with the addition of optional hybrid ceramic bearings. A 15,000rpm Weiss integral spindle with HSK-100A tooling is also available for ultra high speed machining.

Class 3 ballscrews, measuring 1.57" (40mm) in diameter, feature a double-nut preloaded design. Ballscrews are pretensioned to eliminate thermal growth and promote high accuracy and high speed positioning. High torque servo motors directly couple to the ballscrews for additional accuracy.

A Fanuc OiM-C control is standard with Manual Guide Oi conversational programming, Custom Macro B, coordinate system rotation, and front-panel PCMCIA card slot for up to 2 GB storage. For more demanding 3D applications, an optional Fanuc 18iM-B with AI NANO HPCC is available.

Standard features include a 24-tool high-speed, arm-type ATC that provides 3.0 second tool changes, dual rear-discharge screw-type chip conveyors, flood coolant with programmable air blast, spindle oil chiller, and rigid tapping capability.

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Absolute Machine Tools