machining
Sliding-head lathe halves cycle time on rail industry component
On the right lines
SINCE 2001, subcontractor Metaltech Precision
has machined a family of six, 19mm diameter
parts from Swedish iron bar on one of its 20
fixed-head lathes for a customer in the railway
industry. In 2006, production volumes
suddenly doubled and director Steve Hill
reassessed the job, having been aware for some
time that such shaft-type parts could be turned
more efficiently on a sliding-headstock lathe.
Using an SV-32 sliding-head lathe at Star
Micronics GB’s Melbourne technical centre,
production tests on thE parts resulted in a
halving of production cycle times. The saving
was achieved even though only turning is
required of the outside diameter, there being
no prismatic element to the machining. The
time saving comes from higher speed cutting
on the Star and the ability of its counter
spindle to face the reverse end of the
component in-cycle after parting-off, saving a
second set-up.
Hill bought the SV-32, which was the first
sliding-head lathe on a shop floor of 45 CNC
machine tools. Star Micronics supplied a
turnkey package that included a JBS
compensating guide bush, which self-adjusts
its pneumatic grippers continuously to allow
for the relatively wide variation in the
diameter of Swedish iron bar. High-pressure
coolant delivery was supplied, which
prolongs the life of the carbide tooling that
Metaltech generally uses and allows deep
holes up to 12xD to be drilled. Programs and
tooling were also included in the package;
and automatic fire suppression, which is now
standard on all Star lathes.
Since the machine was installed at the
subcontractor’s factory in Chard, Somerset, it
has produced all of the additional railway
components during a single day shift, as well as
a few short runs of other parts. A second shift
has started now that Metaltech operators have
become familiar with sliding-head technology,
bringing the machine into line with the rest of
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50 MWP november 2007
the operation. Having the sliding-head lathe
on site soon generated new business, as Hill was
able to go out and sell the capacity, knowing
that the second shift was available. In July 2007,
he won a major contract to mill-turn a
Hitenspeed 45A carbon steel shaft for an
automotive customer. Volumes were so large,
however, that he decided to invest in another
Star SV-32. This was installed in September and
is now largely devoted to this contract during
the day shift. Unlike the rail industry part, on
which the tolerance is fairly open, the
automotive component has to be machined to
an 18μm total tolerance on the OD and includes
two bearing journals that require a 0.8μm
surface finish that had to be ground by the
previous supplier. The part also requires driven
tool work for which the nine-axis SV-32 with
its live, 10-station turret is ideally suited.
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