Citizen flexibility lands Unicut complex valve body contract
A special hydraulic valve body contract has been won by Unicut
Precision for repeat batches of 2,000 complex multi-featured
components due to the company’s capability to re-engineer the
production process from an aluminium casting requiring five or six
operations into a single turn-mill cycle out of bar.
By re-engineering the component - that requires 24 tools of which 14
are driven on a Citizen M32-V CNC sliding head auto - the Welwyn
Garden City subcontractor eliminated previous process problems
experienced by the customer of porosity in the casting, variation in hole
and feature positions and possible breakthrough of holes and
counterbores in close proximity to each other. Unicut also reduced the
likelihood of damage or marking due to the previous method's
requirement for considerable part handling from the number of
operations and relocations required. In addition, by using program
control, Unicut’s setters were able to precisely deburr critical areas to a
consistent standard and maintain sharp corners where specified on the
drawing.
Says Jason Nicholson, joint managing director: ‘This is a perfect
example of how the flexibility of one of our Citizen M32s can be used to
create complicated profiles by extensive interpolation of milling cutters.
Also by working from both ends of a component in the main and
subspindle we have been able to drill multiple holes with high
repeatability to an accuracy of almost true position to the datum.’
www.unicutprecision.co.uk
www.citizenmachinery.co.uk
july 2008
Single cycle capability won Unicut Precision a contract for producing
complex hydraulic valve bodies
Enquiry Number: 56
subcon scene
Best Subcontractor
Supply Chain
Partnerships
Components Worldwide
Compon Components en ts WWorldwide orldwide / Mini / Mini Gears Gears is ais
a
subc subcontract ontract engineering com company pany offering
a full a full range of of machining capability using the
the latest CNC equipment equipm including ent including 5 axis5
axis
‘ done ‘done in in one one hit’ hit’ mach machine ine tools.
Now, with a machining facility in both in both the the
UK UK and the Czech Republic, combined
with with sourcing facilities in in China, Eastern
Eur Europe ope and and India we we can can mmix ix our our supply of of
sourcing and manufacture m anuf acture to suit to our suit our
custom customers’ ers’ ever ever changi changing ng requirements.
re quirements.
Send Send your your enquiries to:
enquiries@componentsworldwide.com
enquiries@componentsworldwide.com
MWP
77
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.