Automation speeds honing
10 Nov 2011
Close-up of honing in progress on one of the Delapena E1000S honing machines
Pollard Engineering found that one skilled operator could not hone the increasing number of fine tolerance parts being produced at its Tewkesbury facility, so took the decision to automate its honing operations.
The investment in three E1000S machines from UK manufacturer Delapena was prompted by the on-going production of a particular component that was historically honed manually in four operations. This was a time-consuming and expensive process, so the company approached Delapena for a cost-effective alternative.
Paul Lane, Delapena's technical services manager, was instrumental in liaising with the subcontractor to configure the capable and repeatable cell for achieving the required quality, based on horizontal honing rather than the more expensive vertical type.
The component, which has a 24 mm diameter, 100 mm long blind hole with several rings of small cross holes along its length, is honed to within 8 microns on geometry. Simple fixtures enable easy changeover to machine other components and with a modified standard tool, the consumable element of the manufacturing cost per part is kept to a minimum.
The best solution for Pollard Engineering was to complete all the roughing on the Delapena E1000s using the machine's short stroke facility and controlled encoder and ballscrew expansion. The ability to expand the tool in increments as small as 0.0001 mm (one-tenth of a micron) per second, when required, gives a level of control normally associated with lapping.
Controlled short stroking keeps the blind end parallel whilst a ratio of long strokes keeps the whole bore within tolerance over the entire batch. Stock removal of 75 to 100 microns with CBN (cubic boron nitride) superabrasive removes material efficiently, with minimum abrasive wear.
Commented company director, Richard Pollard, "It is never easy to change a process that has been in use for over 20 years and when cost per part needs to be kept down, you cannot throw money at problems to find solutions. Investment in new production machines has to be at the right price."
Established in 1970, Pollard Engineering is an ISO 9001:2000-accredited, family-run supplier of high precision machined components primarily to the mining, oil drilling and aerospace industries. It employs 52 personnel on a day and night shift in a 14,500 square foot factory in Tewkesbury.
A wide range of components is produced, from unions and blocks to complex valves and assemblies in batch sizes of 1-off to 10,000-off. A complete service is provided from advice on design for manufacturing through to assembly and quality control, including full traceability of material. Beryllium-copper, Toughmet, titanium, Inconel and Duplex steels are among the more exotic metals processed to the tightest of tolerances.
www.pollardengineering.co.uk
Paul Lane, Delapena's technical services manager, was instrumental in liaising with the subcontractor to configure the capable and repeatable cell for achieving the required quality, based on horizontal honing rather than the more expensive vertical type.
The component, which has a 24 mm diameter, 100 mm long blind hole with several rings of small cross holes along its length, is honed to within 8 microns on geometry. Simple fixtures enable easy changeover to machine other components and with a modified standard tool, the consumable element of the manufacturing cost per part is kept to a minimum.
The best solution for Pollard Engineering was to complete all the roughing on the Delapena E1000s using the machine's short stroke facility and controlled encoder and ballscrew expansion. The ability to expand the tool in increments as small as 0.0001 mm (one-tenth of a micron) per second, when required, gives a level of control normally associated with lapping.
Controlled short stroking keeps the blind end parallel whilst a ratio of long strokes keeps the whole bore within tolerance over the entire batch. Stock removal of 75 to 100 microns with CBN (cubic boron nitride) superabrasive removes material efficiently, with minimum abrasive wear.
Commented company director, Richard Pollard, "It is never easy to change a process that has been in use for over 20 years and when cost per part needs to be kept down, you cannot throw money at problems to find solutions. Investment in new production machines has to be at the right price."
Established in 1970, Pollard Engineering is an ISO 9001:2000-accredited, family-run supplier of high precision machined components primarily to the mining, oil drilling and aerospace industries. It employs 52 personnel on a day and night shift in a 14,500 square foot factory in Tewkesbury.
A wide range of components is produced, from unions and blocks to complex valves and assemblies in batch sizes of 1-off to 10,000-off. A complete service is provided from advice on design for manufacturing through to assembly and quality control, including full traceability of material. Beryllium-copper, Toughmet, titanium, Inconel and Duplex steels are among the more exotic metals processed to the tightest of tolerances.
www.pollardengineering.co.uk
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