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See the MJC video HERE.

Custom machine tool builder in California contracts with research center at university in Glasgow, Scotland to design specialized equipment for forming new jet engine structures; machine completely controlled by Siemens CNC  

AFRC facility performs fundamental and applied research on the forming and forging of metals, primarily for aerospace applications. A full battery of materials and performance testing is conducted at AFRC by a team of materials and process experts

MJC Engineering is a custom machine tool builder, specializing in metalforming machines for such applications as spinning, flow forming, wheel spinning and rotary forging.  The company was recently contracted by the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland for a very unique application, namely, a cold-forming rotary forge press that works the material between two synchronized rotary dies.  The dies operate in angle from the parallel.  Typically, the angle is fixed but, on this custom designed machine from MJC, the angle is fully programmable.  This configuration allows compression in a concentrated area and provides a more efficient method for metal deformation, while producing superior mechanical properties in the finished section.  Up to 90 percent material savings can be achieved by the use of this revolutionary metalforming technology, in comparison to conventional machining from a solid blank.

Operator loads workpiece during test run-up on machine; very hard aerospace materials such as Hastelloy and Inconel are typically processed

The aim of this new CNC technology, according to MJC company president Carl Lorentzen, is to make the aerospace engineers rethink how they design their products, so that a maximum material savings on exotic and costly metals can be realized.

Rotary forging can be defined as a two-die forging process that deforms only a small portion of the workpiece at a time, in a continuous manner.  The reduced instantaneous area of tool and workpiece contact means lower forging forces are required to cause deformation in the material.  Typical components for rotary forge operations are round or cylindrical hollow parts that deploy expensive or exotic alloys, require extreme material property targets or involve very complex geometries.  At AFRC, the rotary forging machine provided by MJC is processing AerMet® 100, Inconel 718 and Allvac® 718Plus®, Ti-6Al-4V as well as the creep-resistant Ti6242 and some beta alloys.

New rotary forge press from MJC, built specially for the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. Two independent and synchronized rotary dies are fully programmable on the Siemens CNC to affect 0-45º pitch angles

Onboard the machine, the bottom and top spindles pivot from 0-45º, operated by AC vector motors and drives, plus an overall motion control CNC, all provided by longtime supplier to the builder, Siemens.  The CNC is a Sinumerik 840D, which controls all the axis and spindle motion, hydro and servo positioning valves, plus the synchronization of up to four cylinders for the integrated motion of the rotary dies.  In the processing of the workpiece, the control is monitoring all machine conditions, while maintaining the synchronized angles of the twin rotary dies.

Siemens CNC controls the entire machine process

Programmed motion sequences on the machine must be maintained with high precision to avoid improper deformation of the materials during the cold-forming process.  In a manufacturing environment, where the high production output of parts is critical, this process must remain extremely well-regulated, documented and monitored.  The CNC has the capability to upload all data in real time.

The unique operation of this MJC rotary forging press involves the application of pressure on a small portion of material at a time, reducing stress and saving up to 90% in material, compared to subtractive machining from a solid blank

Carl Lorentzen comments further on this MJC development, “Though the concept of the rotary die forge is certainly not new, the computer-controlled synchronized dual rotary dies on this machine offer a number of unique advantages in the cold-forming process of metals.  The idea originated in a somewhat different form in the automotive market with the development of a front wheel hub hollow shaft.  The cold-forming of metal around a bearing was combined with robot loading in production.  The concept, combined with the Siemens CNC and its ability to control all the motion so precisely, made the development of this machine more practical for us.”

MJC is a custom machine tool builder, with equipment currently serving in the military, aerospace, general metalforming and automotive after-market segments of industry.   The company is a member of PMA, NFTC and AMT.

The AFRC is jointly sponsored by the Scottish government, Scottish Enterprise and a variety of international aerospace manufacturers and engineering firms, including Boeing, Rolls Royce, TIMET, Aubert & Duval and Barnes Aerospace.  It has operated as a world-class facility, supporting fundamental and applied research into the forming and forging of metals, since 2009.  Having doubled in size recently, AFRC is expanding its market applications into the automotive, energy and marine markets.  The center can currently heat, shape, finish, measure, test and analyze all types of metal materials and components in-house.  The research done here comprises investigations into residual stress, die life, process characterization, materials characterization, heating and thermal processes, super-plastic forming, sheet forming and related technologies in automation, metallurgy and metrology.

The key challenge for AFRC, according to its website, is to take low maturity technology developed in a university environment and successfully deploy it into a manufacturing facility.

See the video of MJC @FabTech HERE.

For more information on this story, please contact:

MJC ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, INC.
15701 Container Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
Phone: 714-890-0618
Fax: 714-895-3561
Web: www.mjcengineering.com
Email: clorentzen@mjcengineering.com or carlson@mjcengineering.com
Attention: Carl Lorentzen, President or Per Carlson, VP

or

SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.
DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES
MOTION CONTROL
390 Kent Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-640-1595
Web: www.usa.siemens.com/cnc
Email: SiemensMTBUMarcom.industry@siemens.com
Attention: John Meyer, Manager of Marketing Communications

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SiemensCNC or Twitter: www.twitter.com/siemens_cnc_us.

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Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly products, solutions and services for industrial customers. With end-to-end automation technology and industrial software, solid vertical-market expertise, and technology-based services, the sector enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency and flexibility. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services Divisions as well as the Metals Technologies Business Unit.

The Siemens Drive Technologies Division is the world’s leading supplier of products, systems, applications, solutions and services for the entire drive train, with electrical and mechanical components. Drive Technologies serves all vertical markets in the production and process industries as well as the infrastructure/energy segment. With its products and solutions, the division enables its customers to achieve productivity, energy efficiency and reliability.

Hennig chip conveyors on Niigata machining centers maintain efficiencies and production on ductile iron castings used in heavy truck and military drive train projects at Michigan shop  

Machesney Park, Illinois – Accurate Gauge prides itself on the company motto that says, “The quality is not in the product, unless the quality is in the process.”  As this busy Rochester Hills, Michigan machine shop can attest, the machining and assembly of large ductile iron castings into components for the heavy truck and military drive train markets is one that demands accuracy at every turn.  Correspondingly, the heavy-duty manufacturing equipment here includes a line of Niigata SPN 701 horizontal machining centers (HMCs) with multiple pallets, used for machining very large, heavy workpieces with  accuracy that ranks among the highest in the machine tool world market. As a result, Accurate boasts the industry leaders among its customers, including Meritor, Axle Alliance, Dana and Mack.

The shop machines over 98% of its workpieces from ductile iron and the iron sludge build-up in the coolant tank is an all too familiar problem for the production personnel.  As Accurate’s engineering manager Mark Tario explains, “We approach every machine with a keen eye on machine uptime and an absolute ease of maintenance.  We had experimented with other systems to handle cast ductile iron fines and knew their benefits as well as their shortcomings.” Mark notes the company had actually designed two systems in-house to improve the handling of chips and the cleaning of coolant.  While the benefits had been appreciable, they felt there was still a shortfall and the team at Accurate began a systematic search for a better solution.

One of the potential vendors, Hennig, was an established force in the market, as the company’s chip conveyors and machine enclosures are found on many of the global machine tool builders’ equipment.  A particular development from Hennig caught the attention of the team at Accurate, namely, a magnetic chip disc filtration system that represented a substantial improvement over the traditional drum screen filtration system used on most competing brands.  The relative ease of changeover immediately impressed the Accurate engineers, both from the production and maintenance perspectives.  As Mark explains, “Replacing the drum filter screens is not an easy task, in fact it can be downright miserable.  The Hennig disc arrangement seemed to us a much easier system to operate and maintain.  The incorporation of a rare earth drum & scraper assembly inside the conveyor appeared to be a great solution for minimizing the amount of cast iron fines reaching the coolant tank side of the system.”  Mark notes the heavier-duty mechanical components and drive chains used on the Hennig conveyor were also impressive, providing a greater wear life and reduced downtime likelihood.

An initial order was placed with Hennig for four Chip Disc Filtration (CDF) conveyors to run in tandem with the Niigata machines.   All electrical controls, coolant tanks, pumps and other hardware were provided by Hennig.  Mark and his team worked closely with the Hennig mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as the Hennig’s local representative, John Kaczmarek of Marathon Industrial Sales in Sterling Heights, Michigan, to complete the first installation.  “We have over 40 years of experience in what works and what doesn’t in the machining of cast iron, so we had a very defined list of needs in all facets of the design, electrical functions and the very important aspect of machine to auxiliary equipment communication,” Mark notes, adding that the worst scenario in the shop occurs when the machining center is working, but the chip conveyor is not.

Every aspect of the machine-to-conveyor connection was planned out by the Accurate team, including the layout of the coolant tank covers and the access ports.  This attention to detail is something in which the company takes great pride.  “The Hennig team was very good on this job and they realized that nothing less than their best efforts would satisfy us,”   Tario notes.

Among the many issues Accurate had to overcome, downtime for maintenance was the most prominent.  The machining of cast iron, by definition, creates considerable problems arising from the frequent need to replace conveyor chains, drum screens and other mechanical components that get infiltrated by the iron fines and literally lock up.  The conveyor chains on the Hennig system, for example, were found stronger than the typical styles used on competing brands, which often required adjustments and repairs several times annually and were usually in need of total replacement, once a year.   Depending on the severity of the repair or replacement operation, this situation resulted in many hours or even several days to rectify.  Practically speaking, the maintenance personnel would get completely soaked and filthy with the coolant and sludge as a result.

On the Hennig CDF system, by contrast, the discs can be easily removed and cleaned on a workbench, rather than reaching through narrow access ports to wrestle with a drum style filter.  According to Mark, this entire process is a two-hour operation at most.  Simple screen replacements can be done in thirty minutes or less, he notes.

Another common problem for the maintenance personnel are coolant related failures.  On the HMCs at Accurate, a substantial amount of “through the spindle coolant” is used to improve productivity.  However, this generous use of coolant can create an immediate and dangerous problem, if the coolant runs low and the machine has no safeguard-warning device, especially when drilling and tapping.  Nearly half the Accurate systems had no such devices originally, resulting in some damage conditions on the high-speed drills used here.  A third of the later systems used at the company had a communication device to put the machine’s CNC into a single block state when the coolant tank ran low, but had no protection to shut off the pump to prevent dry running.  Mark notes, “On our third generation systems, we changed from a diaphragm style pump to a screw pump, where dry running would be very bad, to say the least.  With our fourth generation Hennig conveyors, however, we have all the protections of the previous generations plus all the necessary controls to shut down the pumps to prevent very costly system component damage.”

Accurate has already installed four Hennig systems, just received an additional three and has plans to purchase two more shortly, for a total of nine in the shop.  All are connected to Niigata HMCs that have an opening in the back of the machine with a horseshoe-shaped channel where the conveyor fits.  The overall machine size is 10’ wide by 30’ long.

Other Accurate personnel involved in this project who contributed to the story include Greg Mann, plant manager, Dennis Shepp, maintenance technician and Jim Weeks, shift supervisor and maintenance technician.

To see a video of this installation, please go to http://youtu.be/GDPHtJdFul4

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Hennig, Inc. designs and produces custom machine protection and chip/coolant management products for state-of-the-art machine tools. Hennig products are designed to protect against corrosion, debris and common workplace contaminants. Manufacturing facilities located in the USA, Germany, France, Brazil, India, Japan, Czech Republic, England and South Korea. Repair centers are located in Machesney Park, IL; Chandler, OK; Livonia, MI; Blue Ash, OH; Mexico City, Mexico; and Saltillo, Mexico.

To learn more about Hennig products & services, visit www.hennigworldwide.com or call 1-888-HENNIG6 (436-6446).

For more information, please contact:

Tim Waterman
Hennig, Inc.
2500 Latham St.
Rockford, IL 61103
Phone: 815-316-5277
Fax: 815-962-6483
E-mail: info@hennig-inc.com
Connect with Hennig online:

For more information on Accurate Gauge in this story, please contact:

Accurate Gauge & Manufacturing, Inc.
2943 Technology Drive
Rochester Hills, MI 48309
Phone: 248-853-2400
Web: www.accurategauge.com
Email: mark@accurategauge.com
Mark Tario, Engineering Manager