Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Ohio manufacturer of oil field equipment saves 184 hours on one high-precision cutting tool head made of Nitralloy®
PMC-Colinet has a long history in the pipe and tube market, having started in 1912 and introduced the world’s first carbide-tooled pipe threading machine in 1958. Today, the company is established as a primary supplier of machines to the OCTG sector. Its customers include integrated steel mills that sell finished pipe and couplings to the oil and gas industries, specifically using the company’s machines for threading products for downhole drilling applications. PMC-Colinet also supplies cutting tools, consumable tooling, aftermarket parts and field service to the industry.
Recently, PMC-Colinet did an assessment on one very challenging job, namely, cutting keyways into large sections on a high-precision cutting tool head made of Nitralloy. For many years, the production had involved the use of a shaper to produce the keyway in the bore of the die head. Typically, the bore ranged from 6” to 13” in diameter and more than 12’ in length. These keyways have extremely tight tolerances, with location at +/- 0.0005”, width at +/- 0.001” and depth to +/- 0.0025”.
One style of cut is a 3-step keyway that does not run all the way through the bore, stopping at a window that is milled from the outside diameter. This situation prevented the PMC machining department from using a ram EDM to produce the keyway. The only options previously used were to rough the keyway on an old shaping machine, then send it out for ram EDM. This process required 50 hours on the shaper, plus approximately a week for the ram EDM. Another option was to do the job entirely on the shaping machine. Roughing the keyway had to be much more precise and usually required about 61 hours. Plus, an additional 145 hours were required to finish the part, normally. These times included 10-12 hours for set-up.
The team at PMC, led by Milling Foreman Rick Kokish, decided to explore other methods to produce this part on its Monarch 175B VMC. They conducted an exhaustive search on the Internet, turning up over 133,000 hits for 90º angle heads. After more than 30 hours of gleaning out the unsuitable products, they narrowed the search to just two vendors. Both manufacturers visited the facility and brought out their standard angle head designs. One of the companies, Heimatec, quickly realized this job would require a custom 90º head design to satisfy all the requirements.
One competitor brought a standard 40 taper tool, while Heimatec presented a larger, heavier 50 taper unit.
A week later, Preben Hansen, Heimatec’s president, supplied a drawing for the proposed custom product. PMC engineering reviewed both the standard and custom designs and awarded the project to Heimatec.
The angle head supplied was designed to perform a wide variety of cutting tasks on the various end products produced by PMC. On the keyway in a bore 6” in diameter and 12” in length, using the Heimatec 90º head, PMC spent 6 hours in setup, 3 for roughing and 3 for finishing, plus 12 to 16 hours of actual cutting time. This represented a total savings of 184 hours on a single part. Though the head appeared too slender to remain rigid during the entire cutting cycle, according to PMC sources, the performance was deemed very successful.
Heimatec’s head design for this custom radial drilling and milling head features an adjustable tool stop, 3 support pins for stabilizing the tool, CAT 50 taper style, 360º indexable pivot on the angle head and inclined tooth gear design for maximum rigidity.
During the project, Preben Hansen from Heimatec supervised the installation. After the stop block attachment and grinding of the supports pins for the head were accomplished in just one day, the head was mounted and several experimental cuts were performed. Hansen spent time with Rick Kokish as well as CNC programmer Barry Spence at PMC, discussing various options for programming the head on the Monarch VMC. The very next morning, the setup was performed and an actual keyway was roughed.
Results ongoing have continued to satisfy all requirements, according to PMC sources.
For further information on the application discussed in this story, please contact:
PMC INDUSTRIES
29100 Lakeland Boulevard
Wickliffe, OH 44092
Phone: 440-943-3300
Fax: 440-944-1974
Web: www.pmc-colinet.com
Email: sales@pmc-colinet.com
Attention: Rick Kokish, Milling Foreman
or
Preben Hansen, President
HEIMATEC INC.
16 E. Piper Lane Suite 129
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
Phone: 847-749-0633
Fax: 847-749-2445
Email: info@heimatecinc.com
Website: www.heimatecinc.com
Connect with Heimatec Inc: 
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Heimatec is an international tooling manufacturer, based in Renchen, Germany. Its experienced staff is dedicated to providing customers the most innovative tooling technology possible. In 2010, the company opened Heimatec Inc. in Prospect Heights, IL, near Chicago, to serve its growing North American customer base with sales and service, plus an extensive inventory of products. Heimatec serves the auto, aero, medical, off-highway, rail, energy, woodworking, composites and other industries, as well as an ever-increasing number of machine tool OEM’s worldwide.
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Visit us at booth #239!
AERODEF 2014 – Siemens will present its SINUMERIK 840D sl numerical controller, the aerospace industry standard for CNC machine tool control, which features unmatched open architecture for the handling of the most complex cutting and forming operations. In addition, Siemens will demonstrate robotic control through its mxAutomation solution, where robotic functions are controlled on a second channel of the SINUMERIK CNC and transferred to the robot via the Siemens PLC. And as the only single-source supplier in the aerospace industry who can provide the entire CAD/CAM/ CNC process chain, it’s clear why Siemens is the first choice in aerospace part manufacturing.
For more information on Siemens SINUMERIK CNC, visit www.usa.siemens.com/cnc.
For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.
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. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/industry.
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. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/drivetechnologies.
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No. 1008 is a 500ºF tunnel oven with gravity roller conveyor from Grieve, currently used for preheating metal housings at the customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 42” W x 72” D x 30” H. 30 KW are installed in Incoloy-sheathed tubular elements to heat the oven chamber, while a 3000 CFM, 1-1/2 HP recirculating blower provides vertical downward airflow to the workload.
This Grieve tunnel oven features 4” thick insulated walls plus an aluminized steel interior and exterior. The work zone comprises a 66” long open loading zone, 72” long insulated heat zone with recirculated airflow and 66” long open unloading zone, with a 36” wide roller conveyor with rollers on 3” centers. Motor-operated vertical lift doors are supplied on each end of the oven.
Controls on No. 1008 are built to NEMA 12 electrical standards and include a digital indicating temperature controller, manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors and a recirculating blower airflow safety switch.
For more information, please contact:
THE GRIEVE CORPORATION
500 Hart Road
Round Lake, IL 60073-2898
Phone: (847) 546-8225
Fax: (847) 546-9210
Web: www.grievecorp.com
Email: sales@grievecorp.com
Attention: Frank Calabrese, VP
Ann Arbor, Michigan – GMTA (German Machine Tools of America) represents various top-quality German metalworking machine builders, including Profilator, Pittler, Praewema and WMZ. These machines are sold to the North American market by GMTA primarily for gear and spline production, as well as other power transmission applications. The company’s target markets include automotive, off-highway, OCTG and other heavy equipment manufacturing. Machines are provided for gear honing, gear grinding, the patented Scudding® process for gearmaking, polygon milling, turning, gear tooth pointing and multi-task machining operations.
-GMTA is embarking on an aggressive new ad program in 2014, seeking to expand its market reach in automotive and gain additional exposure in other machine tool end users sectors, including aerospace, medical and energy. This effort will be enhanced by a direct marketing and social media campaign, as the company ramps up to a major presence planned for IMTS in September.In the news…
-GMTA recently sponsored a learning day for local area school children, including all 7th graders from the Saline, Michigan schools who are currently studying German. The group visited Frankenmuth, Michigan, which bills itself as “the American town with a German Bavarian heritage.” The group visited the historical museum and enjoyed an array of fun activities. Frankenmuth is also home to America’s premier Christmas store!
-GMTA recently became a member of the Michigan Chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce. Claudia Hambelton from GMTA attended the annual Fall Dinner, where the keynote speaker was Sheryl Connelly, the Global Consumer Trends and Futuring Manager for Ford, who spoke on the topic of how companies can prepare themselves for oncoming trends in the market.
-An open house to celebrate the newly expanded facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan will be held soon. Details to come, so stay tuned!
-A definitive explanation on the Scudding® process for gearmaking, plus informative videos on this breakthrough technology, are now available from GMTA. Click HERE to access the video.
For more information on this announcement, please contact:
GMTA (GERMAN MACHINE TOOLS OF AMERICA)
4630 Freedom Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone: 734-973-7800
Fax: 734-973-3053
Web: www.gmtamerica.com
Email: scott@gmtamerica.com
Attention: Scott Knoy
Connect with GMTA online:
No.996 is a gas-fired, 350ºF (177ºC) jumbo walk-in oven, currently used for batch processing large composite structures. Workspace dimensions measure 10’ W x 32’ D x 8’ H. 1,200,000 BTU/HR are installed in a modulating natural gas burner to heat the unit, while 49,000 CFM total from two (2) 20HP recirculating blowers provide combination airflow to the workloads.
This Grieve jumbo walk-in batch oven features 4” insulated walls throughout, removable top-mounted heat chamber (shown removed in photo), the oven body split into four
(4) sections for shipment with mating angle iron frames for easy reassembly in the field, plus aluminized steel interior and exterior.
All safety equipment required by IRI, FM and National Fire Protection Association Standard 86 for gas-heated equipment are onboard No. 996, including an 8000 CFM powered forced exhauster for quick purge and cool down, motorized dampers on the intake and exhaust for accelerated cooling, as well as a 10” diameter circular chart recording and programming temperature controller.
For more information, please contact:
THE GRIEVE CORPORATION
500 Hart Road
Round Lake, IL 60073-2898
Phone: (847) 546-8225
Fax: (847) 546-9210
Web: www.grievecorp.com
Email: sales@grievecorp.com
Attention: Frank Calabrese, VP
No. 871 is a 2000°F (~1093.3°C) gas-heated box furnace from Grieve, currently used for heat treating and high temperature testing. 650,000 BTU/HR are installed in three modulating natural gas burners with a floor mounted combustion air blower. Workspace dimensions are 30” wide x 48” deep x 30” high.
The unit has 7” insulated walls comprised of 5” of 2300°F ceramic fiber and 2” of 1700°F block insulation. The 6½” floor insulation is made of 4½” of 2300°F firebrick and 2” of 1900°F block insulation. The plate hearth is made of firebrick and is supported by firebrick piers.
For more information, please contact:Controls onboard No. 871 include a Partlow MRC 7000 recording and programming temperature controller and an electrically-operated vertical lift door.
THE GRIEVE CORPORATION
500 Hart Road
Round Lake, Illinois 60073-2835
USA
Phone: (847) 546-8225
Fax: (847) 546-9210
Web: www.grievecorp.com
Email: sales@grievecorp.com
Attention: Frank Calabrese
See Suhner at IMTS 2014 Booth W-1464! Add them to your show schedule HERE.
Large, long or odd shaped parts present various challenges; self-contained Suhner Multi-Master flex shaft machining units provide solutions
Bulky part machining can often become very difficult to integrate into a manufacturing process, when attempting to perform multiple operations on conventional CNC machines. Limited space or axis travel, one-sided spindle or tool accessibility are common restrictions when trying to design and fit multiple tool requirements onto a rigid machine concept. In addition, cycle time demands and accessibility issues from all sides and angles can make a single tool, 3-axis CNC machine option a losing proposition.
Fig. 1
One new solution involves compact and self-contained single tool Multi-Master flex shaft machining units from SUHNER. These units are modular in design, which means they can be positioned in any direction around a workpiece. In most cases, all operations can be performed in one cycle, thereby reducing the overall machining cycle time to a minimum. Since all tooling modules work simultaneously, the cycle time is basically determined by the longest single machining operation and not the addition of all the tools working together. There are virtually no limitations to part size and the number of tools that are engaged at the same time, with this arrangement.gid machine concept. In addition, cycle time demands and accessibility issues from all sides and angles can make a single tool, 3-axis CNC machine option a losing proposition.
SUHNER offers a complete spindle program with optional feed systems…pneumatic, hydraulic and CNC…available in a quill feed or slide and spindle design. In combination with modern tooling technology, SUHNER Multi-Master machining units can achieve a high degree of performance and accuracy, when incorporated into a machine design.
Solid carbide tools permit cutting speeds up to 300 m/min in aluminum, at feed rates of 0.5 mm/rev. These rates result in very short cycle times and extended tool life.
Fig. 2
Pictured transfer machine (Fig.1) illustrates a drilling station for an aluminum profile with 11 drilling operations. The actual machine time is 8 seconds for a roof rack railing. The machine is used in 3 shifts and produces a finished part in less than 20 seconds.
Depending on tool diameter, some of the drilling station units operate at 12,000 rpm.
A special purpose machine is shown in Fig. 2. This machine provides 33 holes in an automotive fiberglass- reinforced plastic part in less than 2.5 seconds. Years of experience and research with special tools and materials result in exeptional hole quality.
For all chipmaking operations including drilling, tapping, milling, reaming, flow drilling, boring, turning, inside and outside grooving etc. with internal or external coolant supply, SUHNER offers a comprehensive machining unit program for machine builders and end users alike.
SUHNER INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS, CORP.
Hwy 411 S./Suhner Drive
P.O. Box 1234
Rome, GA 30162
Phone: 706-235-8046
Fax: 706-235-8045
Attention: Lee Coleman, Automation Division
www.suhner.com
automation.usa@suhner.com
The process chain for a typical implant begins in the clinic, where the doctor uses CT scan imaging data to select an appropriate implant
Today’s machine shops, whether in the medical technology or tool and moldmaking sectors, can take advantage of an integrated Siemens CNC solution for everything from the design concept to the finished product.
The production of today’s medical implants involves an entire process chain, starting with the doctor and ending with the finished device. Doctors use the imaging data of a complex fracture, acquired with a computed tomography (CT) scan, to select an appropriate implant and then position it in the fracture area of the patient on the computer. Of course, this is only possible if the implant geometries are stored in a database, and the doctor has implants in stock or can access them immediately from a manufacturer.
Simulation of machining sequences
NX CAM programming from Siemens PLM enables realistic simulation of machine tool functions.
In plastic surgery, however, where implants specifically manufactured for each individual patient are needed, a different process is employed. Instead of pre-machined parts, implants are custom-made with the help of 3D imaging. In this case, the machine tools are controlled using the implant geometries. Calculated contours and shapes are acquired by the CT scan to produce implants that are literally a perfect fit. However, the feasibility of the planned production process can first be determined on a monitor using, for example, an NX graphic simulation from Siemens to avoid potential collisions or damage to the workpiece contours.
Technology package for milling
Implants for knee joints are precision machined with the High-Speed Cutting HSC process on a machine tool run by Siemens SINUMERIK 840D solution line CNC technology.
High-speed cutting (HSC) is a machining process with high material processing speeds. HSC machine tools achieve high spindle speeds, combined with feed rates that are much higher than those of conventional machine tools. Consequently, they require control systems and part programs that perform equally fast. The Siemens Sinumerik® 840D solution line CNC is specifically designed for the requirements of medical technology and this precision part HSC work. Integrated functions onboard the CNC assist users with set-up and programming, thus allowing faster and more precise production sequences.
Together, the Sinumerik CNC system and ShopMill® software from Siemens form a milling technology package that allows machine operators rapid access to the functions they need. Thanks to graphic function display and plain language input dialogs, cycles can be used quickly and effectively, after a brief training period. Even the smallest errors can be corrected during operation, using multi-axis kinematic analysis. The Siemens Safety Integrated® solution further provides protection for personnel and machinery. This software can be used to interlink emergency stop buttons and light barriers. In the event of an operating error, dangerous movements are immediately brought to a standstill and the power supply to the motor is quickly cut.
The use of measuring probes
The production of artificial knee joints on an HSC 20 linear milling center manufactured by DMG, for example, can be fully controlled and monitored by a Siemens Sinumerik CNC system. With its broad range of functions, this milling center is particularly well suited for use in the medical technology sector. It is equipped with linear drives on all axes and achieves acceleration rates over 2g. The machine can also generate a surface finish down to 0.2 micrometers Ra. The liquid-cooled machining spindle operates at speeds up to 42,000 rpm, thereby covering an extensive range of potential applications in the medical sector, where materials such as titanium, chromium-molybdenum, tantalum and niobium are typically milled.
In order to achieve maximum precision during implant production, while also maintaining a consistently high level of product quality, parametric measurements must taken continuously from both the machine and the workpiece. probes, for example, on HSC production machines measure tool dimensions in-process, detect broken tools and are used for the set-up and measurement of workpieces. In medical machine shops currently, the targeted use of such measuring probes can reduce set-up times by up to 90%, while substantially improving process control.
Cost-effective machining
The finished implant is a perfect fit
Metal parts used in medical technology are often extremely complex. Therefore, choosing the right tooling can have a great impact on the quality of the finished products. After all, proper cutting tools ensure that the parts leaving the machining center are absolutely precise and require no further finishing work. Although the materials used for many medical and orthopedic parts are often quite difficult to machine, the tools must fulfill high performance requirements with respect to the precision and surface quality of these implants. Iscar, one supplier of such tools, offers a program for monitoring the use of precision tools on turning, drilling, milling and finishing jobs. They also help users assess the performance qualities of non-vibrating carbide milling cutters, which are well-suited for machining implant materials, plus they can offer information on more cost-effective and efficient machining processes.
For more information on Siemens SINUMERIK CNC, visit www.usa.siemens.com/cnc.
For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.
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. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/industry.
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. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/drivetechnologies.
Continue readingNo. 1011 is a 500ºF four-door cabinet oven from Grieve, currently used for stress relieving stainless steel parts at the customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 20” W x 28” D x 36” H in each of four compartments in the oven. 30 KW are installed in Incoloy-sheathed tubular elements to heat the oven chamber, while a 6000 CFM, 5 HP recirculating blower provides independent horizontal airflow to the workload in each compartment.
This Grieve cabinet oven features 4” thick insulated walls, aluminized steel exterior, Type 304, 2B stainless steel interior, shelf truck with shelf supports on 4” centers, stainless steel loading trays with integral holes to hold the customer’s parts in place, plus a transfer dolly with an oven-to-dolly latch to hold the trays for loading onto the supported shelves in the four oven chambers.
Controls onboard No. 1011 include a digital indicating temperature controller, manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors and a recirculating blower airflow safety switch.
For more information, please contact:
THE GRIEVE CORPORATION
500 Hart Road
Round Lake, IL 60073-2898
Phone: (847) 546-8225
Fax: (847) 546-9210
Web: www.grievecorp.com
Email: sales@grievecorp.com
Attention: Frank Calabrese, VP
Service, support and training seal the deal for Janco Industries and Han Kwang. View the case study here.
For additional product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.
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. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/industry.
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. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/drivetechnologies.
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