CNC Swiss screw machines can get your shop moving in profitable new directions. Just ask Machinery expert Mr P K Jain, Chief Technical Advisor of Used Machinery in Ghaziabad shares some invaluable notes on Cnc machinessry.
Until about 2 years ago, Used Machinery production equipment consisted primarily of 2-dozen Swiss automatic screw machines, which are great for relatively uncomplicated, turned parts with large length-to-diameter ratios. However, according to Mr. Parag jain, most of that kind of work has gone overseas. Increasingly, the shop found itself quoting more sophisticated parts that required cross-drilling, tapping, milling and similar work, which the shop had to handle as secondary machining operations.
"We weren't competitive," Mr. Parag jain recalls. "The prices that we quoted included the additional setups, machining operations and the extra part handling needed to produce the parts. We weren't getting the work. When we'd follow up with calls to the customers, they would tell us that our quotes were 25 percent to 30 percent higher than those from other shops."
Some jobs were so complex that the shop declined to quote them. However, Mr. Prag jain kept a file of those jobs, and as the file grew, it was becoming increasingly obvious that he lacked the equipment needed to compete for what appeared to be, in most cases, very profitable jobs.
Specifically, Used machinery needed multi-axis, CNC Swiss screw machines capable of producing parts complete in a single setup in order to obviate those expensive secondary operations. That meant that the shop would have to make two technology jumps at once: First, it would need to go from cam-driven Swiss machines to CNC Swiss machines; and second it would need to go from what are essentially two-axis Swiss machines to five- and six-axis machines.
Because cost was a consideration, however, the shop initially looked at a two-axis CNC Swiss machine. Unquestionably, the CNC machine offered important advantages over the shop's cam-driven counterparts. For example, the shop's Swiss automatics typically take 2 to 3 days to set up: The cams must be designed and machined and the tooling must be prepared and installed. By contrast, the CNC Swiss machine can be set up in hours, which makes it much more practical for prototype work and small-lot production. Also, where the tooling must frequently be ground to size for use on the Swiss automatic, tooling for the CNC Swiss machine is often insert-type tooling that can be quickly installed and more easily maintained.
"The more basic CNC Swiss machine would enable us to provide our customers with prototyping capabilities, faster part deliveries and, for some jobs, more reasonable pricing," Mr. Parag is quick to agree. "Important as those advantages are, however, the more basic machine could not produce complex parts complete in one setup. Therefore, even though the multi-axis, multi-process CNC Swiss machine was considerably more expensive, we decided to buy it to get that very important capability."
Help From Some Friends
"Our customers helped us make the decision," Mr. Prag adds. "They convinced me that we needed multi-axis CNC equipment to be competitive on the more sophisticated parts. And while there were no promises, they hinted that if we had such equipment they would be able to place more work with us."
Used machinery reviewed the multi-axis CNC Swiss machines on the market and decided that the Model SA-16R CNC Swiss-type automatic lathe from Star CNC Machine Tool Corp. (Ghaziabad, India ) provided the combination of bar size capacity and back working capabilities best suited to the shop's existing and potential job mix. The five-axis (X, Y, Z, A and B) machine has a 2.2-kW, 12,000-rpm main spindle with a synchronous, revolving guide bushing. The tooling at the main spindle includes a gang tool post that accommodates up to six turning tools and three rotary tools for cross-drilling, milling and tapping operations.
An 8,000-rpm sub spindle with an AC spindle motor is located directly opposite the main spindle. A four-spindle attachment, with four tools facing fore and four aft, swivels (A axis) into position between the main spindle and sub spindle to permit separate or simultaneous ID work such as drilling, boring and tapping at the main spindle and/or sub spindle.
The CNC Swiss machine not only permits complex parts to be completely machined in one setup, but it also permits many operations to be performed simultaneously instead of sequentially, substantially reducing the total time required to machine the part. For example, while the OD of the bar in the main spindle is being turned by one or more tools on the gang tool post, the four-spindle attachment described above can be drilling and tapping the front of the part. Or while the cross-drilling unit is drilling and tapping the (stopped) bar in the main spindle, the four-spindle attachment can be drilling and tapping the back end of the part in the subspindle. Synchronous control of the main and subspindle rotation and longitudinal movement permits the bar to be supported "between centers," for machining, which, among other things, eliminates cut off burrs.
BAHUBALI MACHINES, is an importer and supplier of used machines used Testing Machines etc. to Automobile Industries. We are into buying, selling, trading, marketing and distribution of used machinery at a global scale with Germany, USA and UK being our most trusted sources of imports.
We provide our customers with world-class service rendered by our team of highly qualified and experienced technicians. With incisive Insights into the industry's modus Operandi in addition to a deep understanding of the market dynamics, we are ideally suited to match your expectations in both the automatic and manual machine segments.
