A new potential for turning centres

Source：Sandvik Coromant Release Date：2012-08-06 499

Metalworking

Turning centres, although advanced, capable machinery, have remained in a time trap, with stoppages taking far longer than is necessary. Machining centres did away early, in the 1960s, with the time-consuming task of manual tool-changing. Automatic tool-changers and tool magazines took over completely and today it is taken for granted that tool-changing time in these machines is measured in seconds.

Many of today`s multi-task machines also have quick, automatic tool changing and magazines. But what happened to tool changing in turning centres?

Tool-changing time

In all machines, tool changing is down-time - with no production taking place. Consequently, tool-changing time directly affects how well the machine is utilized. Reducing tool-changing time can still be an untapped potential for being more competitive and for achieving a better payback on machine investment. This is no better illustrated than in turning centres where, if the time for today`s manual tool changing in turrets can be reduced, more time will be spent actually cutting metal. And with most modern turning centres having turret facilities for driven rotating tools, tool-changing time is even more of a productivity issue.

Changing cutting tools quickly is beneficial to any area of machining but is especially so when the hourly machine cost is high. Minutes gained per stoppage, or stoppages even eliminated, are hours and days per year of added output.

In the manufacturing area of low volumes with high technology involving turning-centre machining, hourly-rates are usually the highest. This is typical in making parts for aerospace and energy industries and here machines are often of the high-end type. With frequent changing of several different tool-types, necessary to make a lot of varying cuts on more complex parts, tool changing time is a very real productivity potential.

The high-volume with high technology area, production is very sensitive to any machine stoppages. Through-put disruptions have a high penalty, such as is typical in making parts for automotive and hydraulic component industries. Here, tool changing needs to be fool-proof, quick and well-organized with less involvement in the process from operators.

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