March 15, 2016
Complex parts created by our new machinery
We have recently supplied a number of interesting and impressive looking parts. From our MX turn / mill centre we are currently machining some 75mm diameter Peek billets complete in one hit. Peek is a high value, thermo plastic. This Peek component would have required seven operations through conventional machining but we have been able to produce it in one cycle. The five axis milling head attached to the twin spindle lathe with a driven tool turret, allows for increased flexibility which enables it to produce such complex parts in one cycle.
This increased flexibility can also be seen in the small stainless steel part. Made from 1.75 inch diameter stainless steel 316, it is also made in one cycle. This removes any fixturing and loading issues for subsequent operations, which improves cycle times and reduces errors. The stainless steel part was picked off on the second spindle using wrap around jaws. This allows us to machine a pocket within the jaws the same shape as the part, to create a nest for the part to be gripped in, when it is parted off and machined in the sub-spindle.
Lastly, this aluminium component was a low volume part for a motorsport customer. Due to the lower volume, this was machined by milling a spigot onto a rectangular blank. This then allowed us to hold it in a lathe, where we could then turn the bore to the 0.008mm tolerance and turn angle for the webs. This was then passed over to our CNC milling section where we could finish the parts using 3D machining.
