XYZ Tools Used To Machine Aircraft Steel Forging
Frome Tool and Gauge, which supplies parts to aerospace and automotive customers, has invested in equipment from XYZ Machine Tools for the machining of a large S99 high-carbon aircraft steel forging. The 21.5 per cent nickel-chromium-molybdenum steel forging weighed in at 820kg prior to machining on an XYZ Proturn SLX 555 CNC/manual gap-bed lathe, although the finished component, which has a 650mm maximum OD and is more than 1m long, weighs just 355kg.
The 11kW/30-1,800rev/min XYZ Proturn SLX 555 is a 1.75m between-centres-distance CNC/manual lathe (1m and 3m between-centres models are available) that has an 800mm swing in the 153mm gap to accommodate larger workpieces. It features constant surface speed as standard and is equipped with the latest-generation Prototrak control. In the past, any component with a large radius would probably have been machined on a hydraulic copy lathe, requiring a template to be made.
'This would be much more time-consuming than simply entering the co-ordinates into the Prototrak control and with CNC you can, of course, fully check the profile before actually machining it,' said Tony Hazel, manufacturing director. Developed by South Western Industries in California, the Prototrak CNC system has most recently benefited from advances in microchip technology and the introduction of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. The use of plain English prompts when programming is useful, particularly when machining small batches or one-off components. The operator can also check for possible collision points or other programming errors without the risk of damaging tooling, fixturing and the workpiece or the machine tool itself.
Michael West, Frome Tool and Gauge's managing director, said: 'It is the combination of being easy to set up and the efficiency with which the machines function that has convinced me that XYZ has a range of milling and turning machines ideally suited to our type of work. 'This often involves building a single item of precision equipment that is being made for the first time, which demands an enormous amount of skilled input and the ability to solve difficult problems. 'Right first time is a fairly recent objective in volume production, whereas we have always had to get it right first time as there are no second chances,' he added.
In addition to its investment in CNC machining, Frome Tool and Gauge, an ISO 9001-accredited company, has a design facility that caters for everything from full-scale design work to component modifications. 'The fact that our XYZ turning and milling machines are so easy to use allows programming to be done on the machine rather than offline and, while the one-off nature of the majority of our work means we still use purely manual machines for some processes such as finish grinding, machining operations such as screw-cutting are very much easier, and faster, on a combination CNC machine,' said Hazel.
The 11kW/30-1,800rev/min XYZ Proturn SLX 555 is a 1.75m between-centres-distance CNC/manual lathe (1m and 3m between-centres models are available) that has an 800mm swing in the 153mm gap to accommodate larger workpieces. It features constant surface speed as standard and is equipped with the latest-generation Prototrak control. In the past, any component with a large radius would probably have been machined on a hydraulic copy lathe, requiring a template to be made.
'This would be much more time-consuming than simply entering the co-ordinates into the Prototrak control and with CNC you can, of course, fully check the profile before actually machining it,' said Tony Hazel, manufacturing director. Developed by South Western Industries in California, the Prototrak CNC system has most recently benefited from advances in microchip technology and the introduction of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. The use of plain English prompts when programming is useful, particularly when machining small batches or one-off components. The operator can also check for possible collision points or other programming errors without the risk of damaging tooling, fixturing and the workpiece or the machine tool itself.
Michael West, Frome Tool and Gauge's managing director, said: 'It is the combination of being easy to set up and the efficiency with which the machines function that has convinced me that XYZ has a range of milling and turning machines ideally suited to our type of work. 'This often involves building a single item of precision equipment that is being made for the first time, which demands an enormous amount of skilled input and the ability to solve difficult problems. 'Right first time is a fairly recent objective in volume production, whereas we have always had to get it right first time as there are no second chances,' he added.
In addition to its investment in CNC machining, Frome Tool and Gauge, an ISO 9001-accredited company, has a design facility that caters for everything from full-scale design work to component modifications. 'The fact that our XYZ turning and milling machines are so easy to use allows programming to be done on the machine rather than offline and, while the one-off nature of the majority of our work means we still use purely manual machines for some processes such as finish grinding, machining operations such as screw-cutting are very much easier, and faster, on a combination CNC machine,' said Hazel.
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