Production Machining - Your access to the precision machining industrial buyer.
Issue link: https://pm.epubxp.com/i/144459
Standardized Communication minute. Tese pumps require 80 diferent lengths of pump shafts that must be machined to precise tolerances. Te shafts are made from 48-inch long, hexagonal, stainless steel bars. Before the customer added an LNS automatic bar feeder equipped with e-Connect, the machine operator needed to pull the barstock into position for each new part. Tis added labor costs to the part. It also provided an opportunity for operator error, such as a shaft cut to the wrong length. Additionally, when the operator failed to remove a fnished part, the machine would crash, damaging parts, tools and fxtures. Te e-Connect system eliminated these problems. Te data transfer function enables the bar feeder to continuously tell the machine tool how much barstock is available for machining. Meanwhile, the bar feeder automatically detects the part program currently in use by the lathe and loads the correct setup data for that part from the parts library with no operator intervention. According to the company's production manager, adding :: The PowerStream VP enables manufacturers to program precise coolant pressure in 1-PSI increments from 100 to 2,000 PSI through all stages of a machining cycle. the e-Connect system and bar loader saves 15-30 minutes setup time and prevents what were weekly turret crashes that added 4 to 8 hours of downtime. Material savings are also signifcant, and because it can now make the pump shafts as needed for each day's production, the company no longer has to maintain a large inventory of the various sized shafts, which reduces work-in-process costs. In another application, e-Connect is used with a seven-axis, twin spindle CNC machining center, an LNS automatic bar feeder and a vacuum unloader to produce a family of precision stainless steel cylindrical parts for fexographic press maker, Nilpeter USA Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio). Each of the eight parts must be machined to fnal diameter tolerances of ±0.00005 inch, and each has slightly diferent diameter dimensions, ranging from 2.2621 inches through 2.2618 inches. Prior to installation of this machining cell, each part required 4.5 labor hours to produce. Now each part is completed in 30 minutes, and, thanks to the versatility of the data transfer and parts library functions, the cell processes more than 40 parts while optimizing barstock usage and reducing waste. In addition, the company can set up the part production schedule and monitor the entire cell remotely. Designated PCs receive alerts when problems arise. Taking it Further A recent addition to the LNS product line is the PowerStream VP (Variable Pressure) high pressure coolant delivery system, which also uses e-Connect to solve a number of problems inherent in high pressure coolant machines. PowerStream VP enables users to program as many as eight high pressure outlets. Any one of these outlets can then deliver as much as 2,000 psi of fltered coolant as needed. Users can set the precise amount of coolant pressure in increments of 1 psi within a 100 to 2,000 psi range, to be delivered automatically for each stage of a machining process in the part program. Tey can also make pressure changes on the fy during a production cycle. While the high pressure system has a self-contained, user-friendly control system for programming and monitoring activities, conversations with machine tool customers led to the development of an e-Connect interface that enables users to program and monitor the delivery of high pressure coolant through the CNC machine controller. Te interface also provides flter change alerts and the ability to troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Typically, these data are only available on a high pressure unit's on-board display, and since these units are usually buried behind the machine tool, they are productionmachining.com :: 43