Rotary Loading Automates Small-Batch

s
SHOP SOLUTIONS
Problem Solving on the Shop Floor
A Honing System Hits
Precision Gun Barrel Target
H
oning machine technology from Sunnen Co. (St. Louis)
has replaced hand lapping in the manufacture of preci-
sion rifle barrels for Pac-Nor Barreling Inc. (Brookings, OR) with
impressive results. In competitive shooting, for example, where
Read more, P42
Sunnen’s HTE hone has all but eliminated standard
pre-rifling lap for Pac-Nor’s precision rifle barrels.
Rotary Loading Automates
Small-Batch Production
A
utomation of small-batch production poses particular challenges in terms of work processes, logistics, and availabil-
ity. The Berger Group has reacted to the increasingly stringent
requirements of its markets by rolling out rotary loading.
Read more, P46
Liebherr’s pallet handling system RLS 800 is able to automate
up to two machines for efficient small-batch production.
Quick-Change System
Gains Multiple Economies
I
n most cases, the installation of a quick-change system for
holding turned parts creates savings by increasing produc-
tion. For Milwaukee-based Charter Wire LLC, there were other
unexpected savings.
Read more, P116
Representative example of Hainbuch centroteX system.
40
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July 2016
SHOP SOLUTIONS
winning scores may be separated by
thousandths of an inch, a few millionths
of an inch improvement in the uniformity of a Pac-Nor barrel may make a
big difference for a skilled shooter.
Manufacturing precision rifle barrels
has always been something of an art
that involves hand lapping of the bore
surface twice, before and after the rifling
profile is cut or swaged in by a rifling
button. In fact, a bright, hand-lapped
bore is considered one of the hallmarks
of a precision rifle barrel, despite the
inherent variations from manual work
done by people who get bored and tired
from the monotonous chore. More than
a year ago, Pac-Nor Barreling set its
sights on this issue and hit the X-ring
with the newly developed HTE honing
Barrel blanks are securely held in a three-jaw chuck with oil pumped into one end
while the tool works from the opposite end. Sunnen’s Long Bore Tool uses metalbond diamond or CBN superabrasives to quickly remove reamer marks, waviness,
tight spots, and other imperfections left by upstream processes.
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July 2016
Booth #W-2374
01/02/2016 16:49
machine from Sunnen Products Co. (St. Louis). The ma-
and an Eldorado CNC twin spindle. After reaming, the bar-
chine has all but eliminated Pac-Nor’s pre-rifling lap, which
rels are gaged for size. Depending on the condition of the
is the more difficult and time-consuming of the two laps.
reamer, 0.0004–0.0007" (0.010–0.018 mm) of material is
Pac-Nor is also producing as many custom barrels as ever,
left in the bore. This must be manually lapped out or honed
but with a slightly smaller staff. “Our
objective with the hone was to build
a better product with less labor, and
the honing machine has exceeded my
expectations,” said Pac-Nor Production
Manager Casey Dichter. “The hone produces a consistency in bore diameter
that is head and shoulders above lapping, within two to three millionths of an
inch end-to-end when it’s really dialed
in. This, in turn, improves the consistency of the rifling process by minimizing
variation in the depth of the grooves. We
still finish lap after rifling, but it’s easier
because we just polish off the fine crosshatch finish that may be left after honing
and rifling,” said Dichter.
Pac-Nor Barreling is a true custom
manufacturer catering to bolt-action
rifle shooters. The company’s principal markets are law enforcement,
military, competitive shooters and
hunters. Started in 1984 by avid
shooter and company President Chris
Dichter, Pac-Nor is now in its second
generation under his son, Casey.
In addition to barrel manufacturing,
the shop will rebarrel and install the
barrel on a customer’s action, or add
features such as muzzle brakes or
fluting on bolts and barrels. The shop
runs two shifts per day. A day shift of
10 people produces 30 to 40 custom
barrels of different calibers in 416R
stainless or chrome-moly steel. A
night shift of three people produces
one type of barrel—about 50 AR-15
barrels per day for a rifle OEM.
Pac-Nor’s process starts with cutting and facing premium bar stock,
followed by gun drilling, done by four
Pratt & Whitney twin-spindle machines
July 2016
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43
SHOP SOLUTIONS
out to final size for rifling. “Everyone who works here has
We tried to shorten this, but when chatter marks get ironed
done hand lapping. It’s an unpleasant job, particularly if the
into the surface by the rifling button, the finish lap is even
reamer is starting to get dull,” said Dichter. “Lapping may
longer and more difficult, so there is no advantage. With
take 10–45 minutes, depending on the caliber of the barrel.
lapping, too, there is potential for variation, simply because
it’s a manual process. Lapping can
also be a production limiter and in our
THE NEXT
GENERATION
HAS ARRIVED
region we have a very small labor force
to draw on when we want to grow.”
The company had explored honing in the '90s, but revisited the idea
when Sunnen introduced its HTE
honing machine in 2014. The HTE is
a horizontal machine that can hone
small-bore rifle barrels with a diameter range of 0.150–0.790" (4–20
mm), and lengths up to 60" (1524
mm). Designed specifically for long
SMARTER WORKHOLDING
small bores, the machine features
an extremely sensitive drive and tool
feed system that provides maximum
protection against tool overload/
breakage. Tool specific force limits
Sealed, clamped, and ready to turn—the
next generation of quick jaw change
chucks has arrived. The KNCS-2G, offers
the same superior flexibility, minimal
set up times, and high repeatability as
the original KNCS-N, but with added
protection and efficiency, making it ideal
for mass production applications. And
with its optimized lubrication system, the
KNCS-2G will save you time and money in
repairs and upkeep.
and run settings are stored in the
touch-screen PC control, allowing the
system to sense tight sections in the
bore and correct them automatically.
Sunnen also developed a new
Long-Bore Tool (LBT) designed to
take on industry’s most difficult honing challenges in small bores of .17
caliber rifle barrels. The tool quickly
removes reamer marks, waviness,
tight spots and other imperfections
left by upstream processes. The LBT
utilizes metal-bond diamond or CBN
At SMW Autoblok, we have dozens of ways for you to hold workpieces
better, stronger and smarter. Call or visit our website to learn more.
superabrasives for high productivity,
long life, and fast cycle times. Precision-machined of through-hardened
tool steel, the LBT can produce bore
accuracies of 0.000027" (0.0007 mm)
Booth #W-1400
for diameter, roundness, and taper—
from first part to last.
Honing is an ideal replacement
www.SMWautoblok.com
847.215.0591
for hand lapping barrel blanks before rifling. It quickly removes reamer
scratches and surface waviness
44
AdvancedManufacturing.org
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July 2016
without labor-intensive hand lapping. A typical 600-grit
carbide rifling buttons and can provide different rifling styles,
abrasive can produce a 6–10 µin. Ra (0.15–0.25 µm) finish
including polygonal, per the customer’s choice. A button is
in a reamed barrel blank. By producing a consistent bore di-
attached to a rod and the rod is pulled through the barrel. The
ameter of ±0.0001" (0.003 mm or less), parallelism, round-
company’s hydraulic rifling machine utilizes a CNC machined
ness, and surface finish end-to-end,
honing yields more consistent performance from rifling buttons and cutters,
resulting in a constant groove depth.
The ideal bore geometry reduces distortion of the bullet shape for improved
gyroscopic stability in flight.
It’s all about Precision,
Productivity, and Profit.
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from one company. Visit us at
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Maverick McCourt prepares to install a
rifle barrel on a receiver using Pac-Nor’s
barrel press.
“We are currently honing about 80%
of what we make and will do more as
we acquire the tools in different calibers,” said Dichter. “We have learned
the quality of our reaming now does not
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Equipped with a six position
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by
need to be as critical because we have
the hone. Although there is a tradeoff in
cycle time and abrasive cost for additional honing, we are still able to run our
reamers two to three times longer than
when we lapped alone. With a hand lap,
the time and effort increase when the
reamer is getting dull.”
After honing, the barrel is inspected
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again before rifling with a pull-button.
Pac-Nor makes its own Accu-Twist
ME-Is half-HSL 3 Lines IMTS 2016.indd 1
July 2016
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5/26/2016 11:25:09 AM
AdvancedManufacturing.org
SHOP SOLUTIONS
twist bar with a helix angle that matches the twist rate request-
followed by contouring of the outer shape and final, finish
ed by the customer. The final twist rate is confirmed afterward
lapping of the bore. “During the finish lap, you can really tell
using a Barrel-Scan electro-optical twist measurement system.
the difference between a bore that was honed before rifling
The barrel is then stress-relieved in a tempering furnace,
and one that was lapped,” said Dichter. “You can easily
sense any remaining tight or loose
spots in the bore. The diameter uniformity and roundness of the honed bore
are superb. The lap also feels different
Is A Crippa Tube Bender Right For You?
Ask The Man Who Bought
One Two Four Six Of Them
in a honed bore.”
For more information from Sunnen
Products Co., go to www.sunnen.com,
or phone 314-781-2100.
Continued from P40
Rotary Loading
Automates
Small-Batch
Production
Brent Taylor is Vice President of the Metal Divisions
of Jay Industries, a Midwest based metals and plastics
manufacturer. He purchased his first Crippa machine
in 1999 and has been a steady customer ever since.
Today Jay Industries has a Crippa
532, 542, 976 and 980 at their
Mansfield, Ohio plant and a 532
and 980 at Gadsden, Alabama.
A
utomation of small-batch production poses particular challenges
in terms of work processes, logistics,
and availability. The Berger Group has
reacted to the increasingly stringent requirements of its markets by rolling out
Liebherr’s Rotary Loading System (RLS)
at its plant in Wertach, Germany. This
now enables the contract manufacturer
Here’s why.
“The machines are very reliable in terms
of uptime and capability and the service
support is outstanding. Our service tech
is extremely competent and he’s been an
excellent resource for helping us improve
our performance.
“Basically, you cannot go wrong with a
Crippa. Crippa’s technology, build-quality,
capability and service all add up to
excellent value and peace of mind.”
to meet customer needs more flexibly,
Crippa has been the world’s leading
innovator in tube processing technology
for more than 65 years. Brent Taylor
knows why and so should you.
quickly, and cost-effectively.
Give us a call and let us show you why
a Crippa tube bender is the right choice
for your next machine.
manufacturer of precision lathed and
Air Conditioning
the Berger Group is the world’s largest
milled components. It is a full-service
contract manufacturer with global operations and state-of-the-art machinery
assets with more than 800 machines/
CRIPPA USA LLC
65 N. River Lane, Suite 209, Geneva, IL 60134
Ph: 630.659.7720 web: www.crippa.us
Aerospace
Established in 1955 by Alois Berger,
Automotive
Furniture
Heating
Ventilation
installations and more than 2400 employees at 10 plants in five countries.
The times, however, are changing.
“The markets have become fasterpaced,” said Helmut Berger, who has
been factory manager at the company.
46
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July 2016
SHOP SOLUTIONS
“That’s why we have to keep adapting
solution could provide. The company
more and more quickly to changing
decided to choose Liebherr’s Rotary
market circumstances. The concept
Loading System (RLS) to meet its small-
applied in the past served its purpose
batch and single-item production needs.
but there was still a need to optimize.
Featuring up to 24 storage bays,
The issue of a suitable automation
the system has an outstanding high
solution had to be raised,” said Berger.
storage density while requiring mini-
A key reason for this: the compo-
mal floor space. Plus, the design of
nents to be manufactured—complex
the storage module allows another
components for innovative hydraulic
machining center to be integrated into
power units—feature different bore
the system. That ensures the required
and threading finishes and are there-
degree of flexibility that may arise in
fore available in a wide range of differ-
the future. Given its modular design,
ent versions. Even the manufacturing
this automation can be matched to
process itself is challenging.
current production needs in no time at
Staff at Berger’s plant, which manufactures components predominantly for
mechanical engineering firms, spotted
the potential which a suitable automation
48
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On Liebherr’s Rotary Loading Systems, the
integrated setup space is located right next
to the operator’s side of the machine for easy
access and monitoring.
July 2016
all. The two available sizes, RLS 800 /
RLS 1500, cover a wide range of applications. Berger specifically operates
an RLS 800.
“Our focus was on reducing expensive setup times. We
needed to significantly extend our machine-side tool storage capability,” said Philipp Schneider, head of department
at this branch of the group. Thus, the tool storage was
upgraded from 80 to a total of 320 spaces and the modular,
flexible-configuration rack columns were designed to enable
even customer-specific requests to be promptly met.
The equipment featured an all-purpose design to provide as much flexibility as possible. During the period when
the RLS was integrated into the existing solution, Liebherr
worked closely with machining center builder Heckert.
Together the two companies sorted out the interface issues
between both systems.
Another important point is that operators like working on
the RLS. The integrated setup space is located right next to
the operator’s side of the machine. The system’s special design enables users to access the automation unit easily. The
surrounding window panels in combination with the well-laidout user interface provide an overview of what’s happening in
and around the RLS.
Through the intuitive-to-use cell controller software and
the graphic user interface, the required functions can be
conveniently activated via “drag and drop.” The software,
like the entire system, features a modular design. A range
of different add-on packages can be hitched onto the basic
package to enhance functionality so Liebherr can adapt
new applications to deliver process reliability without having
to modify the existing computer system.
The switch to the RLS for small-batch production is paying dividends for Berger, particularly in terms of efficiency,
customer focus, and delivery capability. Given its newly
acquired flexibility, the company is able to react immediately
even to really short-notice changes in demand. Customers
are supplied on time with exactly the models in the quantities
they require and are therefore capable of reacting faster in
changing market situations.
The RLS has also reduced the manufacturing cost impact
of setup times significantly and enables more productive
use of machining center time cutting parts. The RLS allows
operators to set up jobs in parallel with machining time. So
the machine tool is not waiting on the next job, thus ensuring
that setup costs are not absorbed in machine hour rates.
This RLS concept optimizes spindle utilization and maximizes production output. Even an unmanned third shift would
be feasible. Another effect of this changed production philosoContinued on P116
July 2016
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49
SHOP SOLUTIONS
For more information from Liebherr Automation Systems,
Continued from P49
phy was that Berger was able to reduce its inventory. Regard-
go to www.liebherr-us.com, or phone 734-429-7225.
ing return on investment (ROI) the RLS acquisition is likely to
have paid for itself within a comparatively short period.
Continued from P40
Quick-Change
System Gains
Multiple
Economies
I
n most cases, the installation of
a quick-change system for hold-
ing turned parts creates savings by
increasing production. For Charter Wire
LLC, a Milwaukee-based supplier of
precision cold finish bar, cold-rolled
steel, custom profiles, and shaped wire,
there were other unexpected savings.
Founded in 1936, Charter Wire supplies precision wire products to manufacturers around the world. An early
pioneer in cold-rolling technology, Charter Wire and its sister division, Charter
Steel, employ the latest in technological
innovations throughout their manufacturing processes. As a result, Charter
can furnish customers with products
engineered with tailored mechanical
properties, as well as custom shapes
with tolerances up to 0.002” (0.05 mm).
“Because we produce literally
thousands of custom shapes, we create our own tooling dies for our rolling
Cut the materials of today.
Shape the products of tomorrow.
mills,” said Cory Rockteschel, senior
ALL WITH WATERJET.
hardened to >50 Rc.”
project engineer. “There can be some
variation in the steels and shapes we
use, and we typically use tool steels
When Charter Wire recently ordered
a new Mazak QTS 350M through
Machinery Systems Inc. (MSI; Brookfield, WI), Rockteschel inquired about
FlowWaterjet.com
1.800.446.FLOW
fitting the machine with a quick-change
system. John Schlevensky, MSI sales
116
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July 2016
SHOP SOLUTIONS
engineer said: “In reviewing Charter Wire LLC’s application,
Wire application required both high-precision OD turning and
I immediately thought about the Hainbuch centroteX system
ID turning. centroteX was the ideal choice given the part sizes
and contacted Tom Buraczewski, midwest regional sales man-
we were working with, which are primarily 4–10" [101.6–254
agerGeneral
at Hainbuch
Buraczewski
“The
Charter
Grinder
IslandAmerica.”
Ad M.E. 7-16_Layout
1 said:
6/5/16
12:24
AM Page 1mm] in diameter, and the need for precision.”
Although traditionally known for its line
of chucks and workholding equipment
Feature Machines of the Month
The Industry Leader of
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designed to enable the fast change of
collets, jaws, and other retaining devices,
Hainbuch’s centroteX system extends the
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facilitating the fast and easy changeover
of a selection of chucks of various sizes.
The interchange is made possible by
a precision-machined adaptor/flange
plate equipped with rapid-action screws
and a bayonet coupling. This accommodates a variety of chucks and holding
devices that are easily connected and
locked by six simple fasteners. Typical
changeover time ranges from 10 seconds to 15 minutes, and the clamping
device ensures precision in the 6-µm
Model CSG3A818
shown with optional dresser and coolant/dust system
range each time a chuck is mounted.
Model CSG1640ASDlll shown with optional paper/coolant system
For large and heavy clamping
A New Generation of Automatic Surface Grinders, The Precision
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chuck, gradations on the device assist
in alignment of the horizontal axis, and
nonthreaded, quick-action bolts secure
the device for loading or removal.
Chucks are stored in a specially
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clean when not in use. The Charter
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one three-jaw chuck that was provided
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Call 800-323-0972 or visit
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Celebrating A Century in the Machine Tool Business
118
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July 2016
that Hainbuch supplied equipped with
an expanding mandrel for ID work.
John Schlevensky said: “We worked
with Hainbuch to ensure that their
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Charter Wire custom cold-rolled steel shapes.
system and the Mazak lathe achieved maximum compatibil-
existing chucks that will be repurposed. This will not only
ity, and there were absolutely no difficulties.” The results were
save them money but will ensure continuity with their cur-
dramatic. According to Cory Rockteschel, “We have been
rent process—a further savings in engineering time. It’s a
able to save about 15 minutes per part. Formerly, we were
win-win situation all around.”
producing 600 parts per month, and we are now generating
Mike Cekanor, CEO at Machinery Systems Inc., said:
in excess of 1200 by replacing the old CNC machine with the
“With the Hainbuch centroteX system with the latest in
Mazak CNC Lathe/Hainbuch centroteX system. As a result,
Mazak technology, we’ve been able to achieve a dramatic
we plan to add two more Hainbuch systems on existing CNC
improvement for Cory and the people at Charter Wire LLC.
lathes in the near future.”
And that’s what it’s all about.”
Tom Buraczewski pointed out another economy inherent in the new installations: “The new systems will use two
For more information from Hainbuch America Corp., go to
www.hainbuchamerica.com, or phone 414-358-9550.
July 2016
|
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119