Courtesy: EROWA South East Asia-Singapore
Clamping Solutions
complex and multiple cavities with the strictest of manufacturing tolerances take the challenge a step further. This implies that there is a need for a workholding system, which is more than just a mere holding device like a basic vice, or which plays an important role in the precision referencing of a work piece with reference to machine axes. Repeatability of the order of lesser than a couple of microns, as offered by leading workholding system producers, paves the way for ensuring this accurate referencing. This is because the work travels from machine tool to machine tool and from one process to another without incurring the expensive and unproductive resetting times.
Trends witnessed The machining field – applied to mould & die as well as precision parts manufacturing – is undergoing rapid changes with regard to the practicalities of the process. More dependence on
computer software sweeps in, in every nook and corner of the manufacturing process right from CAD design, parts and fixtures, 3D models, CNC programmes for cutting paths (CAM), in-process critical measurement checks, quality inspections on CMMs, links to ERP systems and so on and so forth. Each and every stage needs numerical referencing for alignment of the ‘soft’ programme to the actual ‘hard’ physical part. A workholding system offers the solution to either walk through or babysit the work precisely. This shows promise to the advanced ‘machine shops of the future’. Zero-point tooling systems are setting the standard for the part machining industry. Wastage of setup time in dialing on machine and mallet knocking is fast becoming a primitive technique. Workholding tooling systems are applicable to all production machining processes such as milling, turning, EDM die sinking, wire cut EDM, grinding and so on and so forth.
Automation and robotics The moment we think of ‘machine shops of the future’, within the blink of an eye flashes the visual of a robot working in place of a man carrying out the tedious tasks that go on in a tool room. Automation is certainly a trend that is catching up, not only in the advanced western world where it is fairly established today, but also in third-world developing countries, apart from big names like India and China, where plenty of manpower is available. Automation, in this context, does not merely restrict itself to being defined as a robot performing a physical task like holding, lifting, placing and moving a work piece in place of a man. Instead, in modern day machining, it refers to ‘automation’ of the entire process, including the ‘soft’ steps as computer data transfer, which arrives at the right place, at the right process and at the right time. The intelligence of this automation uses RFID or similar chips on each and every work piece to capture its identity and whereabouts throughout
Benefits of Using A u t o m a t i o n
R o b o t s
Less dependence on specialist and manpower, which is both hard to find and retain
Less recurring costs as salaries Less scrap due to human error High productivity and lesser machine hour rates to stay competitive in the market.
the entire manufacturing process. This enables online tracking of the multi-machine process for constant consistent control. A good, reliable and precise workholding system lays the necessary foundation or platform for the launch of automation of the machining process. The machining process, basically being a machine-driven task, offers the right situation for an automatable process to remove the infrequent manual interventions, which call for stoppage or downtime or unproductive idle time of the machine.
Future outlook Workholding on machine tools of modern age has undergone a paradigm shift from the conventional work clamping methodology. It will see more of a system-based approach rather than a system merely based on discreet components or devices. As the machine tool industry undergoes technological advancements, workholding will have to follow suit. The rapid and infinite possibilities being ushered in by IT in this globalised world will retain the pace of demands thrust on manufacturing. This promises a future that holds in store a positive outlook for the machining industry. It promises a future where there is light, though somewhere near to the end of the tunnel. Nandkumar Deshpande, GM, EROWA, South East Asia Singapore. He is also responsible for the Indian market. E-mail: nandkumar@erowa.com
December 2011 - MODERN MACHINE TOOLS 141