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Air Bearing Production Given A Lift: Case Study

Air Bearings

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33 views2 pages

Air Bearing Production Given A Lift: Case Study

Air Bearings

Uploaded by

KIRUBHAKARAN
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Case study

Air bearing production given a lift

Customer: Challenge: Solution:


Air Bearings Ltd Reduce costs and set-up times, Simplified tool setting
and increase quality when and workpiece set-up
Industry: manufacturing batches of multiple using Renishaw’s TS27R
Precision manufacturing precision components. tool setter and OMP40
touch‑trigger probe.

The rise in the popularity of air bearing spindles for new systems as a means of improving productivity. The adoption
applications owes much to the ability of modern machine tools of the Renishaw probing systems has greatly simplified set-
to provide extremely tight dimensional tolerances and fine ups in two important respects: tool setting and workpiece
surface finishes. Achieving such results, however, can involve checking.
lengthy set-up times; especially where batch production must
be combined with frequent tool changes. Air Bearings Ltd Cost reduction with quality
(ABL) of Poole, Dorset, a highly successful manufacturer in
this expanding field, has tackled this by fitting Renishaw tool
improvement
setting systems and spindle-mounted touch probes. Not only John Read, ABL’s workshop supervisor, says: “We recently
has this reduced costs, but also sustained ABL’s drive for introduced various Renishaw probing systems on a number
quality improvements. of our machine tools as part of a cost reduction exercise
aimed at reducing set-up times. We found that they could also
Wide range enable us to introduce multi-load fixtures, instead of using
single loading, because they can create and store datum
With a basic product range extending from large, ‘slow-speed’ positions on several components. By probing each component
spindles and powerful motorised units (1 kW and 80,000 rpm) on such multi-load fixtures, our policy of continuous quality
up to small ultra high-speed (250,000 rpm) spindles, improvement has been maintained.”
manufacturing flexibility is clearly important. Components to
be machined, the majority of which are cylindrical in form,
vary in size from as little as 5 mm diameter up to 85 mm
Small as well as large batch
diameter and from 3 mm to 235 mm in length. They come in production
a variety of materials, including aluminium, stainless steel and
Renishaw’s OMP40 spindle probe and the TS27R tool setting
bronze.
system are installed on each of four of ABL’s Fanuc Robodrills.
Two of ABL’s machine tool suppliers, Fanuc and Haas, They are also used on a Haas VF1 vertical machining centre,
independently recommended the use of Renishaw probing a machine with four-axis capability that handles a high volume
Machined spindles - tight tolerances and good surface finish is Machining centres, equipped with job set-up probes can now run
paramount batches of multiple components

of work with a minimum number of operations. OMP40 Speeds up to 300,000 rpm


probes are also used on two of ABL’s Olympic Seiki vertical
twin‑pallet machines, together with Renishaw TS32S tool Says ABL’s managing director, Mr Kelly Henocq: “Currently,
setting systems. many of our completed spindle assemblies are destined for
installation into special-purpose machines designed to drill
The TS27R is a highly flexible, cost effective tool-setting probe printed circuit boards. These ‘state-of-the-art’ production units
for vertical applications. Its compact and robust design allows require the spindles to operate at speeds as high as 300,000
simple fitting to the machine bed and can be used to set tool rpm, as well as demanding extremely high dimensional
lengths in Z and rotating tools in X and Y, for radius offsets. accuracy (with drill run-out to less than 5 microns) throughout
The Renishaw TS32S, with infrared transmission of the probe the entire speed range”.
signal, is used on the Olympic Seiki verticals because these
machines utilise twin pallet load/unload systems which would Well equipped for the future
not allow hard-wired systems. The OMP40 spindle‑mounted
ABL is delighted with the dramatic timesaving on job setting
probes have proved to be perfectly suited to the small
that has been achieved, along with the added benefits of
machines. They are primarily used running on a batch
increased quality on batches of multiple components. ABL’s
production basis for component referencing and inspection
machining operation puts the company in a more competitive
tasks.
position and it feels well equipped for future developments.
Higher productivity
Founded in 1993, ABL rapidly established itself as a quality
supplier of ‘competitively priced air bearing spindles that
offer a superior performance’. These are sold for use within
a variety of specialist applications and the company has won
three prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

For more information, visit www.renishaw.com/airbearings

Renishaw plc T +44 (0) 1453 524524


F +44 (0) 1453 524901
New Mills, Wotton-under-Edge
E [email protected]
Gloucestershire, GL12 8JR
United Kingdom www.renishaw.com

For worldwide contact details, visit www.renishaw.com/contact

RENISHAW HAS MADE CONSIDERABLE EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE CONTENT OF THIS DOCUMENT IS CORRECT AT THE DATE OF

*H-5650-3003-01*
PUBLICATION BUT MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE CONTENT. RENISHAW EXCLUDES LIABILITY,
HOWSOEVER ARISING, FOR ANY INACCURACIES IN THIS DOCUMENT.

© 2017 Renishaw plc. All rights reserved.


Renishaw reserves the right to change specifications without notice.
RENISHAW and the probe symbol used in the RENISHAW logo are registered trade marks of Renishaw plc in the United Kingdom and other countries.
apply innovation and names and designations of other Renishaw products and technologies are trade marks of Renishaw plc or its subsidiaries. Part no.: H-5650-3003-01-B
All other brand names and product names used in this document are trade names, trade marks or registered trade marks of their respective owners. Issued: 02.2017

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