Hartwig, Inc. met this challenge with a standard two axis Okuma lathe. In addition, we used a very special I.D. mandrel system, a steadyrest bracket mounted onto a machining center style sub-plate. The mandrel, steadyrest, and sub-plate all came from Hartwig's very own design and engineering team.

The special mandrel reached into the cylinder deeper than the tooling. Special tool holders, designed by your Hartwig, Inc. team, allowed the internal machining tools to “wrap around” the end of the cylinder. The holders were ported to direct coolant towards the cutting edges.

We located the special steadyrest onto the subplate with shoulder screws and socket head cap screws. To relocate the steadyrest was a simple matter or loosening and moving the screws to different holes. One SMW steady rest covered the entire range of parts.

The results were exactly what were needed. Standard boring bars in standard holes machined the end of the cylinders in the conventional manor. Boring bores in the special holders machined the opposite end. Successful? You Bet! The customer bought another system identical to the first.

Many times a workpiece requires several index positions to complete the machining. Additionally, sometimes a workpiece need to be rotated around two different axes. This kind of processing requires a rotary/tilt table. In the past, expensive interfacing between the control and the table was required. If no contouring is required, new interfacing for rotary tables can reduce these costs.

When combining rotary tables to achieve rotary/tilt capability two controllers are used. Simple “M” code commands are used to initiate movement of either table at the appropriate time in the machining program. This is the least expensive interface but still provides adequate control of the table in most cases.

A more recent style of interface uses serial ports (RS-232) on the machine and the rotary table’s control. The machining program sends the angular position to the controller and when the appropriate “M” code is given the rotary axis moves. When a rotary/tilt combination is required a second serial port is required.

In either case the interfacing can be considerably less expensive than a full 4th and 5th axis interface, and if no contouring in the rotary axis is required, this is a very cost-effective method. If you have any questions, please contact a Hartwig, Inc. Applications Engineer to investigate your specific application.

Success generally comes from perseverance, overcoming formidable obstacles. Imagine the task of machining long, thin shafts and having a cut-off operation without the benefit of a sub-spindle?

That is exactly what Hartwig, Inc. Applications Department had to do for a Kansas City customer. Undaunted, Hartwig Applications designed a parts catcher that actually gripped the workpiece during the cut-off operation. This prevented the workpiece from being tossed against the sheet metal inside the machine.

The parts catcher has a single air cylinder and an advance/retract mechanism that extends the catcher and then encloses the workpiece with a low friction, replaceable pad. The mechanism can then retract and drop the workpiece into a large bin, onto an output conveyor, or hold it for an operator.

This engineering feat allowed the customer to purchase just one machine, eliminating the need of a sub-spindle, otherwise required, for a small percentage of parts.