Soul-Kozak has invested in Haas CNC machine tools to enable it to produce several different high-performance bicycle components.

Mariusz Kozak’s business in Lublin, Poland, develops a number of lightweight bicycle components, including a set of air-suspended downhill forks and a new design of bottom brackets (the cylindrical bearing to which the pedal cranks are attached).

Combining lightness and stiffness is essential for the competitive cyclist.

A racing mountain bike might already weigh as little as 9kg, so shedding excess ‘fat’ can be a very expensive undertaking.

Soul-Kozak makes the parts that weight-obsessed customers buy to replace heavier, stock components, such as wheel-hubs, gear cassettes, handlebar stems and seat clamps.

‘We aren’t competing with the big names in bike parts,’ said Kozak.

‘In fact, our components are up to twice as expensive as similar products from Shimano, the market-leading Japanese manufacturer,’ he added.

The company is making and selling a premium product for customers who want and are prepared to pay for something that saves a few more grams and offers a little bit more performance.

To make Soul-Kozak’s many different parts, Kozak has invested in two Haas CNC machine tools, which he bought from the local Haas Factory Outlet - a division of Abplanalp.

Michal Fodyma, the company’s only employee, operates the Haas TL-1 Toolroom lathe, while Kozak runs the Haas TM-1 Toolroom Mill.

‘These are the only two metal-cutting machines we own,’ said Kozak, ‘but we use them to make every component we currently offer.

‘We no longer have to subcontract components, which means we can be self-sufficient and a lot more efficient,’ he added.

The rear gear cassette is the most complex part the company makes.

It starts out on the Haas lathe where it’s cut to length and then face-turned, before it’s transferred to the Haas mill.

After each operation a cassette is checked for dimensional accuracy, which partly explains why it takes five hours to make a single unit.

‘The tolerances for this part are critical,’ said Kozak.

‘Any inaccuracies would be obvious immediately the component is mounted on the bike.

‘The gearshift has to be smooth and fast with no chance that the chain will slip or fall off the cogs,’ he added.

As with all the company’s parts, the final stages in the manufacturing process are anodising and engraving, both of which are also undertaken in house.

While Kozak manages the workshop, his wife is responsible for marketing, which includes maintaining the company’s website.

Soul-Kozak has distributors in several countries, but selling its products online is of key strategic importance.

E-commerce is direct, low cost and, perhaps most importantly, payment is banked when, or even before product is shipped.

With the Haas machines, Soul-Kozak is able respond immediately to an email request for an out-of-stock component.

Kozak can call-up the program and begin machining a part in minutes.

‘When we were looking for suitable CNC machine tools we prioritised reliability and precision,’ he said.

‘The Haas machines offered the best value and performance for the money.

‘There are plenty of machines out there that offer greater precision, but they are not affordable for a small business such as ours,’ he added.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/has/has165.html

An aerospace components manufacturer that produces spur, helical, and crown gears with complex profiles had a problem with declining productivity. Its Gleason 782 gear hobber was showing its age, becoming unreliable, especially in regard to its process controls.

Gleason Corp. specializes in gear-making machinery, or “hobbers.” Typically, these machines have two non-parallel shafts, one mounted with a blank workpiece and the other with a cutting tool that has teeth in a helical arrangement. This “hob” makes a series of cuts in a workpiece. The relative rotational speed of the shafts determines the number of teeth that are cut, thus forming the gear to specification.

The Gleason 782 gear hobber is a widely installed “workhorse” design. But, the unreliable control system in this specific installation was driving up the machine shop’s maintenance costs, diminishing productivity, and forcing unacceptable downtime.

This machine’s seven CNC axes were controlled by an Allen Bradley 8600 CNC system and an external electronic gearbox. After several months of intermittent operation, the operators approached two automation specialists, MasterControls Inc. and Southern Technical Services, to restore the machine to peak condition. The success of the project gave the machine shop the effect of a new machine at a fraction of the cost.

MasterControls Inc. (MCI) and Southern Technical Services (STS) quickly ascertained that the Gleason 782 was in excellent mechanical condition, but would benefit from new CNC control hardware and software, a new operator’s panel, and some associated control modules. The customer requested that the machine’s existing drives, motors, and feedback devices (all of which were serviceable) should be retained, and stipulated no change to the machine footprint. MCI and STS accommodated this latter demand by developing an entirely new sub-panel containing the new NUM CNC, power supplies, circuit breakers and contactors, which was subsequently mounted inside the machine’s existing control cabinet.

As explained by MCI president Jeff Petry: “To minimize disruption at the customer’s premises we built the sub-panel off-site, and then arranged a convenient time for installation. Since swap-out time was going to be important, we chose to use NUM breakout boards in the new sub-panel, which made it very easy to connect to the machine’s existing drives – and by using machine I/O boards with terminal strips, we were able to land all the existing wiring without any trouble whatsoever. In fact, much to our customer’s satisfaction, we were able to remove all the obsolete control hardware and complete the wiring stages of the installation – including the sub-panel, CNC control, new operator’s panel and the magnetic cabinet – in just over three days.”

The neat installation that MCI and STS accomplished will significantly simplify future maintenance efforts, according to Petry.

The retrofit was based entirely on NUM technology and equipment. It includes a new seven-axis CNC controller; a new PC based operator’s panel, with an easy-to-read 15-inch LCD screen and a full membrane keyboard; and a 61-button machine tool builder’s panel with a hand pulse generator. For convenience, an industrial mouse was mounted on the operator panel.

The new NUM CNC machine software includes the NUMGear package. This program performs all of the functions that previously required an external electronic gearbox, thereby reducing the complexity of the system and the number of parts that require maintenance.

NUMGear features a highly intuitive graphical user interface. Using the HMI, the operator simply fills in fields on a graphical representation of the part, and then selects a hob tool: the program is generated automatically. All customer parts and hobs can be stored in memory according to part number, for simple recall when the part needs to be produced again. Hob programs can be stored on external USB memory devices.

The NUMGear package also makes it possible for an operator to monitor hob tooling. Once the values are entered into the HMI’s shift data fields, the software automatically handles all hob shifting. It informs the operator when to check or replace the hob, so tooling costs can be minimized. Hobs can be sent for regrinding and recoating many times before wearing out.

The new CNC control system also performs all of the functions that previously demanded an external electronic gearbox.

After installing the new hardware and verifying the wiring, MCI and STS powered-up the machine and immediately started verifying its operation. Within a day a full set of gear types was produced, each one passing the customer’s quality control inspection. They conducted operator training simultaneously, and the new user interface proved so intuitive that the operators were able to handle their own set-ups by the end of the day, including entering all part and hob data. The machine is back in full-time production — operating like new, but at considerably less cost.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/85514/Issue

Hove, England March 3, 2010 – CGTech has announced details of the 2010 schedule of VERICUT User’s Exchange (VUE) events. Attendees will learn about new software features for improving CNC manufacturing efficiency, and will have the opportunity to express ideas about the future direction of the software.

The agenda will include a review of enhancements added in VERICUT 7. This release features significant performance-improving enhancements that reduce the time required for manufacturing engineers to develop, analise, inspect and document the CNC programming and machining process. Instead of focusing on new features or add-on modules, CGTech developer resources have prioritized on diligent code optimization and customer-driven enhancements.

Another popular feature of VUE events is the productivity workshop in which CGTech engineers highlight specific productivity features. When registering for any of the events users have the opportunity to suggest topics for inclusion in the workshop.

European VUE schedule 2010:

April 22nd Worcester England

April 28th Schkopau Germany

May 11th Jonkoping Sweden

May 12th Glasgow Scotland

May 25th Treviso Italy

May 27th Milan Italy

June 1st Brive France

June 3rd Le Vesinet France

September 15 h Sheffield England

October 7th Belfast Northern Ireland

Additional VUE events are planned for later in the year in Denmark, Netherlands,, Czech Republic, and Russia..

Headquartered in Irvine, California CGTech specialises in numerical control (NC/CNC) simulation, verification, optimization and analysis software technology. Since 1988 CGTech’s product, VERICUT® has become the industry standard for simulating CNC machining VERICUT is used daily by the world’s leading manufacturing companies to improve the efficiency of their CNC Machines including those from leading manufacturers such as DMG, Mazak, Mori Seiki, Makino. Hermle and Chiron.

VERICUT runs standalone but can also be interfaced with all the leading CAM systems including Dassault’s Catia, Siemens NX, PTC, Delcam PowerMill, Open Mind HyperMill, PlanIT EdgeCAM, Missler TopSolidCAM, GibbsCAM and MasterCAM.

With offices in Japan, China and Brazil, and European offices in UK, France, Germany and Italy and an extensive range of resellers, VERICUT software is used by companies of all sizes in all industries.

http://www.machinetooldirect.co.uk/machine-tool-news/VERICUT-workshop-scheduled-for-2010.asp

CGTech has announced the 2010 schedule for Vericut User’s Exchange (Vue) events.

Attendees will learn about new software features for improving CNC manufacturing efficiency and will have the opportunity to express ideas about the future direction of the software.

Simulation used in programming using CGTech VERICUT CAM for a Nakamura-Tome turning centre.

The agenda will include a review of enhancements added in Vericut 7.

This latest release features enhancements that reduce the time required for manufacturing engineers to develop, analyse, inspect and document the CNC programming and machining process, according to the company.

Instead of focusing on new features or add-on modules, CGTech developer resources have prioritised on diligent code optimisation and enhancements.

Another feature of the Vue events is the productivity workshop, in which the company’s engineers will highlight specific productivity features.

When registering for any of the events, users have the opportunity to suggest topics for inclusion in the workshop.

European Vue events will take place on: 22 April in Worcester, England; 28 April in Schkopau, Germany; 11 May in Jonkoping, Sweden; 12 May in Glasgow, Scotland; 25 May in Treviso, Italy; 27 May in Milan, Italy; 1 June in Brive, France; 3 June in Le Vesinet, France; 15 September in Sheffield, England; and 7 October in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Additional Vue events are planned for later in the year in Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Russia.

CGTech specialises in numerical-control (NC/CNC) simulation, verification, optimisation and analysis software technology.

Vericut is used for simulating CNC machining and is claimed to improve the efficiency of CNC machines, including those from manufacturers such as DMG, Mazak, Mori Seiki, Makino, Hermle and Chiron.

Vericut runs standalone but can also be interfaced with a variety of computer-aided-manufacturing systems.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/cgt/cgt144.html

Racing transmissions manufacturer Hewland Engineering has installed two high-specification CNC machine tools supplied by HK Technologies.

The Mitsubishi FA10-S Advanced V-Package and Kapp VUS 55P are the first wire-EDM and gear-grinding machines on site at the company’s headquarters near Maidenhead in Berkshire, UK.

To date, Hewland has designed more than 200 bespoke transmissions for its clients and supplies a complete semi-automatic gearbox.

The company also manufactures a range of 13 gearboxes designed to suit most modern motorsport applications for front- and rear-wheel drive, as well as a range of classic gearboxes.

Both the Mitsubishi EDM and Kapp gear grinder are being used to manufacture intricate, specialised racing transmission parts.

Both processes were previously subcontracted - a situation that had its drawbacks, according to business coordination director Stephen Deane.

‘Bringing EDM and gear-grinding processes in house is not only about saving costs and achieving better control over factors such as design and delivery; it’s about respecting customer confidentiality,’ he said.

The FA-S Advance is a universal wire-EDM machine that can increase competitive edge through low operating costs and short processing times, according to HK.

It offers cutting speeds up to 500mm2/min, surface finishes of less than 0.15 micron Ra, wire diameters from 0.1mm to 0.36mm, best parallelism and the simple processing of other materials.

The company claims the automatic functions, coupled with the solid, durable construction and the linear measuring system, ensure lasting results that are fully reproducible.

The Kapp VUS 55P universal gear-grinding machine allows the form finishing of external and internal spur and helical gears and other profiles using single indexing and Kapp CBN profile grinding wheels or dressable tools.

An integral CNC dressing device enables the generation of CNC-controlled arbitrary wheel profiles.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/hkt/hkt138.html

VERICUT is CNC machine simulation, verification and optimization software that enables users to eliminate the process of manually proving-out NC programs.

VERICUT is CNC machine simulation, verification and optimization software that enables users to eliminate the process of manually proving-out NC programs. It reduces scrap loss and rework. The program also optimizes NC programs in order to both save time and produce higher quality surface finish. VERICUT simulates all types of CNC machine tools, including those from leading manufacturers such as Mori Seiki, Mazak, Makino, Matsuura, Hermle, DMG, DIXI, and Chiron. VERICUT runs standalone, but can also be integrated with leading CAM systems such as Catia V5, NX, Pro/E, MasterCAM, EdgeCAM and GibbsCAM.

VERICUT 7 features significant performance-improving enhancements that reduce the time required for manufacturing engineers to develop, analyze, inspect and document the CNC programming and machining process. Instead of focusing on new features or add-on modules, CGTech developer resources have focused on diligent code optimization and over 500 customer-driven enhancements.

“For VERICUT 7.0 we focused on the customer’s use of VERICUT and how we could improve it,” said Bill Hasenjaeger, Product Marketing Manager. “We modified the user interface to create a more natural and obvious sequence to the most common user actions. The user’s interaction has a top-down flow through its graphical tree layout, with context sensitive choices that appear as the user moves along in the NC program simulation.”

CGTech will also seek to demystify the many types of NC program “optimization” with a presentation at the amerimold Technical Conference. The presentation, to be given by CGTech Sales Engineer Ken Skovran, will provide an overview of different types of cutting optimization, how they are implemented, and how they work.

http://www.onlineamd.com/aerospace-manufacturing-design-CGtech-CNC-software-amd-030310.aspx

The custom manufacturing and machining marketplace debuts its latest job shops specializing in custom parts and machined components  St. Louis, Missouri – In a move to further help American machine shops compete globally with foreign manufacturers, MFGmatch.net, the first interactive custom manufacturing marketplace on the Web free for both the buyer and the seller introduced its new and improved US-focused CNC Precision Machining trade portal. The company reported in a press release sent to Missouri media sources the site includes offerings for a variety of machining services from manufacturers in the United States specializing in made-to-order parts, metal machined components, industrial parts and other custom products.

According to Maria Santos, an MFGmatch.net spokesperson, the newly introduced site provides access to a Precision Machining Directory. The publication has been co-created with the Industrial Leaders Group (ILG), parent company of MFGmatch and a leading online publisher of 30 plus buying guides and directories for the manufacturing and engineering communities. Santos said the custom manufacturing publication services as a useful resource for companies sourcing for made-to-order industrial parts, molded plastics, rubber components and other custom made items.

“It’s common knowledge China, India and other Asian countries are difficult for U.S. job shops to compete with due to their low manufacturing costs as a result of lower wages and operating expenses,” said Donald LaBelle, CEO of MFGmatch.net and founder of ILG. He concluded, “Our mission is to help promote and generate business opportunities for American machine shops and other custom manufacturers. Thus, we designed MFGmatch to show nationwide buyers of custom made products that the United States is often the better choice for machining services and doing business locally can in the long run be more cost effective.”

About MFGmatch.net

MFGmatch.net is a free custom manufacturing online marketplace for machine shops, product designers, engineers, foundries and other companies looking to buy and sell machines parts, precision components and other custom manufacturing services in local, national and international markets.

http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167652&Itemid=33

Kail has acquired a Matsuura H+630 twin-pallet horizontal machining centre and a Toshiba TMF-10 Vertical Turning Centre from Leader CNC.

With a 26kW table motor and an 11kW spindle motor set upon a fully cast base that gives the TMF-10 an overall weight of over 11 tonnes, the Toshiba met rigidity and power requirements.

Ray Welsh, Kail general manager, said: ‘We had to consider the work envelope of the machine and, above all, the ability to machine as many faces as possible without repeatedly re-setting the castings.

‘The Toshiba has a rotating 1m bed with a 700mm working height that gives us sufficient working space, which drastically reduced setup times.

The setups are further reduced and production cycles improved, with a 24-tool carousel with driven tooling that enables the subcontractor to maintain its tool settings for its 20 to 30 castings that incorporate hundreds of internal component variations.

He added: ‘The bores on the castings vary from 2 to 8in diameter and this demands heavy machining on difficult materials.

‘The Toshiba has BT50 taper tooling that conveniently interchanges with the new Matsuura and, when fitted into an extremely rigid and robust machine, our tool life is drastically improved.

‘The rigidity of the Toshiba TMF-10 has improved surface finishes and production time, while improving tool life by over 100 per cent.

‘We can now take 4-5mm deep cuts with confidence in the rigidity and power of the Toshiba.

Welsh added: ‘This has improved tool life over 100 per cent and cycle times by over 50 per cent.

The machine operators are also said to be finding the Fanuc 18iT control system extremely user friendly.

The graphics system on the control simplify processes, while the canned cycle programme simplifies drilling and tapping on a PCD.

Added to this is the capability to utilise the Toshiba TMF-10 as a turning centre, as well as a machining centre.

Leader CNC installed the machine tool to the specific needs of Kail.

This involved moving the coolant sump to the side of the machine from the front to enable a fork lift to load and unload heavy components into the work envelope.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/led/led138.html

There’s no need to explain the advantages of barcodes for process and product quality monitoring, and producing engraved 2D data-matrix barcodes along with the human readable text directly on the CNC machining centers often reduce manufacturing costs significantly. But, using a standalone engraving machine to produce 2D data-matrix barcodes can cause manufacturing bottlenecks and add handling and setup time.

PRO 3 CAD/CAM prepares G-code programs produce 2D data-matrix barcodes on 3- or 4-axis CNC milling machines or multi axis lathes.

A new engraving software program, PRO 3 CAD/CAM from 2L inc. is available now, to prepare G-code programs for producing 2D data-matrix barcodes on 3- or 4-axis CNC milling machines or multi axis lathes. The developer says it allows users to conduct Direct Part Marking (DPM) using standard 2L engraving tools with installed CNC equipment. No special equipment or machines are required to begin engraving the barcodes.

PRO 3 is a full-featured, simple-to-use drawing program that produces standard G-code NC files that are compatible with virtually any CNC controller. So, users can produce 2D data-matrix barcodes with their existing CNC equipment.

The program creates precise engraving layouts using multiple fonts, drawn shapes, lines and incremental serial numbers along with 2D data-matrix barcodes. Engraving layouts can be precisely located using reference geometry or guidelines; layout orientation, alignment, spacing and size of multiple instances of text are easy to manage.

The 2D data-matrix barcodes can be produced using any standard 2L engraving tool with either a rigid toolholder or a spring-loaded engraving tool.

“Our new program offers a complete easy to use solution for both the daily straightforward engraving jobs as well as the much more difficult engraving such as 4 axis engraving or programming multi axis lathes”, added the spokesman.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/85401/Issue