July 2007 Edition

Lathes

One Good Turn Increases Throughput

A new lathe, controller, and software provide a shop with part-to-part time reduction

CEJN’s Emco Maier Emcoturn 345-II CNC lathe has a 12-position toolchanger, six driven tools, and a 1.77" maximum diameter barstock feed

Sometimes a shop doesn’t know it needs improvement until it brings in a new machine. CEJN, Gurnee, IL, the U.S. branch of a multi-national company of the same name, based in Skövde, Sweden, discovered unanticipated improvements when it purchased an Emco Maier Emcoturn 345-II lathe equipped with a Siemens Sinumerik 810D CNC controller and ShopTurn software.

The 25-person shop manufactures high-precision, high-performance pneumatic and hydraulic components, including quick-connect couplings.

Two weeks after the show, Peninsula Metal was preparing a quote and found the request for proposal specified vibratory stress relief during welding. Peninsula Metal did not have a system to provide this type of stress relief. The company usually sent parts out for heat treatment, but it was time-intensive, expensive, and not possible during the welding process.

The company was named using founder Carl Erik Josef Nyberg’s initials.

With the part program software suite onboard the CNC, CEJN found it produced more and better parts faster with a lathe designed for the job shop environment. With it, CEJN achieved print-to-part time reduction. Lathe operator Lee Simons said the company has seen a 15 percent improvement since the machine went into production.

Maneuverability

“It’s easier to maneuver around to find the information you need most, such as tool data, machine parameters, and programs,” Simons said. “I had 15 years experience with other machine tools before I started using this CNC. The setup is user-friendly. I can program directly from the print dimensions with fewer angle, contour, and trig calculations. The machine movements are determined automatically in G-code and M-code. Part programs can be generated faster than with conventional line programming.”

Simons said editing part programs is faster, because it’s easier to find programs using the screen. By editing finish paths, the roughing is auto-generated, which, he said, saves time.

The part program simulation function on ShopTurn is graphically oriented. Simons said he finds it easy to use.

“Overall, I was surprised and pleased,” he said. Self-training with the system was easier than anticipated, Simons said. “The Siemens training software runs on any PC. Not only is it a tool for training, but also for quoting part times, as well as offline programming.”

ShopTurn with a compact flash card – for the storage, transmission, and processing of part programs – provides CEJN employees with advanced programming support that lets the company increase efficiency and productivity through operation, programming, and handling which Simons said is more convenient than other systems he’s used.

Protocols

The CNC lathe is designed for the job shop. For CEJN, it yields more productivity and faster time-to-part production, according to Lee Simons, a CEJN CNC lathe operator

Profinet and Profibus protocols are used for machine tool communication. ShopTurn lets an operator with little or no G-code experience get part programs up and running in less time using the teach-in function on the machine tool’s CNC. With plain-language commands and a graphical user interface, an operator can see the part’s progression at each stage of the cutting cycle.

At CEJN, the operator sees a visualization of the bar stock as it indexes through the cutting stages. The CNC on the Emcoturn 345-II is also used to control the bar feeder mechanism.

At the shop, a server is used to upload and download part programs to the machine tools. The CNC onboard the lathe controls all of its functions, including the manipulation of a 12-position toolchanger and six driven tools. The lathe can accommodate bar stock up to 1.77" in diameter.

CEJN runs a variety of brass, steel, stainless, and aluminum stock to produce the coupling components and other items sold through its nationwide network of distributors to the automotive aftermarket manufacturers and end users.

CEJN makes a variety of quick-connect couplings marketed to manufacturers of rescue tools and breathing apparatus, as well as to automotive aftermarket manufacturers

The shop also sells its products to original equipment manufacturers of high-pressure hydraulic rescue tools and breathing-air apparatus.

The parent company also serves the mobile construction, forestry, and utility service equipment industries with custom coupling and threadless connector designs. CEJN offers products to manufacturers of gaseous spring actuators, hydraulic bolt tensioners, torque wrenches, and other fluid power equipment OEMs.

High-Pressure Work

At the Gurnee facility, CEJN produces short runs of high-pressure – up to 36,250 psi – hose assemblies. Other equipment in the shop includes manual lathes, crimping machinery, ultra-high pressure hose test benches, marking equipment, and advanced leak testing devices.

Simons said tool data is stored and then retrieved as needed. Commonly-used tool data can be recalled for new programs, as well. He said the ShopTurn simulation feature is valuable because it provides a clear view of the machine path. Training on the machine took place in Columbus, OH, and included instruction about the Sinumerik CNC and ShopTurn software.

ShopTurn also enables short setup times, Simons said. He said it was due to the operator prompts that determine workpiece zero points and tool lengths. A CAD reader provided with the system allows import of DXF files and reduced time for the creation of the offline program. 

Emco Maier Corp. www.rsleads.com/707mn-203

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