TURNING DOING THE ROUNDS
programming at the machine. Having access
to these features and the extensive tool
library will be a big advantage.”
SKIVING OFF
Of course, lathes have many uses, some of
which are less conventional than others, for
instance gear skiving. A case in point can be
seen at one of Europe’s largest specialist
manufacturers and suppliers of gear racks,
pinions, leadscrews and nuts, Halifax Rack &
Screw (HRS), which has recently started
producing round gears at its Brighouse
factory in West Yorkshire.
To take advantage of the latest technique
for machining round gears accurately and
quickly, the rm has invested in a gear
skiving machine: an Okuma Multus U3000-
2SW from NCMT (https://is.gd/pucuxe).
Already installed and operational, this bar-fed,
multi-tasking lathe is about to be tted with
automation equipment to further speed the
handling of components, free up more
operator time and make the process even
more ef cient.
Simon Matthews, sales engineer at HRS,
who has been heavily involved in the project,
says: “For the medium-to-large batch
production of gears, skiving has become the
technology of choice. For example, in the
case of the rst three gears we are producing
for our US customer, Vermeer, the 25-minute
cycle times for the two larger gears would be
three to four times longer by hobbing or using
other gear cutting machines. We opted for the
Multus from Okuma, as it was the rst multifunction
machine manufacturer to develop a
generic platform for skiving precision gears to
DIN5 quality.”
A crucial element in gear skiving on a
multi-tasking lathe is being able to
synchronise accurately the B-axis rotary
movement of the upper tool spindle carrying
the skiving tool, with the C-axis rotation of the
main spindle – functionality for which the
Multus is noted.
Currently, three types of a fairly open
tolerance DIN8 gear for a US-built horizontal
drilling machine are being produced on the
Multus U3000, which offers a maximum
turning diameter of 650 mm. Two are
complex, shaft-type components and the third
is a smaller, consumable item. They are all
turned and skived from AISI 4140 steel bar or
billet, the bar being fed from an Iemca Kid 80
short magazine (1st MTA, https://is.gd/
wexohi). Around 3,500 each of the two gear
shafts are needed annually, while the
consumable item requirement is for 2,400
parts per year.
Says Matthews: “The gear skiving process
on Okuma’s turn-mill platform has proved a
great success and allowed us to penetrate a
new sector of the market, namely the
economical production of round gears.”
Another type of in-demand turning machine
is the sliding-head lathe, as evidenced at
Almadec, which was founded at the end of
November 2018 as a newcomer in the barturning
world by Stefano Buonpane in Brügg,
Switzerland. Annexed to the premises of
Buonpane’s rst company, named Precisteel,
Almadec is gradually being built around two
Tornos (https://is.gd/pafeku) SwissNano 4
turning machines that have a maximum
turning diameter of 4 mm.
Precisteel predominantly produces parts
for industrial machines, for the connector
sector and for watchmakers. For the latter
market in particular, Buonpane decided to
invest in SwissNano 4 machines. A Tornos
Deco 10 machine has also been ordered.
“The SwissNano 4 machines have an
excellent reputation,” Buonpane explains.
“My customers often request various special
parts that we can now manufacture on these
machines.”
Almadec’s spacious premises in Brügg
are geared to the accommodation of an even
larger machine inventory; equipment that will
be able to cope with upcoming demands as
the business expands.
“We make suggestions to solve customer
challenges and conduct a feasibility study,”
says Buonpane. “There is no task that
frightens us. I founded this company based
on the vision of its future and permanence.”
Buonpane makes his know-how available
to customers, while his staff can set
machines for highly complex workpieces,
from prototypes to large batches. The
founder has every reason to be con dent.
Some 13 years of experience with Precisteel
have enabled him to lay solid foundations for
Almadec, which could soon earn a strong
reputation, especially in the watchmaking
sector, thanks to machines from Tornos.
RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB
Sometimes, investment in a turning machine
is not enough, at least not without the right
operator to maximise its bene ts. This
situation occurred recently at Langham
Industrial Controls of Kettering. Earlier this
year, when the hydrant ow meter
manufacturing specialist was seeking a new
member of staff to operate its recently
acquired FANUC-controlled Doosan Lynx 220
LSYC lathe, the company approached Mills
Halifax Rack & Screw is now
producing gears on this Okuma Multus
machine, employing gear skiving
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