Increasingly tighter part tolerances on transmission parts made it more difficult for typical off-shore sourcing channels to meet the quality standards being demanded by the major automotive manufacturers. To solve this international sourcing logistics problem, a leading manufacturer of OEM automotive parts contracted ABTech to design and manufacture a turnkey work cell.
The objective was to develop a combination metrology and machining system that would measure valve shaft components, and then machine precisely matched corresponding sleeves. In addition to the prerequisite of being very accurate, piece part cost concerns meant that the system had to efficiently produce parts with high through-put and low scrap rates.
The resulting air bearing-based metrology and 2-axis lathe work cells began producing saleable inventory on the day of installation, helping to bring manufacturing back to the US.
Work Cell Feature Summary
- Metrology station with:
- Vertical Z axis motorized linear air bearing column
- Counterbalance pulley with air bearing sleeve
- Motorized air bearing rotary table with part holding chuck
- High accuracy non-contact laser micrometer
- Machining station with:
- Stacked X and Y axis motorized linear air bearing stage
- High speed air bearing spindle with pneumatic collet
- Granite surface plate with vibration isolation air bag base
- Controller includes:Delta Tau motion controller
- Industrial PC with application software
- Operator control panel with remote pendant
