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HOW TO DO IT.
#BigIsNotEnough
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The markets today ask parts in alloy aluminium always bigger.
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Big parts are for me parts with weight over 25 kg.
This is a limit for manual handling. Over this limit the handling become really difficult and automate the process is a must.
In the past these parts where made in steel or cast-iron.
Today for different reasons ( manly to make the cars lighter to reduce pollution) the request of alloy parts become higher every day.
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A lot of companies thought that to make everything bigger was enough.
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Big press, big robot, big trimming press
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But there is a problem!
If you undertake this problem you will have a not profitable company.
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A big part has production problems that are typical only for itself.
It’s completely different from a small part.
It’s like to eat a cheery or a water melon…the cheery can be eaten in one bite (do not forget the nut inside), the water melon need his own procedure.
Big parts are exactly like this.
It’s not your fault if you thought to make everything only bigger.
There are salesman that doesn’t explain to you the problems; they prefer to sell you easier and cheaper machine, that today give you only problems and no profits.
But lets go by steps.
The size and the weight of these parts are important and produce them is not easy. It’s not enough a big press, a big die, a big extraction robot.
You can not think to make your current process only in bigger version.
I try to explain me better.
Today your process is
1 – die casting the parts
2 – extraction by robot
3 – trimming of the gating system or manual cut
4 – deburring in trimming press or manual deburring
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1-2 Die casting and extraction robot
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On the casting process I can not tell you anything. I’m not expert enough.
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3 – Trimming of the gating system or manual trimming.
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If a small parts gating system can be cut( even if also this is not true every time, but I will talk about this in future),on parts over 25 kgs this become really impossible.
First of all on big arts the gating system is really big, the it’s connected to the part in different areas (not only on the trimming plane)
Even if it will be possible to trim it, you will risk to deformate the part. You risk to make not conform parts.
Your costumer knows this risks, then he doesn’t allow you to make them.
The alternative is to cut the gating system manually, but I believe that this is not an alternative.
This is a way to hidden the problems.
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Do not say to me: “manual is cheaper”
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Believe me it’s not true.
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You have to consider:
– operator salary
– training cost of the operator ( how many years do you need to train a good operator?
– cost of an accident ( I saw foundries closed for one week due the fact that someone had a accident during a gate system cutting)
– cost of the tools that the operator is using. Consider that sometimes the operator makes mistake and change the tool earlier, because him damage them.
– cost of delivery delay. The operator is never on time, so your costumer has always to wait longer, how much it cost?
– cost of logistics and storages
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Take Your time and calculate really the cost of manual cutting. Then it will be clear that you must invest to improve your production cycle.
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4 – Deburring in trimming press or manual deburring.
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To trim a big casting is really complicate.
You need for sure a big trimming press and a complicate trimming die.
If you start building a die that must do everything, you are in the begin of a long and expensive travel.
If you leave something to do to the operator is a risk, a lot of risks.
You leave the risk that the operator forget one operation, the risk that he can not do every operation in casting time, the risk of injuries for him.
A uncertain process and not safe is always to change.
You have the same risks of small parts deburring, but exponentially increased.
Now it clear that absolute you can not think to make the same process that you are doing for small parts.
If you want a stable and profitable process you have to act in a different way.
You need a system to automate you process of cutting and deburring.
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I m sure you have already try “island” that doesn’t work.
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I saw them me too. And I saw also why they can not work. It is clear.
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When you build machines you have to follow a very rigid protocol.
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You must do a series of right choices.
If the machine builder take ONE choice wrong, this is the END.
There are no mediations, if there is a mistake the machine never work.
Therefore the “island” that doesn’t work, they are machine with some errors by my competitor.
Maybe small errors, maybe you think they are not so important…but the process doesn’t forgive you.
For example if you use a robot of 250 chilos with long arm, this is a problem.
I use a robot of 200 chilos, but with a short arm.
For a lot of people this solution is worst, because the robot is smaller.
I have tested both solutions, and I can tell you that the robot with shorter arm is much more rigid and it responds better during cutting.
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The result?
A longer life if the tools, a shorter cycle time and an easier use of the machine.
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An other big error that I find are the machine made in half.
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I explain better.
If you want to cut big parts, you can not have only a disc cutting unit or only a band cutting unit.
If you make a machine in half, with only one unit, you are bringing yourself in difficulties.
If you choose ( or you get) one machine with only a disc cutting unit, you must have a big cutting wheel to reach every positions.
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I saw machines with cutting disc diameter 600 mm.
Bigger disc, bigger problems!
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I really don’t know where to start with the problems, because they are too many:
– geometric problems ( the big blade diameter give you problems to reach every cutting position)
– big thickness ( bigger blade means also bigger thickness, chips that goes everywhere and you can not cast again)
– explosion risk ( if the blade stack there I really the risk of explosion)
– big costs of the tools ( because they are not made in serial production, likely there are not too many machines made in this way)
If you have only one machine made with the band blade, you can not make all the cuts. You have to leave to the operator son jobs.
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An other big error is under valuate the deburring.
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It is not enough a milling tool, you need something more complete.
You need a unit that really solve the problem.
You need a deburring system that let you make what you need.
The machine don’t have to reduce your choices.
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Do we gave a definitive solution?
Yes, I have
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It’s a long time that I’m developing the perfect solution. I spent unsleeping night to build it.
Today it’s real. It solve all the problems I told you before.
The operations you can do:
– cut with band saw
– cut with disc saw
– deburring with turret revolver
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It’s was to use and compact.
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With this solution you can cut and deburr every kind of casted parts. Increase your profits, reduce your delivery times, increase the satisfaction of your costumer, make working shop more silent, cleaner and safer.
Make the process that today is very complicate and cost full, a easy and profitable process.
Coming back to the metaphor in the beginning, make the water melon like a cheer and eat it in one bite!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know how to tell you this better. I’m proposing a very performance full solution, something that you never saw before.
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Every thing is wonderful, but in which way can you trust in me?
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I have a incredible news for you.
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I prepare an un-missible event.
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I invite you to see it at my home.
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Come to visit us in Cellatica in via Industriale 15, from Monday 6th to Wednesday 08th June. From8.30 to 19.00
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You can not miss it. Come to see in which way your future can change.
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Piercarlo Bonomi
The Main Expert in Robotic Cutting and Deburring Machines
