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At its impressive facilities in Havant, Hampshire, around 200 staff specialise in the production of new and replacement sealing solutions for ship machinery, propulsion and manoeuvring systems, submarines as well as special applications, such as tidal and industrial power. . .
Installed during September 2013, as part of an ongoing global investment programme, the company’s new Mazak 1060 V CNC machining centre is equipped with a 10-pallet automated changer. “Of course, the aim is to feed the spindle to keep it turning with a decrease in the number of set ups to increase efficiency,” says Production Engineer, Russell Silcox.
Currently, the pallets are fitted with two 6-jaw chucks; two with cubes, which elevate the workpiece to allow the spindle of the Mazak machine to fully access the component; and three 4-jaw chucks.
Both the 6-jaw chucks, manufactured and supplied by Leader Chuck Systems, have been designed to hold a range of components. With the jaws reversed components of around 400mm diameter can be held: With the jaws located on the outside face parts up to around 630mm diameter are securely fixed.
Machining Inconel, nickel, aluminium and phosphor bronze for the seals and bearings, raw material can be cast or billet. With a varied product range change overs are a regular occurrence and fixturing is not easy due to the design of the part, which is often thin walled and flexible.
Many of the cast parts are split and then bolted together. “We machine the faces and bolt the two halves together so it is not round, but slightly elliptical,” explains Russell Silcox. “This is not a problem because we can release three of the six jaws and use the Leader solution as a 3-jaw chuck that allows us to centre the workpiece. Using a 4-jaw chuck would result in just two of the jaws touching the part, which would not provide the security required to machine it.”
For a round machined component the machinist will use all six jaws, so they can tighten it up without any distortion with equal pressure from all sides. Russell Silcox states: “The Leader chuck is superb at holding both these types of parts.”
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