Nottingham Uni
Nottingham University turned to System 3R tooling for use on metalcutting machines in the newly-opened Institute of Advanced Manufacturing (IAM).
This £3.5 million facility was opened by David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, in September 2012 who said: “It is vital that business benefits from the very best and latest technologies in order to compete in the global marketplace and be a driving force for growth.”
It focuses on driving the development of cutting-edge technology with the aim of radically improving all aspects of advanced manufacturing and has links with industry and has partners in such diverse sectors as aerospace, automotive, medical, instrumentation, defence, power engineering, sustainable energy, textiles and clothing, recycling and consumer products.
The increased demand for micro and nano precision manufacturing processes — especially within most of these industry sectors — led the IAM to fit MacroNano tooling on their latest EDM machine, a Sodick AQ750 wire erosion machine. 3R tooling is also fitted on their Sodick AP1L die-sinker spark , complete with an 8-position toolchanger and an AP200L wire machine.
MacroNano delivers repeatable sub-micron accuracy levels — as measured in tests by the world-renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen, Germany. In ultraprecision machining of workpieces, initial measurements showed repeatability and system accuracy ‘well below 1 micron’. The best observed values were as low as 0.1 micron. Workpieces and cutting tools and/or electrodes are mounted with the same precision and accuracy.
The assured repeatable accuracy gained from the mounting of workpieces for electrode manufacture on Macro pallets also guarantees that once the initial datum is entered, a part can be transferred from one machining process to another, without compromising its tolerance and positional integrity. The ability to run cost-effective lights out production has therefore now become a reality — especially where long cycle times on complex electrode manufacture is unavoidable.
The IAM’s Kern Evo machining centre has a pneumatic MacroNano chuck which, together with the pallets, incorporates System 3R’s innovative VDP (vibration damped palletisation) technology that provides a very rigid coupling on the machine table — not affected by the machine’s frequency and vibration. The mechanical interface between machine table, workpiece, machine spindle and tool is constant whether milling, grinding, turning or in an EDM machine.
Lab Manager, Daniel Smale, said: “Ideally we would like to put System 3R tooling on all our machines, but budgets are always under pressure.
“It helps minimise the errors between machines and saves time in switching a workpiece from each process, as complicated fixturing has become a thing of the past. Planning jobs is easier and if we need to get a part on a machine fast, the flexibility we have can be vital.”
Apart from the machines in the IAM, the PhD students at Nottingham University also benefit from System 3R technology, as they have access to a Sodick AQ750L machine that is fitted with a range of tooling for their projects. So System 3R is helping to advance the boundaries of cutting-edge manufacturing for the engineers of today and tomorrow.