we don’t have to drag out the granite square, parallel bars, etc. We don’t even have to remove the job from the table. It saves a lot of time.” To help speed machine checking and calibration in the SCM
cell, FMC Technologies has designed and built a custom calibra- tion block, which it mounts on the Okuma machines during scheduled maintenance or when the machine is being checked. “We’re currently introducing a new pallet size in the SCM cell and some of the reprogramming is being done manually, rather than offline, using the Siemens NX CAE system. And, there’s increased potential for minor collisions,” said Simpson. “For example, we recently had a small knock, so first we ran the ballbar to confirm the three axes were square. We also checked the Y axis using a test bar and compared the results to the data in CNC Reporter. We found that the zero position had been affected, so we re-taught the machine new zero positions using the test block.” Craig Simpson and Mike West both agree that the XL-80 laser measurement system, the QC20-W wireless ballbar and CNC Reporter software are easy and intuitive to use. “We had one week of training with a Renishaw engineer,” said West. “If ever we have a problem or question we call the head office in Gloucestershire and we usually get an answer the first time. At the very least, someone calls us back that day.” FMC Technologies’ fifth “absolute of quality” states that the goal of quality control is not customer satisfaction, but rather customer success. The company claims that its production control systems including its SCMs are used on more than 1000 subsea wells around the world, with an uptime rate of 99–100%. ME
For more information from Renishaw Inc., go to
www.renishaw.com, or phone 847-286-9953.
High-Tech Turning Wins Race, Parts Business
T
ony Woodward founded Woodward Machine Corp. in 1978 in a Maryland/Washington DC suburb, as a job shop specializing in race car fabrication and general repair. In 1980–1981, he dreamed up a rack-and-pinion steering for dirt track stock cars and started producing it on manual equipment, mostly salvaged from scrapyards and rebuilt. The only new machine in the shop was a Bridgeport. Over the next several years, Woodward added a great many new products—mostly turned workpieces—to its line
February 2014 |
ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 49
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