MACHINING CENTER FOR HIGH VOLUMES The J3 horizontal machining center from Makino (www.makino.com; Mason, OH) is compact, with a 50- x 124-in. footprint., a 15-kW spindle motor with a HSK-A50 tool interface, and X,Y, Z travel of 25.6 x 15.75 x 15.75 in. Rapid traverse is 2,353 ipm; feeds up to 1,968 ipm. There are a 15-tool storage device and a 2.3-second tool change time. Tools including those for line boring and valve finishing can be deployed.

PLASTICS AUTOMATION Conair (www.conairnet.com; Pittsburgh) has developed the Axess line of servo-driven beam robots for handling parts weighing from 3 to 12 kg. Controlling part orientation is helpful for both downstream operations and maintaining cosmetic part quality. The machines are said to be comparatively simple to use and economical than previous servo-driven technology. The lineup offers horizontal strokes from 1,000 to 6,000 mm, kick or demolding stroke lengths from 350 to 850 mm, and vertical stroke lengths from 1,000 to 1,400 mm. Can be readily programmed with up to 99 programs stored.

PRODUCTIVE HONING Bore sizing and finishing of hard materials can be preformed with the ML-4000 Power Stroke from Sunnen Products (www.sunnen.com; St. Louis), which permits rounding and finishing in a single operation. The machine is claimed to be six time faster than ID grinding. Machine can run multiple land and tandem bores; bores with keyways or splines; blind-end holes; thin-walled parts; and heavy or odd-shaped parts.

INCREDIBLY ACCURATE PRESS BRAKE Called a “hybrid” because it combines hydraulic and AC features, the Toyokoki HYB (from MC Machinery Systems; www.mitsubishi-world.com; Wood Dale, IL) uses hydraulic pressure to move the ram, but there is an AC servomotor pump used to deliver it, so that it offers a repeatability of five microns. Ram speed and positioning are read 1,000 times per second so there is a one-micron positioning accuracy.

TUBE PROCESSING REIKA rotating head tube cut-off machines available from Graebener Group Technologies (www.graebtec.com; Napoleon, OH) can cut and simultaneously face and chamfer the OD and ID of tube ends. Tubes up to 3.5-in. in diameter are held in a fixed position while the head rotates, thereby helping assure repeatable processing (e.g., tolerance of ±0.05 mm with a Cpk >2.0). Carbide inserts or roller blades can be used for the dry cutting process.

AUTOMATION GRIPPERS The DPD Robohand series double-wedge parallel grippers from DE-STA-CO (www.destaco.com; Madison Heights, MI) are available in 12 sizes that cover strokes from 1/16 in. to 2 in. and are available in configurations for short and long strokes. The grippers exert forces from 12 lb. to 400 lb. Can be mounted directly to other modular automation products without adapter plates. Jaw components are precision ground to minimize jaw play.

PRE-PAINTED FASTENERS Although the Painted FAS-NER from AKH Inc. (www.akhfas-ner.com; Indianapolis) is being used in the appliance industry right now, presumably there is possibility for auto use. The color of the fasteners is matched to the assembly to eliminate post-paint operations. The system, based on a punch-and-die operation, automatically feeds, punches, inserts, and locks the self-piercing fasteners in place in a single cycle.