BERCO SUPPLIERS THE INNOVATION CONTINUES - Berco S.p.A

New Technologies
4 BN33 • January 2003
The recent start-up of the new
drive sprocket selective quenching
line constitutes another important
stage of the technological
innovation in the manufacturing
process, which began with the
installation of the maxi-press
(for hot forging) and continued
with the retrofitting of the
Morando KL12 vertical lathes
for machine processing.
This new range, is completely
automated and adjoins the maxipress
line, comprises:
• an electric rotary furnace
10m in diameter and with a
production capacity of
3500Kg/h for heating to
austenitising temperature
(880°C);
• two SAET quenching
machines for hardening only
the teeth, both governed by a
numerical control for managing
the quenching cycle;
• a chain conveyor system for
handling the containers with
the sprockets to be quenched
and those already quenched;
THE INNOVATION
CONTINUES
NEW DRIVE SPROCKET
SELECTIVE QUENCHING PLANT
• a GLAMA robot for supplying
the furnace and the two
quenching machines;
• a SIR portal for picking up
the containers and
distinguishing the single drive
sprockets to be quenched, and
for piling the quenched parts
in the empty containers in
transit towards the stressrelieving
furnace;
• A FELIND tunnel furnace for
stress-relieving tempering at a
temperature of 220 °C for a
duration of 4 hours.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CYCLE
After the initial shot blasting,
the forged sprockets are placed
in appropriate containers, which
are then transferred, by means of
the conveyor system, to the
singularising station at the SIR
portal, which proceeds to place
the sprocket on an 8-position
revolving table.
The GLAMA robot picks up and
transfers the heated sprocket to
the free station on the quenching
machine and unloads the
quenched part from the other
station to put it down onto a
free position on the revolving
table. It then transfers the
sprocket to be quenched from
this table into the furnace.
After heat treatment, the
sprockets are put back into the
containers by means of the same
SIR portal and sent to the
continuous stress-relieving
furnace.
Advantages of the new heat
treatment in terms of product