Finishing - September-October 2020

FINISHING 31
six variants made of quenched and tempered
steel for motorcycle frames," explains Christian
Stempfer, regional sales manager for Austria
of Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH.
The goals were fully automatic machining and
product change with no change-over. The BA
322 (a horizontal machining center from SW
with two synchronous spindles), was chosen to
accomplish these goals. The customer was so
satisfied with the system that SW was honored
with the Ferdinand Bernhofer Gesellschaft
Supplier Award 2016 in the same year as the
delivery.
SW machine is ideally suited for
heavy-duty machining of steel
drawbar eyes
"The mutual trust we have built on this
foundation has led us to choose SW again for
the next project," says F. Bernhofer. The new
project involved machining particularly large
drawbar eyes made of different variants of
42CrMo4. The task was made more difficult
by the relatively large number of holes and fits
that had to be machined and was further
complicated by the need for cooling lubricant
to drill the holes. The milling machine type BA
722, which was purchased for this purpose is
structured similarly to the BA 322 already in
use. The larger machining center, also with
two spindles, was needed mainly because
considerably greater quantities will be
motorcycles. Machining must remove up to 3
kg of material from each drawbar eye, which
may weigh up to 18 kg depending on the
variant. Although the allowances range from 5
to 15 mm, no problems were reported for the
"workhorse" BA 722. Its two spindles are quite
capable of removing up to two metric tons of
removed
actongate
through
- address
machining
alts.qxp_Layout
than for the
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material
08:51
in an
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hour
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of rough machining, even
with a material as difficult to machine as this
one. Despite this, the system can be used not
only brachially, but also for precision
machining, for example in helical interpolation
of semi-spheres for clutches.
Stellar service and support –
flawless impeccable
"The support provided by SW was beyond
impeccable," recalls F. Bernhofer. In the critical
initial phase of the project, C. Stempfer in
particular was untiring in his dedication to
eliminating initial glitches and optimizing
processes, including time spent outside of
regular working hours. The technical service
provided by the SW technicians stationed
nearby in Austria and their supply of
replacement parts also left nothing to be
desired. Help was also available through
telesupport and online consulting. The
customer rated the support and service from
SW highly and noted that it was refreshingly
uncomplicated. The first system delivered
proved to be so good that a second was
ordered a short time later because the
customer's call-off orders had increased.
Machine availability is excellent despite the
high work load, as summed up by F.
Bernhofer: "I was also so satisfied with the BA
722 that we have already begun discussing
more extensive automation for the coming
year."
Acton Gate Systems Limited - Tel: 01902 249299
Hilton Hall Business Centre, Hilton Lane, Essington, Staffordshire, WV11 2BQ
web: www.actongate.co.uk - email: enquiries@actongate.co.uk
Finishing – September/October 2020