LANG Technik delivers ‘Lights-Out’ Machining to Ritchie Precision
LANG Technik Robo-Trex at installed at Ritchie Precision
LANG Technik products are the first choice for work-holding systems for many users involved in the global machining industry and the most recent LANG Robo-Trex installation was here at the premises of Ritchie Precision.
Ritchie Precision offers industry leading 5 axis CNC Milling and Turning services and serves a range of demanding global sectors including the Oil & Gas, Power generation, Ultra-sonic, Opto-electronic, Scientific instruments and not least the Laser and Medical industries.
Lang Technik recently had the opportunity to quote for a high-volume, long-term contract related to the manufacture of intricate, multi-feature medical components with extremely challenging dimensional tolerances. Owing to the components’ demanding accuracy specifications DMG Mori’s DMU eVo series machine tools were specified with a range of advanced features, such as coolant-preheaters to help eliminate the manufacturing inaccuracies caused by coolant ‘shock’. So challenging were the precision specification of the components, the new machine tools were installed in a newly refurbished, temperature-controlled factory.
The final elements that are now enabling the contract to be undertaken in an effective and profitable way and that allow the new components to be produced in the required high volumes and within specification, are the highly efficient LANG Robo-Trex automation systems that now serve each of our company’s new universal machining centres.
Working unattended and fed by the Lang Robo-Trex systems, the company’s 3 x DMU eVo series machines run throughout the day. Then, before the end of each day shift the Robo-Trex trollies are restocked with batches of workpieces, enabling each machining centre to run unmanned throughout each night.
Each of Ritchie Precision’s 3 Lang Robo-Trex robot systems use two high capacity trollies that act as mobile storage mediums. The trollies are loaded with multiple vices that hold workpieces ready for machining. Unattended, the systems’ robots pick workpieces from the trollies, load them into the machine tools, and when fully machined, return them to the trollies. Once filled with fully machined parts, each trolley is removed, and a replacement loaded with ready to machine workpieces is added.
A simple to operate touch panel enables easy control of the automated system and, as external access to the trolley is possible, production remains seamless as machining cycles do not need to be interrupted. Control of the system’s zero-point clamping system can be performed either pneumatically through the machine tool, or mechanically through the system’s robot.
Explaining the benefits gained through the use of the company’s advance LANG Robo-Trex systems, our Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Taylor Barr said “By enabling our 3 new universal machining centres to work around the clock without stopping our LANG Robo-Trex systems have allowed the maximum productive potential of the machine tools to be realised and impressive volumes of parts to be produced”.
“Also, the use of our highly-efficient LANG automatic handling systems has provided an additional major benefit. Due to the challenging specification of the parts we are producing, when stopping and starting our machines certain features can drift out of tolerance. Therefore, as the use of out Robo-Trex systems enables our new machine tools to work continuously 24/7, our machining cycles do not need to be interrupted, this continuity of production means that we avoid the scrap and rework situations caused by disrupting production.”
LANG Technik UK Director Gareth Barnett added, “Richie Precision’s systems are now fully operational and helping to deliver the promised volumes. An added bonus of the company’s use of Robo-Trex is, the optimum machine tool conditions and stability enabled by non-interrupted, 24/7 production has minimised the amount of out of tolerance components being manufactured.”