Finishing touch

Specifically designed to handle small components with bore sizes from 1.4mm to 10mm in diameter,

The new machine extends the Engis range of bore finishing solutions, which includes both standard and custom machines, to meet the production requirements for small, medium and large parts.

Using Engis diamond plated bore finishing tools, the MPM can achieve bore geometries to within half a micron in standard and semi-blind bores, bringing a high level of accuracy to small bore finished parts.

Machining small bores into small components presents significant production challenges, primarily due to the difficulty of ensuring the stability of both tool and component. The accuracy and tool life are dependent on the process having more finesse than is the case for larger bores in larger components.

In order to achieve this level of refinement, the MPM has been designed with separate drives to each of its spindles, offering the ability to program the speed of the individual tools to ensure optimum performance. In addition, torque feedback for each spindle monitors the tool performance, maximising accuracy and extending its life.

The diamond bore finishing tools themselves are designed and manufactured by Engis with the benefit of its many years of expertise in designing small diameter tooling for standard and semi-blind bores. The tools are individually specified for the material and the component being machined, so optimising the geometry, surface finish and piece part cost of the process.

In terms of ergonomics the MPM offers an easy to use touchscreen interface, operator friendly programming and remote operator monitoring and control capability via a tablet or similar device.

While the MPM has been engineered to operate effectively and efficiently in long production run applications, it also offers quick changeover capability to minimise downtime in shorter-run situations.

With its very small footprint of less than a square metre, the MPM can be installed in even the tightest of spaces, and as an additional benefit, its compact size, linked to its high-speed electronic indexer, optimises machining cycle times, reduces the amount of coolant required and the amount of waste generated.

The machine has been designed for ease of installation, requiring only an electrical connection and, where non-pneumatic fixtures are used, with no need for clean air provision. The design also incorporates a movable coolant system that slides into the base of the machine during operation, as well as separate electrical enclosures for low and high voltage. According the Engis, the benefits of single pass boring over conventional honing include: predictable, consistent results; improved bore quality; shorter cycle times; less frequent inspection and higher production rates.

Conventional hole finishing/bore honing uses a tool with cutting surfaces that expand and contract as the tool reciprocates in the bore through the cycle. Unfortunately, simultaneous radial and axial movement makes controlling bore size and cylindricity more difficult.

Using the single pass bore finishing process, fixed size bore tools electroplated with diamond abrasive particles pass through the bore only once. Using a series of progressively larger bore finishing tools (coated with progressively finer superabrasive particles) enables precise and repeatable control of the machined bore.

Engis single pass technology – using a combination of software, in-process sensors and sophisticated engineering – spreads the workload over a range of tools on an indexing table, reducing cycle times and improving part quality while enabling the maintenance of tight tolerances (0.0005mm) on bore geometry under production conditions, resulting in production gains and major reductions in costs.

Engis
www.engis.com