On target for full production

Tooling for the production of rifles and guns needs to produce high quality surface finishes. PES hears how newly established Border Ballistics Technologies (BBT) has selected a grinding machine from ANCA to overcome the problems associated with producing these parts.

Prompted by the desire to provide high quality tooling for gunsmiths, primarily chamber reamers, head-space gauges and rifling buttons, Border Ballistics Technologies (BBT) was established by Geoffrey Kolbe, an expert marksman and widely acknowledged published authority on the subject of ballistics.

“As a previous regular user of gunsmith tooling, not only was I unhappy about the extended delivery times quoted by suppliers,” he says, “I also concluded that through the use of the best available equipment I would be able to produce better quality and more efficient versions of tools such as chamber reamers.

“In the course of preparing my business plan, in addition to researching other machine tools, I considered the merits of the available tool and cutter grinders. As my choice of tool and cutter grinder would be the critical to the success of my new enterprise I paid particular attention to the accuracy and the surface finish quality of the output of the various options. Given that I would be producing one-offs and specials, the speed of changeovers and total grinding times were also major considerations.

“As the MX5 grinder from ANCA scored highly on all of my criteria I was happy to place an order,” he reveals. “Since the machine’s installation, I have spent a great deal of development time honing and fine tuning my production methods prior to embarking on full scale production.

“A major milestone was the production of the company’s first chamber reamer, a 308 Win finisher, in July 2016. Having then chambered a barrel with the reamer, I was happy to report that it worked perfectly. The reamer’s surface finish was excellent, with no rings or pick up; the very accurate tool was also very stable and generated no chatter at all when used.”

Up to the max

The MX Linear tool grinder range is specifically designed to meet the needs of tool production facilities seeking maximum output while remaining flexible to customer requirements. Based on a rigid design and bi-symmetrical gantry that ensures tool accuracy MX machines have been proven in the market place to provide superior performance in today’s challenging production environments.

As standard equipment, the popular machines now include ANCA LinX Linear Motors for axis motion (X and Y axes). In conjunction with linear scales this advanced technology provides a high level of machine precision and performance, resulting in superior tool accuracy and surface finish. The use of LinX Linear Motors means that over time there is no loss of machine accuracy due to wear, in addition temperature variations are no longer an issue. LinX Linear Motors achieve higher axis speeds and acceleration whilst maintaining a smoother axis motion, leading to reduced cycle times and greater productivity.

Cylindrical LinX Linear Motors have been designed to provide a lifetime of trouble free operation within harsh grinding environments. As the generated magnetic field is cylindrical in nature, there is no additional down force on the rails or machine base. As the motors contain no contacting parts, they experience less wear, also as they are rated to IP67 LinX Linear Motor are sealed against the ingress of grinding contamination.

The LinX uses less energy than an equivalent flat-bed style linear motor and has the same power consumption as a ballscrew system but with greater efficiency. The design of the motor also naturally isolates any heating effects meaning that the machine does not require the use of a separate chiller unit.

Mixing the options

Although it is the entry machine of the MX Linear range, the MX5 Linear tool grinder, as purchased by Border Ballistics, includes the most important features of the premium MX platform. The MX5 Linear was designed with volume producers in mind and has the flexibility to efficiently manufacture mixed batches.

Incorporating ANCA’s 40 years of software experience, ANCA’s ToolRoom software ensures that all MX Linear machines are able to efficiently handle any manufacturing or regrinding challenge.

Mr Kolbe concludes: “The assistance given by Anca UK’s staff has been invaluable in the development stage of my business. It has also helped that I am able to write the necessary manufacturing programs offline with the use of Anca’s Cim3D.

“This easy to use software aids the company’s efficiency, as a program for the next production run can be written offline whilst the current reamer is being ground. Border Ballistics Technologies will soon be able to ramp-up production and provide a quick turnaround across a comprehensive range of cartridge designs.”

Anca (UK) www.anca.com

Border Ballistics Technologies www.border-ballistics-technologies.com