Special-purpose chucks regulate quality at Kenmac
Special-purpose chucks regulate quality at Kenmac
Keywords: Aerospace, Manufacturing, Quality
When critical control product manufacturer Kenmac required a replacement chuck for a CNC turning machine, the company knew the equipment would have to withstand substantial scrutiny in terms of reliability and accuracy – that is why a special-purpose Hainbuch chuck from Leader Chuck Systems of Birmingham(www.leaderchuck.com) was specified.
“Due to the harsh operating environment, the chuck on the subspindle of our seven-year-old Traub TNC 65 dual-spindle CNC lathe had become unreliable,”explains Production Engineer Duncan Hindle.
He goes on to explain that while Kenmac manufactures a range of products– such as regulators, valves and manifolds – for the flow control,instrumentation and process control industries, the company also provides a contract manufacturing service for the aerospace sector.
“This range of work means there is often a high quantity of swarf and coolant around the chuck. The nature of our work demands high tolerances,especially with regards to concentricity, and this was a key factor when we selected the Hainbuch chuck.”
Promoting excellent concentricity and high- accuracy clamping (standard run-out is within 0.002 mm TIR), Hainbuch chucks are also characterised by rapid changeovers via easy- to-adjust mechanisms, something that Kenmac fully utilises.
“Batches range from as low as 15-off up to 4,000-off, so flexibility is important to us,” says Duncan Hindle, “and the Hainbuch system copes without difficulty.”
Kenmac has 40 years experience in the manufacture of aerospace components and the design and manufacture of products for critical applications from its 5,000 m2 purpose-built factory on the Isle of Man. According to Duncan Hindle, production is split approximately 50/50 between the manufacture of its own products and contract parts for other companies.
With respect to contract manufacturing, the company has Rolls-Royce CQC 103 approval as well as approval from Westland Helicopters. Much of the aerospace components produced are fixture-type parts such as bolts, taper bolts, engine mounting pins, studs and nuts (plain and splined). Materials include 316 stainless steel, nimonics and hastalloys.
Kenmac's extensive machining facility includes CNC turning, prismatic machining, grinding, pressure testing and NDT capabilities.
“We produce a wide range of components from difficult materials in varying batch sizes. It is testament to the Hainbuch chuck that it can handle fluctuations of this nature and I have to say that we are very pleased with its performance,” concludes Duncan Hindle.
Details available from: Leader Chuck Systems Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 121 771 4843;Fax: +44 (0) 121 771 0966; E-mail: information@leaderchuck.co.uk;Web site: www.leaderchuck.com
