Super Precision & Productivity Magazine - Volume 2, Issue 2 - (Page 11)

Story by Robin Bergstrom - RYB Communications Jig Grinding Up from the Farm Don’t be misled: We’re not talking about taking serene cattle farms in the hills of Pennsylvania and turning them into successful mega-metalworking enterprises with a depth and breadth of process and technology that challenges imagination. What we are talking about is a tool and die company that started on a farm and moved a few miles down the road and grew to a hundredmillion dollar operation employing a 700plus top-flight workforce. The farm still exists and stands testament to technology and to constant learning. SAXONBURG, PA - “Last week,” begins Bill Jones, president, Penn United Technologies, Inc., “we were roughing carbide on our new Hauser S35-400 jig grinder, and the material was so hard that we couldn’t see what was going inside the machine due to all the smoke and mist. I immediately contacted Hardinge (who markets the product in North America) and told them I had concerns about the smoke. They calmly told me to relax and explained that there was nothing to be concerned about. In fact, if it weren’t smoking then we weren’t doing something right. So, from that perspective, I think that how you remove a lot of material is a little different than what we’ve been used to. Our guys are starting to adjust to this, and the Hauser is proving a great performer in removing really hard, tough material.” The Hauser S35-400 is not only Penn United’s newest jig grinder, it’s also the only grinder at Penn United that uses the HI-CUT system — grinding with oil as a lubricant/coolant. Jones says that you really can’t grind carbide with a water-based coolant, as the water leaches the cobalt out of the carbide. The other choice, which is the main choice of lubricant in jig grinding at Penn United, is air. Generally, when grinding carbide in a dry application (using air as the lubricant), the wheel is the weakest link. If the wheel holds up, the air turbine spindle could become a problem. But with the HI-CUT system, which is an oil chiller/fire suppression oil coolant system, you don’t have to worry about wheel or spindle failure. Two of the biggest advantages, Jones says, are the tool life and the finishes. “Not only is the tool life better because we’re using fewer tools — as in a single wheel to rough and finish. Before we had to use a low-grit roughing wheel and a high-grit finishing wheel. Now we can use a high-grit roughing wheel and go start to finish with one wheel. Obviously, if we’re only using a single wheel, then there’s an apparent savings — in this case 60 percent to 70 percent. Another area where Jones is seeing a distinct advantage is in cycle time reduction. As an overall average, he’s seeing reductions of 30 to 35 percent, “and we know we’re not doing everything to full efficiency,” he says. “We’ve still a long way to go learning all of what the Hauser can do, but to see these initial cycle time reductions is remarkable.” S.P & P Magazine . . 11

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Super Precision & Productivity Magazine - Volume 2, Issue 2

Super Precision & Performance - Volume 2, Issue 2 Contents Corner View Worth Noting World View Jig Grinding From Farm Branson-Tooling Radical Sportscar Creating The Impression Hardinge QUEST GT 27 S Hardinge ELITE 27 MS Propelling Productivity Bridgeport FGC 2

Super Precision & Productivity Magazine - Volume 2, Issue 2

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