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ON MANUFACTURING GEAR Horizontal Machining Centers Are Universal Workstation Built for Purpose Although people don't talk much about the Toyota Production System any more, it is no less effective than it has ever been. One of the big changes in terms of factory layouts that TPS dictated was the elimi- nation of equipment that were, in effect, "momumnets," replaced by equipment that was lighter and more fexible in deploy- ment. Which brings us to an example of a workstation produced for on-line quality checks and paperwork along a stamping line, a workstation produced with components from Creform. Know that these components allow the construction of a variety of equipment and that this is just an example. The application in question has a 0.5-in. thick black plastic work surface for parts, gauges and paperwork, and a shelf that accommodates a computer. There is a panel above the work surface that can be used for document presentation; the panel is ftted with a Creform fat pipe that holds clip-on plastic bins. There are also tool storage, hooks and a power distribution strip. The work station has a load capacity of 250 lb. Illumination is provided by an overhead 4-ft. light. This particular setupmeasures 48 in. wide, 28 in. deep and 68 in. high. Because not all employees are the same height, there is an Ergo Lift hydraulic cylinder that permits the height of the workstation to be adjusted with a simple crank. The Ergo Lift has a 1,000-lb capacity and a 12-in. stroke. creform.com Heller Machine Tools has launched the CP 4000 series of horizontal machining centers. While these machines are nominally horizontal, they can also perform horizontal, vertical and tilted turning with A and B axes with high dynamics and chip removal rates. Vertical and horizontal turning operations of outer and inner contours can be accomplished with the C axis and optional A and B axes. So consider the CP 4000 to be a fve-axis mill/turn center. When equipped with a PCU 63 swivel head unit and HSK-T 63 spindle taper, the machine provides a work area of 800 x 800 x 1,045 mm, X, Y, Z. The CP 4000 offers 44-kW power, 242-Nm torque and up to 10,000-rpm spindle speed. High cutting performance is achieved due to the extremely stiff swivel-head geometry, torsional stiffness and form ft provided by a spindle locking feature. When the workpiece must be rotated against the tool, the rotary table with direct torque drive delivers the required power and speeds up to 1,000 rpm. To identify imbalances on the workpiece or the rotary table, Heller developed a machine func- tion which uses internal drive signals to identify even the slightest imbalances on the workpiece, enabling precise centric clamping. A specially defned user interface supports the operator in correcting imbalances. heller-us.com Milling Cutters for High Productivity A heptagon is a seven-sided polygon. The Walter BLAXX M3024 high-productivity milling cutter from Walter USA is a heptagon. And this means that the insert offers 14 cutting edges, which reduces tooling costs. The M3024 is available in diameters from 1.5 to 6.0 in. (40-160 mm). The inserts are formed with Walter's advanced cutting tool material, Tiger•tec Silver, which is available in two CVD coated grades (WKP25S, WKP35S) for the machining of steel and cast iron, and three PVD coated grades (WSM35S, WKK25S and WSP45S) for the machining of steel, stainless steel, cast iron and diffcult-to-cut materials. The milling cutter offers a positive cutting action, which results in the ability to achieve high metal-removal rates, even with low-performance machines. It is available in three geometries: F27, F57 and F67. The inserts are secured in the pocket by Torx Plus screws, adding an extra level of stability, and thus process reliability. In addition, a screw-secured solid carbide shim provides optimum support and high feed per tooth, plus optimal contact in the pocket. Along with a higher level of reliability and lower tooling costs, the new Walter BLAXX M3024 heptagon milling cutter boasts a high metal removal rate, even on low-performance machines, thanks to its positive cutting action. The M3024 comes in three geometries: The F27, the F57 and the F67, which optimize sta- bility, universal application, and easy cutting action, respectively. walter-tools.com/us 46