Rotary transfer machine

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Rotary Transfer Machine Rotary transfer machine.jpg
Rotary Transfer Machine

A rotary transfer machine is a machine tool, typically for metal working by machining, comprising a large indexing table with machining stations surrounding the table. Such rotary transfer machines are used for producing a large number of parts in fairly short cycle times. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Operation

In rotary transfer machines, the workpieces are located and clamped in pallet type fixtures that are indexed in a circular path. During one cycle, sequential machining operations are performed simultaneously on the workpieces. The indexed table turns vertically or horizontally, and its movement could be continuous or intermittent. As the indexing table turns, the subsequent machining operation is repeated on the workpiece which was just machined by the previous station. This design combines automated part feed with simultaneous operations, enabling rapid completion of parts.

Applications

Rotary transfer machines are commonly used for the mass-production of metal parts in the automotive industry and for pneumatic and hydraulic fittings. The parts can range from simple to complex, depending on the layout of the machining tool, which is often custom-designed for the manufacturing of a single part or family of parts. Rotary arrangement presents a compact arrangement that saves floor space. The annual production capacity of one rotary transfer machine can range from 100'000 units to tens of millions of units.

Rotary transfer machines can generally cope with all standard machining operations like turning, milling, drilling, reaming, threading, recessing, marking, deburring, etc... for sizes ranging more or less from a fingernail up to a backpack.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lathe</span> Machine tool which rotates the work piece on its axis

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forging</span> Metalworking process

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drill</span> Tool used to create holes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indexing head</span> Dividing head

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fixture (tool)</span> Device for firmly holding a workpiece during manufacturing

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Single-pass bore finishing is a machining process similar to honing to finish a bore, except the tool only takes a single pass. The process was originally developed to improve bore quality in cast iron workpieces.

Surface grinding is done on flat surfaces to produce a smooth finish.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automatic lathe</span>

In metalworking and woodworking, an automatic lathe is a lathe with an automatically controlled cutting process. Automatic lathes were first developed in the 1870s and were mechanically controlled. From the advent of NC and CNC in the 1950s, the term automatic lathe has generally been used for only mechanically controlled lathes, although some manufacturers market Swiss-type CNC lathes as 'automatic'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milling (machining)</span> Removal of material from a workpiece using rotating tools

Milling is the process of machining using rotary cutters to remove material by advancing a cutter into a workpiece. This may be done by varying directions on one or several axes, cutter head speed, and pressure. Milling covers a wide variety of different operations and machines, on scales from small individual parts to large, heavy-duty gang milling operations. It is one of the most commonly used processes for machining custom parts to precise tolerances.

CNC riveting is a CNC process used for obtaining permanent mechanical fastening of geometrical shapes, ranging from simple to complex shapes, such as aircraft fuselages. This is done in a shorter duration of time with a high riveting rate. The process is fast, robust, and is flexible in nature; thus improving its usage and providing reliability to the riveted joint along with the final product quality. CNC riveting can be used for a variety of operations ranging from riveting and fastening belts, skin panels, shear ties, and other internal fuselage components.

Rule based DFM analysis for forging is the controlled deformation of metal into a specific shape by compressive forces. The forging process goes back to 8000 B.C. and evolved from the manual art of simple blacksmithing. Then as now, a series of compressive hammer blows performs the shaping or forging of the part. Modern forging uses machine driven impact hammers or presses that deforms the work-piece by controlled pressure.

References

  1. Dolgui, A (2008). "Graph approach for optimal design of transfer machine with rotary table". International Journal of Production Research. 47 (2): 321–341. doi:10.1080/00207540802425880.
  2. Yan, Ruqiang (2020). "Knowledge Transfer for Rotary Machine Fault Diagnosis". IEEE Sensors Journal. 20 (15): 8374–8393. doi:10.1109/JSEN.2019.2949057.
  3. Olga, Battaïa (2023). "MIP-based heuristics for combinatorial design of reconfigurable rotary transfer machines for production of multiple parts". International Journal of Production Economics. 262 (108904). doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2023.108904 via Science Direct.