A series of complex fourth and fifth axis Kitagawa workholding packages for precise component location, clamping and indexing has been specified by a leading European automotive industry customer to complement the upgrading of four Korean-built VMCs used to machine aluminium HGV road wheels.

Underlining Kitagawa's ability to custom engineer, project manage and support contracts anywhere in the world through its own resources, the order was secured on an online auction against competition from several other European rotary table manufacturers. At the heart of Kitagawa's solution is a large trunnion arrangement, which allows the customer's 630mm diameter alloy wheels to be located on expanding mandrels. The mandrels incorporate built-in work seating and orientation sensors and are positioned on a static hydraulic cylinder mounted on a rotary table. In turn, this sub-assembly is located on the trunnion, which is controlled by a second Kitagawa rotary table.

Extensive use of standard Kitagawa internal rotary joints and tail spindle components has enabled a compact assembly to be achieved. In addition, all services are grouped at a single input area - an important customer requirement for volume production use. Built and tested at Kitagawa's Wiltshire headquarters prior to shipment, the purpose-designed workholding units were installed onto the refurbished machine tools in-country by Kitagawa Korea. Subsequently, engineers from Kitagawa Germany and Kitagawa Europe commissioned and fine tuned the equipment on site at the customer's manufacturing plant in Hungary. "Our selection for this important contract not only endorses the quality and performance of our rotary table equipment, but also demonstrates our ability to provide in-house support to customers anywhere in the world," says Kitagawa Europe's sales director, Colin Birch. "The special purpose units have performed faultlessly since their installation, enabling the customer's production to be steadily ramped up over the past few months. This has resulted in a series of follow-on orders for mandrels as manufacturing throughput has increased."

Production Engineering Solutions
November 2008.