VG TURBOGRINDER T-300-K

Used Machines

WORKING WIDTH:  300 MM

CONTACT ROLLER HARDNESS:   70° SHORE GRINDING AGAINST FEED

MAIN MOTOR:  7.5 KW

CONVEYOR DRIVE:   2 SPEED

CONVEYOR FEED SPEED:  5 & 10 M/MIN

CONVEYOR TYPE:   PROFILED

TABLE ELEVATION:  MANUAL

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GRINDINGMASTER MCSB 600 Serial No. KE40610

Used Machines

• WORKING WIDTH:  600 MM
• CONTACT ROLLER HARDNESS:  55° SHORE
• MAIN MOTOR:  11 KW
• CONVEYOR DRIVE:  1.1 KW VARIATOR
• CONVEYOR FEED SPEED:  6 – 15 M/ MIN
• CONVEYOR TYPE:  SUPERGRIP
• TABLE ELEVATION:  POWERED RISE & FALL SETMATIC
• BELT OSCILLATION:  PNEUMATIC MEMBRANE

MSB 900 Serial No. TP1619-09

Used Machines

Specifications

• WORKING WIDTH:    900 mm
• CONTACT ROLLER HARDNESS:  80˚ SHORE
• 2 SPEED MAIN MOTOR:   12.5/ 15 KW
• CONVEYOR DRIVE:    0.37 KW VARIATOR
• CONVEYOR FEED SPEED:   4-12 M/ MIN
• CONVEYOR TYPE:    SUPERGRIP
• TABLE ELEVATION:    MANUAL
• BELT OSCILLATION:  PNEUMATIC MEMBRANE

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Deburring under control at Easton Sheetmetal

Published Editorials

From this point of view, even a tool in pristine condition leaving a neat square edge is leaving a burr, in that the edge is still sharp. This is a positive advantage to some clients but sub-contractors often aren’t aware of their customer’s preferences until a batch is failed and returned due to “sharp edges”. Best then to smooth off all edges and ensure that no ragged areas are left.

This is all well and good if your punching operation plods along and the operator can fill in by hand deburring an earlier batch within the cycle time. However, when, like Easton Sheet Metal your latest metal production cell is a state of the art, self-feeding Amada Vipros 358 King & LKI 250M Sheet Handling System running through the night unattended cutting at up to 1200 hits (therefore edges) per minute, something a tad more sophisticated is required. Says Managing Director Andrew Easton “It isn’t just a question of preparing punched parts for subsequent handling, square edges and burrs cause problems with paint adhesion. With such demanding customers as ours, a quick scrape with a file just won’t deliver the consistency we require in the time available.”

Easton Sheet Metal’s philosophy must be right somewhere as they are currently commissioning a further 8500 square feet of production space, 50% more than current levels.

It was natural therefore that Easton turned again to Ellesco for their advice. Having run one Grindingmaster for 12 years, mostly in excess of its design capacity, with no ill-effects, Ellesco were asked to re-assess Easton’s needs. With access to the world’s largest range of wide belt machines, the possibilities that Ellesco had to offer were comprehensive to say the least.

Easton’s choice boiled down to two options, trade-up to a heavier “all singing and dancing” machine or augment. With now two CNC punch presses running, round the clock in some cases, the comfort factor of a second machine won the day. Andrew Easton again takes up the story “It wasn’t that we had any qualms in relying on a single Grindingmaster, our 14 year old machine which we purchased second-hand has never missed a beat, but two machines gave us the flexibility to utilise two sets of labour when it suited us. Deburring does not earn money, it only costs if you get it wrong, and maintaining labour flexibility is an important factor in keeping costs down.”

So, what specification was needed? The old machine was of the simple belt linisher type that was ideal for grain finishes and punch burr removal but Easton’s now wanted more, especially in smoothing off edges. Technology had naturally moved on and the latest models, recently completely redesigned, boasted a host of upgrades. Essentially, however, Easton were able to retain the graining function they liked but add to it in the form of a powered, oscillating brush operation to smooth off edges and, if required, give brushed finishes.

Accordingly a new Series 2000, twin-head Grindingmaster was delivered, commissioned and immediately put to intensive use. And what of the old machine? This was completely refurbished at Ellesco’s workshops. With Grindingmasters up to 25 years old, and other machines, inherited by acquisitions within the Ellesco group, dating back to the ’60′s, in-house repair and refurbishment is an ever-growing requirement in Ellesco’s wide belt business.

The last words belong to Andrew Easton “We are in the business of sub-contract sheet metal fabrications, not the machinery market. I don’t have time to investigate an entire machinery sector. I expect the people that come to talk to me to be metal working specialists, to offer me the right equipment for the job and to back up their products with readily available ancillary equipment, parts and service. In the field of sheet metal deburring, only Ellesco fits the bill.”

Bottleneck banished by Timesavers

Published Editorials

The recent installation of a Grindingmaster Timesavers disc deburring machine at Preston-based Precision Surfacing is proving a revelation. Not only has the new machine improved the consistency of parts, it has also greatly reduced manning levels and other associated costs.

The flat, profiled parts, supplied to the aerospace industry, have to be delivered burr-free. The company’s initial response was to put more people onto the job as and when demand required. However, as many of these parts are manufactured from clad alloy material, the hand deburring operation required a high level of skill and an inordinate amount of time. Using a combination of flapper discs and hand-held sanders and temporary staff the surface quality, while acceptable, was not consistent.

The difficulty with temporary workers was the effort and cost required to train them to a standard high enough for the work they were doing. “At times we have had nine temps working on the section in each shift,” says Mark Poole, Manufacturing Manager, “and as the temps were different on every occasion, we spent a huge amount of time training them. This also distracted the permanent staff from what they were doing. We needed a different solution to our problem. One that would cope with fluctuating workloads, the variety of material that we are working with and one that needed minimal operator input”.

Problems were compounded when one particular, major, customer condensed a 10 month parts schedule into three months, due to its own internal reorganisation. “We quickly realised that to meet that demand with conventional solutions was an impossibility with only temporary staff to call on,” says Mr Poole. The answer proved to be a Timesavers disc deburring machine supplied by Christchurch, Dorset-based Ellesco, which was delivered and installed within two weeks of the order being placed.

“We are running the Timesavers equipment on a single shift but already we are deburring the same volume of work in one day that would have taken four men, one week to achieve. At the same time we have caught up with a backlog of work, and a further cost-saving will come on stream as we have asked our sub-contractors to supply parts without deburring, something that we were being charged for in the past.

“Our permanent team is now able to cope with all of the deburring work, eliminating the costs associated with temporary staff. We quickly realised that people are not cost-effective for this type of work, nor are they consistent.”

Reject parts are now a thing of the past. “We have always produced parts of good quality,” he says. “This machine, I believe, makes us better, such that there is nobody in the UK that can supply these parts to the standard and on-time delivery ratio that we are supplying them at.”

Before installing the Timesavers machine a typical part required several hand deburring operations that took around 10 minutes to complete. Now three parts are completely deburred inside 30 seconds, including washing and drying of the parts as they are fed through the machine.

Operator Paul Jackson is an enthusiastic supporter of the new Grindingmaster Timesavers Disc deburring machine by Precision Surfacing, thanks to its speed, simplicity and cleanliness.

Racking containing what would have taken four men one week to deburr now carries enough work for one day following the introduction of the Timesavers machine supplied by Ellesco.

The highly productive Timesavers machine is eating into a backlog of parts while at the same time coping with supply from sub-contractors and internal supply of parts.

Manufactured by Grindingmaster in the Netherlands, the Timesavers 4100 Disc machine uses a large, rotating, ScotchBrite ® pad to deburr, tolerance finish, and finish components. Available in three widths (600, 900, 1100 and 1350 mm) it also has the advantage of being able to work components with features such as louvres.

Changeover time between components is minimised, taking only a matter of seconds, by the simple-to-use control screen via which the operator can adjust the abrasive, ScotchBrite ®, disc height, throughfeed rate and disc rotation speed. Where particular components are expected on a regular basis the control unit can store up 99 ‘programs’ containing the parameters mentioned, to make set-up even quicker. When the disc becomes worn it is removed from its Velcro ® locators and changed, again in a matter of minutes.

Heavy weld dressing of boxes

Published Editorials

Having invested substantially in state-of the-art CNC metalforming and plasma profiling machinery, a robot welding cell and a powder coating line over the past few years, Sutton, Surrey-based Brattonsound Engineering could well have rested on its laurels. But something was still missing.

Manufacturing a range of gun safes, Brattonsound Engineering operates in a market populated by low-cost, low-quality products from within the UK and Europe. The company had, therefore, taken the decision to ensure that its products, although more expensive, would be the best available in terms of functionality and quality.

However, there was one particular aspect of the manufacturing process that still needed attention, namely the weld dressing of the fabricated gun safe cabinets. Traditionally, Brattonsound had used angle grinders and sanding discs to remove any excess weld and to dress the six faces of the cabinets prior to painting. This process was not only labour intensive, with each cabinet having to be manually positioned five times to complete the process, but was also dirty, noisy and expensive, with each sanding disc having to be replaced after just two cabinets had been dressed.

Finding an alternative was proving both a problem and a slight embarrassment to Brattonsound’s managing director, Gerald Tagg. “When I was showing people around the factory, trying to impress them, I used to avoid that bit or to explain that I had not yet found the right machine. We were then introduced to Ingo Heiland, the sales manager of belt grinding machine specialist Kuhlmeyer, at a big hunting show in Germany, who suggested that he might have a machine that would solve our problems.” That particular machine is the Kuhlmeyer ZBS twin-belt grinding machine which, while partially automating the process, has in Mr Tagg’s words “brought this particular process into the 21st century.”

The installation of the ‘universal’ ZBS machine by Kuhlmeyer’s UK agent, Ellesco Limited, has resulted in many benefits for Brattonsound, particularly in the areas of health and safety, and quality. “The physical side of the work was a big concern, with the safe cabinets weighing up to 50 kg,” confirms Mr Tagg. “With the Kuhlmeyer machine you only have one lift onto the table, where the component is held in place by suction cups. Pneumatics then assist in positioning the part, after that the machine does all the hard work. So, from a health and safety point of view, the machine was a must. Additionally, with the versatility of the machine’s ‘universal-jointed’ table, the component can be ground on five sides in a single set-up.”

In the working area the two belts run parallel to each other before travelling around a ‘triangular’ pulley system. This provides the operator with an open and safe working environment. The component can then be presented to either of the belts and pressure applied using shaped pressure tools to achieve metal removal or the finish required. The use of a clever drive and idle wheel system, along with pneumatic belt tensioning, allows the belts to be flexed in any direction and up to 90 degrees from its axis without the loss of tracking.

One immediate benefit to Brattonsound, following the installation, has been a marked improvement in the working environment. The obvious by-product of weld dressing, namely grit and dust, used to be a serious concern. Even though masks were provided and operators instructed to wear them, they were disliked by the operators. The inclusion of a Carter-Thorne dust extraction unit has eliminated all of those concerns and has resulted in Mr Tagg being happy to show anyone the process.

Mr Tagg is also very complimentary about the level of service and support that he received from Ellesco and Kuhlmeyer. “We had no complaints at all. The two companies did everything that we expected of them.” This included a day’s training that helped Brattonsound to fully understand the capabilities of the machine. “We learnt so much in that day in terms of techniques and ways of thinking through the jobs. They also made recommendations as to the type of belts that we needed with each belt lasting up to three days”.

“I can honestly say that the ZBS machine beats our original method in every way you can think of and it is helping us as a UK manufacturer compete against low-cost imports as we are, in my opinion, now well ahead in terms of quality of product. Would we change back to our angle grinders?” They can’t have the ZBS back is the immediate rhetorical response.

“The gun safe market is very competitive, so you really need to get your act together, that is where machines like this come in.”

Brattonsound Engineering managing director Gerald Tagg.

Brattonsound Engineering was founded in 1982 as a sub-contract sheet metalworking company. It moved into the manufacture of its range of gun safes as a consequence of managing director, Gerald Tagg’s interest in clay pigeon shooting and his desire to keep his guns stored securely away from his children. All of its gun safe products are manufactured to exceed the requirements of BS 7558/92 and are widely used by UK and overseas police authorities and the Ministry of Defence. As a testament to quality over price, Brattonsound is currently producing 60 safes each day, all of which are for immediate dispatch to customers.

Ellesco: There is an old saying: ‘if you want to get ahead, get a hat’, but in the case of surface finishing and deburring it could be twisted to read: ‘if you want to get a finish, get Ellesco’. Now in its fourth decade of business, Ellesco rightly claims to be the UK’s leading supplier of large finishing and deburring machines. It was founded in 1975, principally to market the Grindingmaster range of machines that still forms part of its portfolio.

Along the way it has attracted other leading manufacturers to this portfolio, which now includes Kuhlmeyer (belt grinding); Autopulit (polishing); VG (grinding and polishing); Sugino (waterjet deburring); IEPC (cascade deburring); Timesavers (high pressure grinding) along with Ellesco’s own range of machines.

Cascade deburring improves productivity at Rotary Power

Published Editorials

Founded 30 years ago Newcastle-based Rotary Power, part of the British Engines Ltd (BEL) group, is a market-leading manufacturer of hydraulic pumps and motors equipment. Its wide range of products is aimed at a diverse group of demanding applications and includes pumps and motors with up to 125 cm3 displacement for the chemical and processing industries through to hydraulic motors used in heavy industry with capacities up to 16,000 cm3 displacement.

For Rotary Power, the quality of the finished item is paramount and the removal of burrs and other sharp edges is seen as vitally important to the manufacturing process. The traditional method of removing these features was to hand-fettle, which is both time consuming and inconsistent.

“Due to the nature of some of our castings and the complexity of the cast cavities it could take up to 45 minutes to deburr one component,” says Steve Holt, Rotary Power’s Production Manager, “We also ran the risk of damaging components and, worse still, scrapping a part and losing all the value added up to that point.”

This situation was compounded in recent years by the increased volumes and the greater complexity that was being designed into the pumps and motors. A solution had to be found and after numerous options were investigated, including water and chemical deburring methods, Christchurch, Dorset-based Ellesco provided the answer to the problem.

As the UK agent for Iowa Engineered Processes Corp. (IEPC), Ellesco proposed the use of its Cascade method of deburring. This patented Cascade process combines a controlled flow of media, liquid cleaning compound and high frequency oscillations to produce a mix of burnishing, peening and shearing actions to deburr components.

The media, usually case hardened steel balls or pins, flows through and around the component(s) while being vibrated at a frequency between 2300 and 2900 cycles per minute, at an amplitude of between 4.75 and 6.35 mm. This action creates peak accelerations of 40g and the result is a smooth finish, free of any burrs. The machine installed at rotary power is the 1300 model, which can deburr large components weighing up to 0.6 tonne inclusive of fixture and media.

“During the evaluation process it became immediately apparent that this was the right process for us,” confirms Steve Holt. “The machine has had an immediate impact on our business with productivity increasing dramatically and the previous bottleneck, caused by manual deburring, has disappeared completely. Quality has also benefited, with not one part being rejected since the machine was installed. We are now confident to issue parts from the Cascade machine directly to assembly.”

Throughout the evaluation process the key issues were quality and consistency, the dramatic reduction in cycle times being an added bonus. The previous 45 minutes required to hand deburr has now been reduced to between 10 and 12 minutes, which includes the integral washing process and load and unload; although cycle times can be as low as five minutes, depending on component and process requirements. A further benefit, that also improves component throughput, is the fact that multiple components can be loaded to the simple, fabricated, fixtures.

Initially developed for high volume applications, the Cascade system has proved itself ideally suited to the medium volumes encountered at Rotary Power. This is due in part to the simplicity of the set-up and programming of the machine. Components are mounted on fixtures, a process that can be manual or automated with robots, This fixture is then enclosed and the cycle commences with the deburring media being released and the oscillations set for a pre-determined time cycle. A plc unit controls all of this and individual elements, such as deburring, washing, and vibration frequency, are easily controlled and pre-programmed. Standard method sheets with photographic memory aids are also used at Rotary Power to make setting both quicker and easier.

The result is a process that provides repeatable and predictable cycle times, irrespective of the loading of the machine, while at the same time eliminating part-to-part contact and, unlike other processes, it is ideal for large, heavy and low-value components.

A typical component from Rotary Power before (right) and after the Cascade process, highlighting the overall improvement in surface quality, inside and out.

Two working widths are available, 900 and 1350mm. The machine will accept components up to 70mm thick and down to delicate items such as plastic films and printed circuit boards. Thousands of case-hardened steel balls ‘Cascade’ through the oscillating component, creating burnishing, peening and shearing actions to remove all burrs and improve external and internal surface quality.

The scale of the Cascade 1300 machine installed at Rotary Power makes it ideal for medium to high volume loads of up to 0.6 tonne.

Editor’s notes:

Rotary Power is a member of the Newcastle-based British Engines Ltd (BEL) Group. Specialising in the manufacture of high quality hydraulic equipment for use in a wide range of applications, the 120-employee company generates turnover in the region of £10 million per year and has subsidiary companies in the USA and Germany.

The company’s products include open circuit heavy-duty, fixed and variable, axial piston pumps and motors with capacities from 11.5 to 125 cm3/rev and the C-range of axial piston pumps for high-accuracy fluid metering with precision metering controls. While its XL motors are of radial piston-cam configuration and provide the efficiencies and pressure capabilities typical of HTLS motor design, while the SMA radial piston/eccentric motor range, with hydrostatically balanced rotating assembly, is designed to satisfy the heaviest duty application.

Ellesco is now in its fourth decade of business and rightly claims to be the UK’s leading supplier of large finishing and deburring machines. Founded in 1975, principally to market the Timesavers / Grindingmaster range of abrasive belt and brush machines, the company has, along the way, attracted other manufacturers to its exclusive portfolio, all market leaders in their own fields: Autopulit, Kuhlmeyer and VG

The vast experience of deburring and surface finishing that the company has gained over this period is being put to good use in a diverse range of industries and virtually any deburring and surface finish application can be catered for.

Grindingmaster delivers 24 hour production for SPS Aerostructures

Published Editorials

A substantial investment in a state-of-the-art Grindingmaster surface finishing/deburring system at SPS Aerostructures has met with the approval of its major aerospace clients.

With a client base consisting of most of the world’s leading aerospace manufacturers, SPS Aerostructures is acutely aware of the need to deliver components of the highest quality, 100 per cent of the time and on schedule. A reliance on manual deburring was, therefore, somewhat of an anomaly at the company’s sheet metal fabrication and structural assembly division in Annesley, Nottinghamshire. This recently-built facility operates the latest flow-line manufacturing techniques but manual deburring was proving to be inefficient and could not provide the guarantee of quality required.

The solution was provided by deburring and surface finishing specialist Ellesco. The Christchurch, Dorset-based company proposed the installation of a Timesavers multi-directional, rotary abrasive disc, deburring system manufactured by Grindingmaster. This system is a wet process and deburrs and finishes the cut edges of parts in all directions in a single pass. The actual surface of the component also undergoes some improvements, including cleaning, during the process. Components are loaded onto the vacuum table at the front of the machine, deburred and then dried before exiting the rear of the machine where, in the case of SPS, they are transferred to an integrated conveyor, that delivers them back to the operator.

David Osborne, SPS Aerostructure’s Cell Manager, says: “The decision to invest in the Timesavers machines was part of our internally driven process of continuous quality improvement. We were finding that over a shift using manual deburring techniques it was extremely difficult to maintain a consistent level of quality with component finishes varying between employees. This situation was not good enough to meet our own internally driven quality processes, so we had to investigate alternatives.”

Health and safety was also a major issue for SPS Aerostructures as, with up to 12 men operating manual orbital sanding equipment, the atmosphere in the working area was contaminated with dust and noise pollution.

“It was an existing customer of ours, who was already using Timesavers equipment who suggested we considered this approach. Our initial plan was to install one machine to deburr all of our aluminium parts with a second machine for use on steel and titanium parts being part of a more long-term plan.”

However, such was the success of the first machine in reducing manual operations and delivering consistent component quality and improving productivity, that SPS brought forward this long-term plan and a second machine was in-situ within three months of the first being installed. The support of Ellesco and its team of engineers aided the ramp up of production. “We had superb support and service from Ellesco,” says David Osborne. “They gave us all the training we required and they were happy for someone to remain on-site until SPS was happy that all our operators were fully-conversant with the machine and its systems.”

Following the installation SPS was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Timesavers machines. Initially it had been envisaged that, given the volume of work being produced both machines would operate on a three-shift system. This has proved not to be the case with two shifts providing ample time to deburr and finish all of SPS’s production requirements.

Some of these productivity gains have come about as a direct result of the controllability and consistency of the Timesavers machines. Thanks to the plc control, components are processed consistently in line with the machine settings, which can include up to 999 different parameter combinations which are set according to duty – ie bad rag or light lick-over – and material to be processed. The operator/programmer has infinite control over parameters such as conveyor speed, disc rotation speed, disc pressure, grinding head pressure, coolant flow rates, and material thickness amongst others.

Further benefits in production control are now being witnessed by SPS as David Osborne explains: “Parts now come straight from our lasers or routers and are delivered directly to the Timesavers. This is eliminating all of our holding/waiting of material and reducing work in progress dramatically. At the same time the flow of work through the factory is now uninterrupted and the bottleneck that was manual deburring has been eliminated.”

Kuhlmeyer investment helps carlton laser services ‘work smarter’

Published Editorials

Leicester-based Carlton Laser Services has built its business on the firm foundation of investment in the most suitable technology, systems and the development of their people to meet the demands of its customer base. Those customers tend to operate in what Mohan Jassi, Carlton’s Production Director, describes as niche markets, namely medical, food, electrical and specialist vehicles. The result is a business that specialises in producing laser cut components and complete fabrication solutions in the low to medium volume range, delivering to “just in time” and Kanban scheduling systems.

Working in these areas demands a great deal of flexibility on the part of Carlton Laser Services and its 70 employees. However, having heavy investment in automation, including an FMS laser/punching cell and highly efficient robot-loaded press brake highlighted another potential bottleneck and quality issue, namely manual weld dressing and finishing of completed fabrications.

“As part of our project of ‘working smarter’ we are constantly looking at ways of taking cost and time out of manufacture of components and we had identified solutions in terms of lasering and folding, etc, but one of the bottlenecks we had was the grinding section. The challenge was to reduce cycle times while at the same time deliver consistent quality,” says Mr Jassi.

The solution was to replace manual weld dressing operations with some form of automation, namely a Kuhlmeyer PZM 2.2 portal-type, twin-belt grinding machine from Ellesco. The machine, which is capable of working on fabrications up to 3 m in length, is equipped with two continuous grinding belts offering roughing and finishing options in the same setup. The belts run parallel to each other, travelling around a triangular pulley system, providing an open working environment for operating and loading the machine.

Once loaded onto the machine components can be easily positioned on the motorised axes to achieve the ideal working position, greatly reducing operator fatigue, and presenting any of the five available component faces to the belts for grinding. The operator then applies pressure using shaped hand tools or the machine’s ‘pendulous’ pressure pad to remove excess material.

“We see the future of manufacturing as one where you have to invest to survive,” says Mr Jassi. “You have to have the right equipment to remain competitive, particularly in the markets that we operate in. We have studied what our competitors are doing overseas, and this helped us to recognise that we have to constantly look at ways of reducing costs and improving product quality. To do this we have to recognise problems, identify solutions and work smarter. The installation of the Kuhlmeyer machine is a result of all of these.”

While the overall justification of the Kuhlmeyer machine was based on it operating across a range of components, one particular fabrication was at the core of that process. “This particular customer was driving us to reduce costs,” says Mr Jassi. “The nature of our business is that we work in strategic partnerships with our customers and in doing so we were able to discuss their requirements as part of our ongoing relationship. We then worked with Ellesco to engineer the ideal solution”.

The result is a reduction in weld dressing time on this component from six hours to 3.5 hours, with the added benefit of consistent quality no matter which of the three shifts is producing the work. Many of these benefits were evident within 4-6 weeks of the machine being installed. Carlton Laser Services’ operators, who used to carry out these functions manually, have taken ownership of the machine and process and are helping to advance Carlton Laser Services lean manufacturing programme.

Now that the Kuhlmeyer machine is established what was once a bottleneck and a source of concern regarding consistent quality has become an area that is delivering genuine benefits to Carlton Laser Services and its customers.

Investment is the key to KMF precision growth strategy

Published Editorials

KMF are one of Staffordshire’s manufacturing success stories based in Newcastle-under-Lyme. A market leading supplier of Precision Sheet Metal components and Assemblies. The family-owned business was established 37 years ago and has achieved its success through a resolute commitment to quality, investment and innovation.

Its recent history has seen dramatic increase in turnover, driven in part by the decision to consolidate all of its manufacturing activities to one site. This, combined with an annual investment in new equipment of around £1 million per year has seen turnover grow from £9 million to over £20 million during the past five years. The result is a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that operates 24 hours, seven days per week, with the 250 permanent staff working a mix of conventional day / nights and continental four on four off shifts. This gives KMF the flexibility it needs to deliver the high levels of service expected by its diverse customer base, which range from blue chip organisations to sole traders.

Part of the recent growth in business has come about by winning contracts that had previously been lost by UK manufacturers, including KMF Precision, to low-cost economies in Eastern Europe. “Our ability to compete on a global scale is down to the high level of investment that the company is committed to,” says Graham Slide, Project Manager at KMF Precision. “We have to be in a position to take labour costs out of manufacturing to maintain our competitive advantage and enhance the quality of our products.” The most recent investment addresses both of these areas by eliminating a labour intensive process and at the same time creates a level of consistency that was difficult to achieve using previous methods. KMF has purchased a total of three Timesavers and one VG deburring machine from Ellesco. These will be used to process all flat (and some profiled) parts to create a consistent surface prior to painting. “Before installing the Timesavers and VG machines we used a ‘grinding’ process to create the surface finish we required,” says Graham Slide. “However, this process generated sharp edges, which required further manual processing. Now, because we specified deburring machines, we have a process that generates the required surface and deburrs the parts at the same time.”

A further advantage provided by the new machines is their ability to process Galvanised and Zintec material without detriment to the surface coating. “Our previous system was just too aggressive to process this type of material and we are now in a position to investigate lots of new business as a result of this capability. Similarly, with the ability to utilise different media in the process at the touch of a button, we can process different materials to a much higher quality standard” he confirms.

The Timesavers machines use a combination of abrasive belts, rotating deburring discs and roller brushes as a finishing medium. As the part is fed into the machine, held in place by a vacuum, the abrasive belt removes any initial burrs that might be present. It is then fed past the rotating disc that creates an initial surface finish on the part and also creates an even radius on all edges of the component. Before exiting the machine the parts pass the roller brush or a secondary abrasive belt to complete the surface finishing treatment, putting a straight ‘grain’ back on to the part.

All of this process is controlled by the machine’s touch-screen control units, which have a capability of storing up to 999 different programs to take in varying parameters such as material and process requirement. In effect, the operator/programmer has infinite control over parameters such as conveyor speed, disc rotation speed, disc pressure, grinding head pressure and material thickness. KMF have defined 5 generic program settings that are applicable for 80% of the entire work processed in the area. These programmes are identified on the manufacturing route cards keeping the process as simple as possible for the majority of work.

The larger of the machines installed at KMF is capable of processing sheet up to 1350 mm wide meaning that full size sheets, as well as small individual components can be deburred and the surface prepared. “The Vacuum belt systems are key to holding small parts and for continuous high quality graining. Our previous system used pinch rollers to control the parts on the belt, this caused quality issues due to the witness marks from dwell and differing pressure settings, these were eliminated by using a vacuum belt.”

The VG machine is also used for surface preparation and deburring but uses a slightly different process to achieve its results. The initial deburring is done by an abrasive belt before the part is passed through a series of oscillating ‘cup brushes’. This particular machine has been developed in line with KMF’s specific requirements, particularly the belt system. The standard machine uses a series of pinch rollers, but on the KMF machine VG used a magnetic work holding system. “This permanent magnet system within the belt area allows us to process much smaller parts than would normally be possible, without any problems,” says Graham Slide. “The machine also incorporates oscillating / rotating cup brushes that enable the machine to deburr Zintec components without removing the coating. We can also process parts that have shallow forms on them because of the style of the rotating cup brush abrasive media.”

The success of the cell containing the first two Timesavers machines and the VG machine resulted in a third Timesavers being installed, specifically for the preparation of parts for one particular customer. Positioned next to a Pressbrake, parts are fed through the Timesavers machine then bent as part of an inline process. The elimination of set-ups and reduced transportation around the factory has resulted in much more efficient and higher quality processes for KMF Precision.

“These installations are more than capable of processing any of our current work,” says Graham Slide, “but as a sub-contractor we do not necessarily know what work will be coming through our doors next. These machines give us the confidence to quote for and to take jobs on as we know that we now have the capability and flexibility to do pretty much any deburring or grinding that might be required.”

KMF Precision is aware that being based close to the Potteries the availability of skilled employees is always going to be an issue. To address this problem KMF has taken the decision to train its own staff, including the current cohort of 14 apprentices. In order to provide the right environment for this training the company has created an EAL (EMTA Awards Limited) accredited training centre equipped with latest communications technology for theoretical learning, and for practical learning a designated welding and fabrications bay. This will be operated in conjunction with the local technical college, and staffed by a team of fully-trained assessors who will be supported by two internal verifiers and one external verifier, making up the EAL training team.

“This facility allows us to train and assess employees in a diverse range of qualifications in both National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) and Vocational Related Qualifications (VRQ),” concludes Graham Slide. “The qualifications employees can achieve include advanced apprenticeships; health and safety; business improvement and machine maintenance.”

The success of the first two Timesavers machines installed at KMF Precision has resulted in a third, stand-alone machine being installed.

Editor’s notes:
Ellesco is now in its fourth decade of business and rightly claims to be the UK’s leading supplier of large finishing and deburring machines. Founded in 1975, principally to market the Timesavers / Grindingmaster range of abrasive belt and brush machines, the company has, along the way, attracted other manufacturers to its exclusive portfolio, all market leaders in their own fields: Autopulit, Kuhlmeyer, VG and IEPC. The vast experience of deburring and surface finishing that the company has gained over this period is being put to good use in a diverse range of industries and virtually any deburring and surface finish application can be catered for.

Business set to grow on back of timely investment

Published Editorials

Having started Plymouth Metal Polishing with an investment of £150 and achieving a first year turnover of £9000 back in 1989, Managing Director Steve Kelly is rightly proud of the business that is now one of the market leaders in metal polishing. His latest investment, a testament to his foresight and market awareness, is now moving the business forward to the next stage.

Over the past 20 years Steve Kelly has grown Plymouth Metal Polishing into what is now the largest company of its type in the south of England, supplying polished components to a diverse range of customers, ranging from individuals through to international construction companies and the leading manufacturers of superyachts.

“We have grown the business in stages and have had a policy of ongoing investment,” says Steve Kelly. “We are now in a position where we are able to operate on two levels, these being hand polishing and industrial polishing. By doing this we are able to maintain very good levels of business from a diverse range of customers.”

It is the latter area that has seen the latest round of investment with Plymouth Metal Polishing taking delivery of three Autopulit machines for linishing and polishing, supplied by Christchurch, Dorset-based Ellesco. “Towards the middle of last year I could see that we were heading towards difficult economic times,” says Steve Kelly. “Therefore, I had to make a decision whether to continue with the equipment that we had, which while reliable was not the most efficient, or to take the decision to invest in new equipment to ensure that we would be in a position to win and maintain business as the economy turned down. This is proving to be a wise decision.”

The three machines installed by Ellesco are proving to be highly productive and are bringing many advantages to Plymouth Metal Polishing. For example, a twin-headed, flat bed, linisher is being used to take flat bar or box section components to a high level of surface finish. The standard achieved by this machine is such that it satisfies almost all of Plymouth Metal Polishing’s requirements, with only components that require ‘super finishing’ needing additional operations.

The installation of the new linisher has brought marked improvements to both productivity and the working environment, as Steve Kelly explains: “The advantage of this Autopulit machine is that it uses water as part of the polishing process, which means that there is no requirement for dust extraction. It also eliminates any burning or deformation of the component. As a result we are seeing a 20-fold increase in throughput when compared to the old processes that we used. Most components only have to pass through the machine once to achieve the finish that is required. The result of this improvement are being seen already, with one customer increasing the number of parts we are doing for them from 20/month to 80/week.”

For tube components Mr Kelly opted for two twin-headed Autopulit centreless grinding and polishing machines. One machine is set up for linishing the raw tube, while the second is permanently set for polishing. The first machine uses a water system to eliminate dust, heat and any deformation of the parts, and the finish achieved is described as a ‘satin finish’. This is acceptable for many applications in the construction industry.

However, to obtain the highly polished finish demanded by customers in the exclusive world of superyachts, tube is transferred to the second machine, which is set up specifically for polishing. As with the first machine the feed rate of the tube past the twin-heads is infinitely variable, allowing the optimum surface finish to be achieved. This is also helped by the programmable system that sprays polishing fluid on to the buffing wheels at pre-defined intervals.

“The market for tube-based components will always be there as customers for these products are so diverse, with parts being supplied as table legs for a superyacht cabin or a relatively mundane railing for a commercial building,” says Steve Kelly. “This fact was instrumental in our decision to invest in this equipment and ensure that we are as efficient as possible in order to build on that side of the business. These machines allow us to be extremely competitive, due to the efficiencies that we are seeing while at the same time we are able to demonstrate improvements in quality and consistency. This is resulting in new business, some of which is coming from overseas customers.”

What made the whole process that much easier for Plymouth Metal Polishing was the level of service and support that it received from Ellesco. “The whole process from purchase through to installation and set-up of the machines has been helped by the support we have had from the team at Ellesco. All three machines were in production in a very short space of time and we have the added advantage that they are helping us to create a cleaner, better and safer environment due to their design and use of modern production systems. With these machines in place we are now well placed to continue to grow the business, even during the recession, as we are able to compete both on price and quality for work anywhere in the world.”

The Benefits Of Automation Are Plain To See At TPSM

Published Editorials

A combination of investment in automated processes and providing a high level of quality and service to all of its customers has led to the consistent year-on-year growth of Teparay Precision Sheet Metal. Its latest purchase will help to continue that trend.

Founded in 1986 by Terry Belcher Snr. and now run by his two sons, Terry and Ray, Teparay Precision Sheet Metal (TPSM) has seen significant expansion resulting in it currently employing 80 people in its 80 000 ft2 facility in Hainault, Essex. This growth is a result of TPSM working closely with its customers across industries as diverse as furniture, storage, shop fittings, lighting and HVAC, to develop ideas and turning them into products that can be manufactured efficiently. As a result of this philosophy the company has also been quick to invest in manufacturing technology, particularly where it can automate the process.

Over recent years it has taken delivery of four automated turret punch presses, a laser, five press brakes and three state-of-the-art panel benders. This is in addition to investment in a new powder paint facility, an 8m by 3.5m box oven, shot blasting and robot welding. This level of automation highlighted one area that still needed to be addressed, that of deburring and surface finishing.

“By automating all these processes it left that one area, grinding, as a manual operation,” says Jon Grainger, TPSM’s Technical Sales and Marketing Manager. “It was at this time that our Managing Director, Ray Belcher visited the Kuhlmeyer factory in Germany as a guest of Ellesco and saw the ZBS twin-belt grinding machine demonstrated. He could see that it would fulfil the task in hand.”

The Kuhlmeyer ZBS portal-type, twin-belt grinding machine is capable of working on fabrications up to 3 m in length and continuous grinding belts that allow roughing and finishing in the same setup, making it a highly productive machine. The open operating environment makes loading and unloading a straightforward operation and once loaded, components can be easily positioned on the motorised axes to achieve the ideal working position, greatly reducing operator fatigue, and presenting any of the five available component faces to the belts for grinding. The operator then applies pressure using shaped hand-tools or the machine’s pressure pad to remove excess material.

TPSM saw the advantages of this system and after further discussions with Christchurch, Dorset-based Ellesco, the decision was taken to purchase, with installation taking place in summer 2008. This installation went so smoothly, with the machine proving itself almost immediately without any problems, TPSM could see that it would soon be working to capacity. Therefore, after just a couple of months the question was put to the management at TPSM, should they buy another ZBS machine to provide additional capacity and back-up? Or, do they look at other areas to develop?

“The answer,” says Jon Grainger, “was to return to Ellesco and investigate the potential of a Kuhlmeyer BKK machine that is designed to dress weld on the corners of sheet metal boxes. This particular machine complements the ZBS machine as it is ideally suited to heavier weld removal, and would relieve the pressure on the ZBS machine, creating extra capacity for the more detailed finishing work.”

The Kuhlmeyer BKK machine features a table with magnetic supports to hold components with the grinding belt moving vertically across the weld, while the table swivels through 90 degrees to ensure full contact with the welded corner. The machine’s control unit automatically recognises the height of the workpiece and ensures that the cycle is kept to a minimum.

Both machines are now in full production and they have proved to be the missing link in TPSM’s quest to create a more automated work environment. The level of automation is helping to eliminate operator fatigue, which in turn is improving consistency and eliminating some issue surrounding manual intervention in the deburring process. The technology employed ensures that components cannot be damaged by over enthusiastic use of abrasive materials while reducing cycle times.

“This programme of investment has been key to TPSM’s success in recent years and has allowed us to develop better relationships with our customers,” confirms Jon Grainger. “We now have the added productivity, improved quality and flexibility of production that enables us to work with customers to take products from concept to manufacture, something that is becoming part of our day-to-day business.

“It is reassuring to know that we have the back-up and support of suppliers such as Ellesco, who installed the Kuhlmeyer machines and had them in production in under a week. These machines now form part of our factory tour for customers and it is reassuring to hear their responses, some have never seen equipment like this, others are simply impressed by what they are able to do.”

Drive For Quality Underpinned By Investment At NSP Engineering

Published Editorials

Originally founded as an engineering sub-contract business in 1968, NSP Engineering has now grown into one of the few remaining UK-owned air rifle manufacturing companies, which through strategic investment in its manufacturing technology is growing its market share both in the domestic and export markets.

Hailsham-based NSP Engineering started life as Organ Engineering when the present managing director, Bob Nicholls, joined forces with an old school friend Dave Organ, and his father Alf, to start a part-time sub-contract engineering business. The success of this facilitated a move to Hailsham in 1969, when Alf retired in the mid 70s and Dave moved away from engineering two new partners came on board these being Smith and Pickering to create the current business NSP Engineering. Smith and Pickering owned Sussex Armoury, a business supplying a variety of equipment for country pursuits, which included having a range of air rifles manufactured. Much of the subcontract work came the way of the now named NSP Engineering.

It was with the demise of Sussex Armoury in the early 80s that Bob Nicholls took complete ownership of the company; this resulted in NSP manufacturing and marketing their own range of air rifles, trading under the newly formed brand name of Air Arms. The 90s saw the decision to move away from general sub-contracting and concentrate on the manufacture of its own range of air rifles. The past 15 years have seen strong growth at NSP Engineering and, with the takeover of another brand, Falcon, the growth over the last ten years has been significant, with production volumes increasing by almost 300 per cent.

To accommodate this growth in output NSP Engineering has had a policy of investing in its production equipment, with the addition of two Matsuura Flexible Manufacturing systems, a Yamazaki Mazak Integrex multi-tasking machine, a Yamazaki Mazak flatbed laser and imminently two Star sliding head lathes. These investments have allowed a higher production rate to be achieved but the drive has always been to manufacture a product that is recognised as the best value for money air rifle on the market. To achieve this, NSP turned its attention to the look and feel of the product.

“We are now recognised as a premium brand but we are constantly looking at ways to improve the value for money of our products and one area that we wanted to develop was the standard of finish on components visible to our customers, such as the gun barrel and air cylinder, without increasing unit costs,” says NSP Engineering’s General Manager, Alan George. “The process up to now had been to linish the parts in-house, using an Autopulit CT-II-150 centreless linisher supplied by Ellesco, the parts were then sent out for polishing and chemical blacking. However, in conversation with John Spiers at Ellesco, we identified an opportunity to bring this work back in-house by investing in an Autopulit MA six spindle mop polishing machine.”

Designed specifically for the longitudinal polishing of tube and bar the Autopulit MA is a highly productive machine. The system installed at NSP Engineering is equipped with six spindles and two polishing heads, each with six polishing mops. The workpieces are held between tailstocks, which rotate (or index if the part is not cylindrical or oval) and reciprocate to ensure 100 per cent coverage of the part by the mops. To ensure the optimum surface finish the reciprocation speed is finely controlled by inverters and each of the polishing heads feature axial oscillation and a pneumatic flotation system, which compensates for wear on the buffing mops.

“With the introduction of the Autopulit MA machine our standard of finish improved ten-fold overnight,” says Alan George. “Initially, because of the learning curve and the adaption to the new technology, we found that our unit costs did increase slightly. However, now that we are familiar with both the machine and process these costs are now coming back into line and the end result is that we have dramatically improved the visual quality of the product without increasing the price to our customers.”

Throughout the entire process Ellesco has been on-hand to provide advice and support and to ensure that the final specification of the machine was a perfect match for NSP Engineering’s requirements. This included the specification of the dust extraction system, an area that was important to NSP Engineering both from a health and safety point of view and a housekeeping perspective. “Ensuring that the working environment is kept as clean as possible, given the type of process involved, is crucial as it has a knock-on effect to component quality if the surrounding area is dirty,” says Alan George. “By improving the quality of our polishing, to such a degree, we have also had to improve other areas of manufacturing, as the standard to which the Autopulit machine was working to, identified issues with previous operations which have had to be addressed. The result is a further positive effect on product quality.”

Consumables

Ancillary

We stock a wide range of consumables for our own machines, manufactured by some of the most quality minded people in the business.

• Hermes
• 3M
• Diamond Scientific
• Lippert
• -Unipol
• -Canning
• Osbourne
• -Dendix

• Belts
• Discs
• Nylon Web Brushes
• Nylon Filament Brushes
• Wire Brushes
• Mops
• Compounds
• Lapping Suspensions
• Lapping Pastes

For your Brushes and Mops we also provide a complete refurbishment service. When it is returned to you it will have been correctly dressed and balanced for the job in hand. For more information please take a look at our service section to see our full range of services available.

Services & Parts

UK Wide Support

Ancillary

We have our own service engineers based in Christchurch, other service centres around the country and appointed agents in Belfast and Dublin. Please contact our service department for current rates on 01202 499400 or service@ellesco.co.uk. We also have a selection of used machines available.

Travel time and mileage time*
Plus – On-site time for the mechanical or electronics engineer
Plus – Overnight subsistence if the job is for more than one day.
* A special local call-out rate applies to customers within 30 miles of a service centre.

This applies if you contract to have your machine serviced by us at least twice per annum.

For this agreement we:

• Charge on-site hours to a maximum of 5 hours per machine.
• Undertake to charge contract rates for any additional visits.
• Charge actual hours on-site plus overnight subsistence (if required) if major repair work requested at time of service.

Customers with more than one machine will be charged actual on-site hours. Alternatively, seperate contracts can be arranged per machine.

Alternatively, machines, or parts of machines, can be returned to us by arrangement. At Ellesco we have in-house facilities to completely refurbish, repair or rebuild the marques covered by us.

We also service and supply parts for obsolete marques such as: AEM, Cutmaster wide belt, Lapmaster “narro-belt”, P & S “Finishing Centres” and Thomas White “Speedsanders”.

Special rates (both Standard and Contract) apply for Scottish and Irish (North and South) customers. Details from the service department are available.

Assisted Handling for Fabricators

Essentials for your Machines

Ancillary

Vacuum or Magnetic clamping
4-axes of movement

Handling and Coating Lines

Essentials for your Machines

Ancillary

• Complete integrated packages with bespoke or standard conveyor runs
• Pick-and-place, robotic
• Unloading, positioning, coating, staking, coiling etc
• Segregating & sorting
• Fully automatic, manual assist

Filtration & Drying

Essentials for your Machines

Ancillary

• Complete packages with bespoke or standard piping runs
• Stainless Steel body options
• Built-in or stand alone options
• High volume options for sensitive componentry
• Automatic temperature control options
• Paper, vacuum, gravity, hydro-cyclone, magnetic drum types
• Pre-filters and skimmers
• Micro-filtration
• Liquor processing
• Aluminium, Magnesium, Titanium, Zirconium and exotic material grinding compliance certification available
• Service contracts available

Dust Extraction

Essentials for your Machines

Ancillary

• Complete packages with bespoke or standard ductwork runs
• Wet or Dry versions both available
• Stainless Steel body options for wet working units
• COSHH Certification
• Aluminium and Magnesium grinding compliance
• LEV test certification available
• Service contracts available

Horizontal abrasive belt

Industrial Horizontal Belt Grinders

Ellesco • Own Brand

Vertical abrasive belt

Industrial Vertical and Horizontal Belt Grinders

Ellesco • Own Brand

Pedestal grinding wheel and belt

Industrial Spindle Grinding Machines

Ellesco • Own Brand

• Built in dust bag collection system
• Cyclone extraction
• Abrasive belt arm
• Different contact wheels available
• Pedestal, table and water cup
• Drill grinding attachment
• Wire brushes, nylon brushes and polishing mops

Pedestal brushing and mopping

Industrial Spindal & Polishing Machines

Ellesco • Own Brand

• Built in dust bag collection system
• Cyclone extraction
• Tapered spindles for 8’’ or 12’’
• Abrasive belt arm
• Different contact wheels available
• Wire brushes, nylon brushes and mops
• Frequency controller for variable speed

Cascade

Cascade • Iowa Engineered Processes

Very High Pressure Waterjet Deburring

Sugino • Very High Pressure Waterjet Deburring

TS-30 Vertical spindle brush

Vertical and Horizontal Spindle Machines • VG

E-66 Twin horizontal spindle brushing

Vertical and Horizontal Spindle Machines • VG

B-2500 Long Belt pad sanding

Semi-Automatic And Manual Surface and Edge Processing • VG

D-64 Universal band facer

Semi-Automatic And Manual Surface and Edge Processing • VG

ST Vertical band facer

ST Star Side Grinder

Semi-Automatic And Manual Surface and Edge Processing • VG

B-2500 Rack system

B-2500 K/B Rack Mounted Belt / Brush / Mop

Semi-Automatic And Manual Surface and Edge Processing • VG

BV Side Grinder

Semi-Automatic And Manual Surface and Edge Processing • VG

Possible Specifications

• For Grinding Edges of Plate
• 1 or 2 Abrasive Belt Heads
• Follow-on Brush Heads for Fine Finishing
• Conveyor Throughfeed Table 5 & 10m/min
• Adjustable for Component Thickness 3-15mm
• Clamp Rollers
• Positioning Edge Guides
• Open Sided Frame Construction

Optional

• Variable Conveyor Speed 3.5-11m/min
• Additional Heads

Compact Turbogrinder

C Type Compact Turbo Linishing / Brushing

Throughfeed Grinding and Brushing Machines • VG

Turbo Linishing / Brushing

T Type Turbo Linishing / Cylinder Brushing

Throughfeed Grinding and Brushing Machines • VG

Turbo Edge Deburring

T Type Turbo Edge Deburring

Throughfeed Grinding and Brushing Machines • VG

Turbo Wet Working

A Type Wet Working Turbo Linishing - Satin Finishing

Throughfeed Grinding and Brushing Machines • VG

UKS Edge Face Finishing

Edge and End Grinding and Deburring • Kuhlmeyer

DEA Guillotined Edge Deburring

Edge and End Grinding and Deburring • Kuhlmeyer

RBA Sawn tube deburring

Edge and End Grinding and Deburring • Kuhlmeyer

Standard Specification

• For grinding and deburring sawn or cropped components
• For round, oval or square tube or bar or extrusions
• Simultaneous top end and bottom end working
• For continuous production environments
• Abrasive belt and/or brush head specifications available

Uni-Grinder

Uni-Grinder - Light Plate, Strip, Tube & Edge Deburring

Edge and End Grinding and Deburring • Kuhlmeyer

DCP Edge Deburring

DCP Strip, Sheet & Light Plate Edge Grinding and Deburing

Edge and End Grinding and Deburring • Kuhlmeyer

BKK Corner Dressing

Edge Weld Dressing • Kuhlmeyer

PBA Surface Dressing

Edge Weld Dressing • Kuhlmeyer

UKF Heavy Duty – Moving Head & Moving Table

Edge and Bevel Grinding • Kuhlmeyer

FF2 Light Plate – Moving Table

Edge and Bevel Grinding • Kuhlmeyer

FF1 Light Plate – Moving Component

Edge and Bevel Grinding • Kuhlmeyer

FF3 Intermediate Plate – Moving Head

Edge and Bevel Grinding • Kuhlmeyer

PBM Single Belt

Kuhlmeyer • Portal Belt Grinding

PZM Twin Belt

Kuhlmeyer • Portal Belt Grinding

ZBS Semi-Automatic

Kuhlmeyer • Twin Long-Belt Grinding

GS2 Automatic – Light & Intermediate Plate

Kuhlmeyer • Twin Long-Belt Grinding

LBS Automatic Heavy Plate

Kuhlmeyer • Twin Long-Belt Grinding

PM-5 Industrial – Intermediate Duty Double Ended Pedestal Machine

Autopulit • Double Ended Polishing Lathes

PF-II Heavy Duty Double Ended Pedestal Machine

Autopulit • Double Ended Polishing Lathes

AM Swirl / Dotting Finishing

Autopulit • Miscellaneous

LR Hinge Knuckle Graining

Autopulit • Miscellaneous

IRM Internal Rotary Finisher

Autopulit • Semi-Automatic

APJ External Rotary Finisher

Autopulit • Semi-Automatic

LC External Surface Cam Follower

Autopulit • Semi-Automatic

CT Abrasive Belt / Brush / Mop

Autopulit • Centreless

E4 Abrasive Belt / Brush

E4 - Abrasive Belt, Brush, Planetary, Cup Brush

Autopulit • Throughfeed Transfer

SG – Scratch Brush

Autopulit • Throughfeed Transfer

Standard Specification

RRHI/RI – Heavy duty

Autopulit • Rotary Table Transfer

RSB/RMSB – Standard duty

Autopulit • Rotary Table Transfer

CDA – Moving Head

Autopulit • Reciprocating Polishing And Brushing

PHA – Moving Table (large)

Autopulit • Reciprocating Polishing And Brushing

MA – Moving Table (small)

Autopulit • Reciprocating Polishing And Brushing

EP – Moving Head Tube Polishing

Autopulit • Reciprocating Polishing And Brushing

ROB – Robotic Cells

Autopulit • CNC

HD/HP – Moving Mop

Autopulit • CNC

PD/MR – Arm & Bridge Processing

Autopulit • CNC

Standard Specification

BG-25RF – Narrow Belt

Narrow belt

High Pressure Grinding • Timesavers / KLK

Standard Specification

BGH Wide belt – High Power

High Pressure Grinding • Timesavers / KLK

Standard Specification

BGX Wide belt – Extra Power

Extra Power

High Pressure Grinding • Timesavers / KLK

Standard Specification

Grindingmaster 81 Series

81xx Slab Grinding and High Stock Removal Volumes

Extra Heavy Duty 8XXX • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Grindingmaster 61 & 62 Series

60xx Sheet / Plate Finishing

Extra Heavy Duty 6XXX & 7XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Grindingmaster 61 & 62 Series – For 24 hour / 7 day use

Grindingmaster 71 & 72 Series

70xx Plate / Coil Finishing / Sizing

Extra Heavy Duty 6XXX & 7XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Grindingmaster 71 & 72 Series – For 24 hour / 7 day use

Intensive Use 41 & 42 Series – General

4XXX General - Specifications Common to All

Intensive Use 4XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Intensive Use 41 & 42 Series for 24 hour / 7 day operation

Intensive Use 41 & 42 Series – Heavy

4XXX For Heavy - Drill, Laser, Plasma, And Slag Burr Removal

Intensive Use 4XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Intensive Use 41 & 42 Series for 24 hour / 7 day operation

Intensive Use 41 & 42 Series – Delicate

4XXX For Delicate - Clad Aluminium / Lamination Deburring

Intensive Use 4XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Intensive Use 41 & 42 Series for 24 hour / 7 day operation

Intensive Use 41 & 42 Series – Precision

4XXX For Precision Accurate Finishing

Intensive Use 4XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Intensive Use 41 & 42 Series for 24 hour / 7 day operation

Grindingmaster 31 Series

Medium Duty 3XXX Series, Intensive Use, Wet Working

Medium Duty 3XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Grindingmaster 31 Series – Ideal for multiple shifts

Industrial 20 & 21 Series

2XXX Bespoke Configuration, Dry/Wet Working

Industrial 2XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Bespoke Configurations

Industrial 22 Series

Industrial 2XXX Series, Dry

Industrial 2XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Standard Configuration 

• For deburring punched, nibbled, sheared or laser-cut sheet metal parts.
• For calibrating or keying carbon, rubber, wood or other soft materials.
• For grain finishing any material.
• Centralised operator control panel.
• 900, 1100mm, 1350mm working widths
• Wide belt head with fine adjustments of contact roll, 150mm.
• Two speed main motor
• Conveyor bed on 4 heavy duty precision spindles, each 2 tons capacity.
• Ridged, precision made, rubber coated, workpiece hold down rolls.
• Motorised, single point thickness setting.
• Electronic digital thickness read-out.
• Frequency controlled feed motor with conveyor reverse for set-up.
• Dust extraction funnel(s).
• Enclosed heads and motors for minimising noise levels.
• Hour counter

Basic 11 & 12 Series

Entry Level 1XXX Series

Entry Level 1XXX Series • Timesavers / Grindingmaster

Standard Specification