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

• 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

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

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.”