Fast, accurate block machining.Although the 2003 NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. championship was won by a driver in a Ford, one notable effort on the NASCAR circuit was performed by Valiant Industries [Sterling Heights Sterling Heights, city (1990 pop. 117,810), Macomb co., SE Mich., on the Clinton River; platted 1835 as Jefferson Township, renamed 1838, inc. 1968. Largely rural until the mid-20th cent., the city grew as a suburb of Detroit, 19 mi (31 km) to the northeast. , MI], a prototype machining firm, for Dodge. When Dodge returned to the series in 2000, Valiant provided the machined engine block in just 271 days. "The project was somewhat last minute, and other machine shops were telling Dodge that the engine blocks couldn't be completed in time," said Doug Walter, sales and project manager for Valiant. "Although the bulk of our automotive work in the past had been with transmissions, we were confident we could complete the project, and within the time allowed." Eighty-percent of the machining for the block was performed on horizontal machining centers, the SH-630 from Mori Seiki [Mori Seiki - The Machine Tool Company -] [1] is a Japan-based company primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of machine tools. It was established in 1948 and is headquartered in Nagoya City, Japan. [Dallas, TX]. Cited as a real advantage for engine machining is the fact that the machining center features a 120-tool capacity automatic tool changer Changer The name given to a clearing member that is willing to assume the opposite position of a futures contract within a larger alternative exchange, of which it also is a clearing member. [ATC ATC Air Traffic Control ATC Average Total Cost ATC Certified Athletic Trainer ATC At the Center (Hartford, Maine retreat center) ATC Applied Technology Council ATC All Things Considered ]. "Prior to the Dodge assignment, the bulk of our work dealt with transmissions," said Walter. "In the past, we never really needed the level of tool changer capacity we needed to run this job successfully." By having the ATC multiple setups and time were both significantly reduced. What's more, they were able to use standard tools rather than specials in order to accomplish the required machining. For example, rather than employing a special line boring tool--which is both expensive and requires development and delivery time--they were able to do the required machining with a standard boring bar a revolving or stationary bar, carrying one or more cutting tools for dressing round holes. See also: Boring . Another benefit was provided by the inherent accuracy of the machine tool. One particularly difficult element was ensuring true position of the cam tunnel and crank bore. The cam tunnel is 22-in. long. The accuracy of the SH-6305 allowed Valiant to cut a portion of the cam tunnel, spin the part 180[degrees] on the rotary table A rotary table is a precision work positioning device used in metalworking. It enables the operator to drill or cut work at exact intervals around a fixed (usually horizontal or vertical) axis. , and cut the rest of the cam tunnel, maintaining 0.003-in. accuracy every time. "It's unprecedented that a machine can hold blueprint tolerances when rotating a part 180 degrees to complete a cut," said Walters. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion