
Setup times reduced from hours to minutes
With approximately 150 employees, HYDROSAAR GmbH in Sulzbach manufactures a wide range of cylinders, rotary unions and production equipment. In a 3-shift operation, cylinders of unusual off-sizes are also produced for applications such as steel production.
The order of a Swedish customer represented a completely fresh challenge. A workpiece weighing nearly 500 kg was to be manufactured in rectangular off-sizes.
Set ups presented a real challenge on the 1,000 mm faceplate selected for the operation. Initial processes were inefficient and posed the risk of operator injury.
“It was always a matter of aligning the individual jaws with a long lever until the concentricity was obtained”, said Roman Backes, CAD-CAM programmer at HYDROSAAR. “Sometimes this was done in five minutes, and at other times it took an hour. We naturally looked for a solution to make everything quicker and safer.”
QUICKER AND SAFER SETUPS WITH INOFlex®
HYDROSAAR employees discovered the HWR INOFlex® compensating clamping four-jaw chuck when researching potential solutions on the internet. This product ensures that with the chuck clamped, concentricity is always present. The INOFlex® chuck accomplishes this via a centrically compensating clamping that uses a movable link gear across all four jaws.
To evaluate the potential of the solution, HYDROSAAR requested a consultation. HWR sent a sales representative to demonstrate the INOFlex® principle on-site and provided a test chuck. The company was delighted with the results.
“We no longer need to take all the trouble to align the component,” said Mr. Backes. “This is something the chuck does for us. It is absolutely marvellous.”
A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT IN REDUCING SETUP TIMES
With just one screw, the chuck centers the part. This is the essence of the new setup sequence, according to Mr. Backes. The change has resulted in three distinct benefits to the company.
“Since the concentricity is always present with this chuck, setup times are dependably reduced to a few minutes and the quality is better,” said Mr. Backes. “At the same time, the employee can now clamp the workpiece very securely. Beforehand we had three clamping operations, now we only need two.”
Thanks to the improvements attained, HYDROSAAR very quickly achieved a full return on its investment in INOFlex® chucks and continues to apply them to new applications in its operations.