One of the world’s leading gunmakers, Holland & Holland, has invested in a ‘WorkPal’ robot from System 3R to add greater efficiency and repeatable accuracy to the machining of close tolerance parts incorporated in their highly crafted weapons. Still very much a company firmly rooted in over 175 years of traditional craftsmanship, they have readily harnessed modern technology to add even greater quality to their guns, which are heralded the world over.
In their West London factory, custom-built in the 1890s by Henry Holland, there are certain restrictions on the size of equipment that can be easily installed, especially as the ceilings are much lower than today’s modern engineering factories. So, when they were planning to replace two old machining centres, size was everything’!
“We didn’t want to have to cut into the fabric of the building, “ explained Chris Davies of Holland & Holland, “ so we were happy when Whitehouse Machine Tools recommended the Brother TC-32B-FT 3 axis mill, which was a perfect fit – especially as we have restricted entry points to the building. It was also very attractively priced.”
But ‘fit’ also has another meaning – as in ‘fit for purpose’ – and Holland & Holland also had the very real need to run the machine unmanned overnight and at weekends. “Our two old machines were manually loaded and this restricted their flexibility and the type of work we could run on them,” continued Chris Davies. “Automatic loading was the answer and System 3R’s 24-position ‘WorkPal’ gave us everything – including a small footprint in restricted floorspace. Not only would it run ‘lights out’ but it would also give us guaranteed repeatable accuracy with a very high degree of production flexibility.
“Palletisation was the key, giving us the ability to load up a variety of workpieces on each position. We could therefore machine a complete cross-section of our work in one loading – standard components such as lock parts, bespoke parts and even copper electrode blanks for the spark eroders – providing us with degrees of flexibility formerly unheard of!”
The milling cell – Brother and ‘WorkPal’ – also produces a product with a better quality surface finish, thereby reducing the amount of hand-finishing compared with their previous set-up. The combination of faster cutting with higher spindle speeds of up to 36,000 rpm and greater positional accuracy and stability from the 3R Macro pallets makes the two machines a perfect match. This has also led to increased tool life and less breakages. The versatility of the Brother mill was also increased with the addition of a Kitigawa indexer to provide a 4th and 5th axis if required – especially as the driving philosophy is ‘to machine a metal block in one hit’!
“We have been very impressed with the complete cell, “ said Chris Davies, “ and as we continue to develop its effectiveness we increasingly see the very real benefits we can gain from automation and unmanned production. We have complete confidence in its ability to deliver a measurable payback in terms of efficiency, quality and reliability.”
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WorkPal Compact
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/ No. 25 / System 3R’s 24-position WorkPal robot, in tandem with a Brother mill, provides 24/7 lights-out production capability in this production cell
/ No. 13 / Palletised parts and electrodes wait their turn to be automatically loaded into the mill