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Increase your productivity with these 5 tips!
Effective productivity is key to leading the way in sustainable and efficient machining; by employing solutions which contribute to increased reliability and performance whilst subsequently providing lower demands for waste and energy, manufacturing costs and environmental impact can also potentially see simultaneous reductions.
NIKKEN provide vast and cost-efficient ways of improving productivity. Here are five ways our solutions can benefit any manufacturer.
1. V-EX:
Current extraction solutions can be complicated and often require costly updates to a machining centre or its spindle. Not only does this normally make the machine a bespoke solution, but can add in excess of 10% to the final purchase of such a solution. Extraction can be a necessity and legal requirement for processing of certain materials when considering legislation such as ‘The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002’ and the ’Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)’
NIKKEN's V-EX design is designed to negate some of these concerns and is designed to provide compatibility that can be retrofitted, with minor modifications, to a wide range of machine tools and existing spindles. Similarly, if tool changing is required, NIKKEN can offer bespoke solutions to automatically remove the housing from the cutting area to enable full ATC functionality and versatility when the extraction is not required.
The V-EX provides:
- A Cost-Effective & Retrofittable Solution for dust & particle removal for new & existing machining centres.
- Can address and remove health risks posed by dust inhalation. Uncomplicated installation and use - Simply requires an air supply that can be coupled to many existing extraction systems.
- More effective cutting and machining operations – by removing waste from the cutting zone.
2. Run Out
Tool runout measures how far a cutting tool, holder, or spindle rotates off its true axis.
NIKKEN are the industry leader in NC Tooling and can provide a run-out as low as 3 microns. This could be adjusted as low as 0 microns using a NIKKEN Zero-Fit holder. The lower the run-out, the greater the productivity and sustainability. Reliably and repeatably controlling the accuracy of the cutting tool can also provide a reduction in energy waste as the machining process isn't taking as long.
NIKKEN’s NC Tooling is the industry leader in durability and repeatability, saving money over time and reducing energy consumption, leading to a greater ROI with your NC tooling solutions.
3. TP32
Another way of improving productivity within the production environment is with TP32. TP32 links to an Elbo-Controlli NIKKEN Presetter and is a system dedicated to the management and cycle of the tool assembly as it travels through the production process. As such, the data is inserted and managed within a system which allows information for each individual part and consumable to be accessible to all members across the manufacturing process and presented in the simplest, most straightforward and useable manner.
TP32 provides everything within one package that is required for effective production: component availability, history, assembly verification, 3D models etc., including even going as far as individual parts and assembly administration (stock situation/value, purchasing and ordering of replenishments, machine status, location tracking and supplier management, etc.).
TP32 Advantages Include:
- Warehouse control.
- Elimination of machine downtime.
- Total management of tool assemblies, ancillary parts and their locations.
- Reduction of management and financial costs. Process improvement.
4. Workholding:
Workholding is an effective and straightforward means to increase productivity with a variety of options, all provided by NIKKEN with instant availability.
NIKKEN offer a complete range of work holding and fixturing accessories to suit any application. Whether it’s a standard, off-the-shelf centring vice or a fully bespoke trunnion/fixturing package, our team of skilled engineers are available to create a solution to suit your process for either direct supply or as part of a full turn-key solution.
Popular setups include but are not limited to; vices (with various jaw options), tombstones, pallets, trunnion setups and rail systems, all fully zero-point compatible to ensure optimal efficiency, accuracy, and repeatability, in addition to being available to view at our Innovation Centre.
5. Tooling Calculator:
Our final productivity tip is using NIKKEN’s New Tooling Calculator. This has been created purely for customer satisfaction to demonstrate how much potential savings can be made by utilising NIKKEN tool holders and tooling solutions.
The Tooling Calculator consists of Cutting Tool Cost, Anticipated Tool Life (mins), Tool time in cut per cycle/feature (mins) and Qty of similar cycles & features per day. All are calculated with data based on the customer's own specific end mills and cycle times to present how much each customer can save if they use NIKKEN’s industry-leading Tool Holders.
NIKKEN chucking products can contribute up to five times the tool life compared to typical competitor systems, providing a solid platform for ROI to increase drastically. Using NIKKEN's New Tooling Calculator allows our customers a quick insight into the potential consumable cost savings that could be made by introducing NIKKEN's world-renowned Tool Holders to their processes, and the best bit about it is it’s free!