- Email: [email protected]
Router works from all angles
processingnews
Router works from all angles RYE CMS, UK, has developed a four-axis computer numerically controlled (CNC) router that
can rout, drill and saw composite parts horizontally, vertitally or at an angle.
enables horizontal.
vertical and an
Sea Ray opts for MIT US BOAT builder Sea Ray has been given an exclusive license to use UK company Plastech ‘IT’s Multiple Insert Technology (MIT) in the production of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) boat hulls and decks. Sea Ray chose to use MIT together with Plastech’s resin transfer moulding (RTM) toolpresses and ing, moulding injection equipment because it required a process that would guarantee consistent part thickness. MIT involves using a number of identical removable mould face skins made from one master pattern so each part produced is the same. According to Sea Ray, using MIT with a single moulding cell will allow it to mould as many as six hulls in each ten-hour shift. The production cycle is said to be much shorter than for other closed mould processes because much of the preparation work can be carried out away from the production press. Plastech estimates that mould preparation accounts for
22
REINFORCEDplastics
approximately two thirds of the moulding process and conventional systems fitted with an attached tooling face stop production during this time. By using several mould faces MIT allows preparation and demoulding to take place while another part is in the production press. Plastech says another benefit will be the MIT tooling’s ability to mould complex structural shapes as Sea Ray’s boats incorporate often intricate designs that are currently shaped using automated fiveaxis mill routers. Compared with open moulding processes traditionally used for building FRP boat parts, the MIT/RTM process is said to reduce emissions by fewer people 90%. With required to manage production, Sea Ray says it can reduce labour costs as much as two thirds. Plastech n; tel: +44-1822832621; fax: +44-1822-833999; e-mail: [email protected]; website: www.plastech.co.uk.
October 200 1
The Tri-Ax 5 has a moving gantry, fixed table and built-in saw and drill. Internal and external routing and milling can be carried out horizontally or vertically, and the machine is designed to handle interpolated horizontal routing, template routing or milling, vertical and horizontal multiple drilling, and slanted plane drilling. The machine has a unique saddle structure which allows four heads to be arranged on the longer axis so that two components can be machined at the same time. It is also possible for loading and unloading to take place at one end of the table
while machining takes place at the other. Machines are supplied in widths of 4.3 m or 5.9 m and are 18 m long. Feed rates up to 84 m per minute are possible, and systems can be individually configured to meet user requirements. CNC control is provided by a Fanuc 1801-MA numerical controller with a built-in PC. The controller assembly can be moved so that it can be viewed while the machine is in use. Rye CMS; tel: +44-l 49444121 1; fax: +44-1494-44034s; e-mail: [email protected];
web-
site: www.rye-cms.com.
Blaster retains dust PVBS, A new company based in Canada and the UK, has developed a cost effective vacuum blasting system for use on composite components that completely retains dust and surface debris. The patented closed loop vacuum blasting technology, PVBS 200A Vat-Strip, is primarily designed for paint removal and surface preparation of composite marine and aerospace components, and can be used for anti-foul removal on glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) boat hulls. The company is also developing the system for use on military aircraft. According to the company, selectively the system can strip layers of paint from composite panels so that just the original manufacturer’s primer is left. By using approved blast media, PVBS says the risk of surface damage is eliminated. Because less media is required, costs are reduced and further savings can be made by cleaning and reusing media.
Because the system is fully contained, PVBS says it can be used inside an ordinary workshop with no risk of exposure to hazardous materials. Surface preparation can be carried out at the same time as other maintenance tasks and because the system is portable, it be easily moved around an aircraft or boat. For anti-foul removal on GRP boat hulls, the company says its method has major environmental advantages over wet blasting where dust and particles are not contained and gel-coats can be damaged by the use of high pressure water jets and abrasive media. The system’s filtration and recycling system is said to be able to handle any type of blast material including wheat starch, and can be cleaned without shutting down the whole system to enable continuous operation. NBS;
tel:
e-mail: 567; yahoo.com.
+44-1487-773vacstripgvbs@
Router works from all angles RYE CMS, UK, has developed a four-axis computer numerically controlled (CNC) router that
can rout, drill and saw composite parts horizontally, vertitally or at an angle.
enables horizontal.
vertical and an
Sea Ray opts for MIT US BOAT builder Sea Ray has been given an exclusive license to use UK company Plastech ‘IT’s Multiple Insert Technology (MIT) in the production of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) boat hulls and decks. Sea Ray chose to use MIT together with Plastech’s resin transfer moulding (RTM) toolpresses and ing, moulding injection equipment because it required a process that would guarantee consistent part thickness. MIT involves using a number of identical removable mould face skins made from one master pattern so each part produced is the same. According to Sea Ray, using MIT with a single moulding cell will allow it to mould as many as six hulls in each ten-hour shift. The production cycle is said to be much shorter than for other closed mould processes because much of the preparation work can be carried out away from the production press. Plastech estimates that mould preparation accounts for
22
REINFORCEDplastics
approximately two thirds of the moulding process and conventional systems fitted with an attached tooling face stop production during this time. By using several mould faces MIT allows preparation and demoulding to take place while another part is in the production press. Plastech says another benefit will be the MIT tooling’s ability to mould complex structural shapes as Sea Ray’s boats incorporate often intricate designs that are currently shaped using automated fiveaxis mill routers. Compared with open moulding processes traditionally used for building FRP boat parts, the MIT/RTM process is said to reduce emissions by fewer people 90%. With required to manage production, Sea Ray says it can reduce labour costs as much as two thirds. Plastech n; tel: +44-1822832621; fax: +44-1822-833999; e-mail: [email protected]; website: www.plastech.co.uk.
October 200 1
The Tri-Ax 5 has a moving gantry, fixed table and built-in saw and drill. Internal and external routing and milling can be carried out horizontally or vertically, and the machine is designed to handle interpolated horizontal routing, template routing or milling, vertical and horizontal multiple drilling, and slanted plane drilling. The machine has a unique saddle structure which allows four heads to be arranged on the longer axis so that two components can be machined at the same time. It is also possible for loading and unloading to take place at one end of the table
while machining takes place at the other. Machines are supplied in widths of 4.3 m or 5.9 m and are 18 m long. Feed rates up to 84 m per minute are possible, and systems can be individually configured to meet user requirements. CNC control is provided by a Fanuc 1801-MA numerical controller with a built-in PC. The controller assembly can be moved so that it can be viewed while the machine is in use. Rye CMS; tel: +44-l 49444121 1; fax: +44-1494-44034s; e-mail: [email protected];
web-
site: www.rye-cms.com.
Blaster retains dust PVBS, A new company based in Canada and the UK, has developed a cost effective vacuum blasting system for use on composite components that completely retains dust and surface debris. The patented closed loop vacuum blasting technology, PVBS 200A Vat-Strip, is primarily designed for paint removal and surface preparation of composite marine and aerospace components, and can be used for anti-foul removal on glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) boat hulls. The company is also developing the system for use on military aircraft. According to the company, selectively the system can strip layers of paint from composite panels so that just the original manufacturer’s primer is left. By using approved blast media, PVBS says the risk of surface damage is eliminated. Because less media is required, costs are reduced and further savings can be made by cleaning and reusing media.
Because the system is fully contained, PVBS says it can be used inside an ordinary workshop with no risk of exposure to hazardous materials. Surface preparation can be carried out at the same time as other maintenance tasks and because the system is portable, it be easily moved around an aircraft or boat. For anti-foul removal on GRP boat hulls, the company says its method has major environmental advantages over wet blasting where dust and particles are not contained and gel-coats can be damaged by the use of high pressure water jets and abrasive media. The system’s filtration and recycling system is said to be able to handle any type of blast material including wheat starch, and can be cleaned without shutting down the whole system to enable continuous operation. NBS;
tel:
e-mail: 567; yahoo.com.
+44-1487-773vacstripgvbs@