Sheffield Precision Medical adds to ANCA grinding fleet with second TX7+

The company specialises in the design, prototyping and low to high volume production of a diverse range of surgical instruments and associated products. Says Steve Lambell, manufacturing director: "Having already reaped the benefit of using ANCA grinders, to ensure that we are able to keep up with rising demand for our output, we have recently installed a second ANCA TX7+. Although we undertake long production runs, we also carry out short runs. The flexibility and the rapid set-up speed of the TX7+ means that we are able to minimise down-time when swapping between jobs and return to full production very quickly. "The excellent technical help and back-up we receive from ANCA UK has been extremely useful to us. Although our operators have a wealth of experience in operating ANCA grinders, the complex nature of some of our products means that, occasionally, we ring ANCA for help. Invariably, ANCA's staff demonstrate an instant grasp of our problem and are able to suggest a simple way forward. "Despite its compact size, our new TX7+ actually provides a large working envelope and allows the manufacturing of tools of up to 400 mm long and 300 mm in diameter. The machine also has the ability to position grinding wheels in all four quadrants." The TX7+ is equipped with a direct-drive 10,000 rpm, 37 kW spindle. For applications that require higher speeds, a 15,000 rpm option is available. The machine incorporates an automatic wheel changer that allows up to eight grinding wheels (four per arbor) to be used in one set-up and one grinding cycle. Also, as the machine's coolant pipes are changed automatically with the wheel pack, optimal coolant delivery for each wheel is guaranteed at all times. All TX7+ linear and rotary axes, as well as the grinding spindle, use ANCA direct-drive technology, negating the need for belts, pulley, and gears. This arrangement means not only a more precise machine, but also a more reliable one. Less vibration also contributes to excellent surface finish characteristics deklivered by the TX7+.