Automated cell delivered for Charpy test pieces

An automated cell for the manufacture of Charpy impact test pieces for steel producer Corus, part of Tata Steel, has been delivered by Agemaspark, Doncaster, aided by HNC of Halifax, and featuring Hardinge machine tools. At Corus’ Scunthorpe steelworks, a test piece is taken from each production batch with results forwarded to customers; some 450 test pieces need to be produced each day. Corus’s machine shop within its Test House could not cope and a call was put in to Hardinge, which in turn called its agent, Agemaspark, Doncaster, which in turn called upon Halifax Numerical Controls for automation advice. The requirement was for a system to make a set of three test pieces measuring either 5, 7.5 or 10 mm wide by 10 mm high and 55 mm long with a centrally machined vee 2 mm deep to an overall maximum tolerance of 60 microns within a time of 9 minutes. The solution was a totally enclosed, fully automated cell utilising three Quest model 6/42 CNC lathes fitted with GE Fanuc 18i CNC controls and Eppinger Preciflex driven tool turrets and ‘C’ axis spindle control, plus pick-and-place robots, auto conveyors along with laser component recognition and measurement.