Yellow goods maker opts for Asquith Butler rebuild for India

Set to commence operation in July 2007, the StarCut will machine a range of assemblies including front and rear chassis, excavator booms/arms and compact excavator floorpans. Installed previously at Alstom Energy, Rugby, where it was in production for five years, the StarCut is of a particularly high specification and has undergone a complete overhaul by Asquith Butler engineers to ‘as new’ standard. The machine incorporates a 400 mm diameter vertical ram, fitted with three standard attachments including: 1 degree auto-indexing head for fifth axis work, right angle spindle head, in-line milling and boring head, and 600 mm, long reach head for access to certain chassis components. A gantry mounted carousel management system is incorporated - housing up to four ram-mounted heads and providing fully automated head changing. Other main features include: 80 position automated tool changer, 40 kW/3,000 rpm spindle, Siemens 840D controller, Renishaw probing, as well as special fixture and pallet system for handling certain chassis assemblies. Additionally, in order for the machine to give optimum performance and reliability in the Indian sub-continental climate - where temperatures often reach 50 degrees C, the StarCut has been ‘tropicalised’. The existing fan and filter system on the machine electrical panel has been replaced with air conditioning, the operator control console has been fitted with an air conditioning unit, the hydraulic system has been fitted with an oil cooler, and the machine cooling system has been fitted with a chiller unit. Currently equipped with a 3m x-axis, plans are in place for this to be extended to 7m once the StarCut gets ahead of production. The order follows on from the installation of a 12 m long Asquith Butler PowerCentre travelling column, horizontal machining centre at the customer’s UK earthmover manufacturing plant in 2006.