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The Remanufacture Process
The remanufacture process took
approximately 6 months to complete and went through many different phases,
to numerous to list here. But here is a collection of photos taken along the
way to show the extent and attention to detail that goes into every MTB
remanufacture and rebuild project.
The machine first was totally
disassembled and thoroughly cleaned. All the guideways needed to be
refinished, and the machine alignments checked per the DIN ISO 6545
acceptance criteria for gear hobbing machines. All the parts required
inspection for tolerance, wear and feasibility of reuse.
Each sub-assembly of the
machine was meticulously disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt back
to the OEM specifications. All the bearings and seals were replaced, bearing
surfaces re-scraped, way covers, wipers and bellows replaced.
The machine reassembly process
was done in the proper sequence and with a very high emphasis on detail. All
the major assemblies were rebuilt off the machine. Once placed on the
machine, they had to be checked for accuracy and fit on the machine itself.
Each major assembly was installed and tested to verify it's functionality.
An entirely new hydraulic and
lubrication system was installed on the machine. All
the fluid and pneumatic hoses were replaced, many pipes were replaced, all
the lubrication metering valves and blocks were replaced. All the fluid
power controls such as valves, pressure and flow regulators, flow and
pressure feedback devices etc were replaced with new.
Once fully assembled the
machine was setup and prepared to hob the first test pieces. Test cutting
was done on a variety of parts, both left and right hand in order to very
that the machine was indeed accurate and capable of holding the workpiece
tolerances.
As the machine neared
completion, all the guarding and safety devices were installed and tested.
The chip conveyor was rebuilt and the bed coolant
reservoir was fully cleaned as part of the
remanufacture process.
An entirely new electrical
enclosure was designed and manufactured. We installed a new GE Fanuc 18i-MA CNC
with GE Fanuc Alpha series drives and motors. The entire feedback system was
replaced with new Heidenhain scales and encoders. The
machine was further equipped with an automatic stock
division sensor and software. MTB's standard shop floor
programming system was installed and
implemented to ease the operator training, and make the machine very simple
and efficient to use.
The machine has been sold to a customer in the aerospace industry, hobbing
both soft and hard gears using carbide tools. |
