The sheer amount of technology available today would blow your mind if you time travelled from say 20 years ago to the present day. For so many of us, our reliance on tech is heavy. It’s something that we cannot live without. Imagine if someone said to you that they were going to take your phone, laptop, or tablet away. What would you do? What would happen if you no longer had your sat nav to guide you on your journeys?
Technological advances have been steadily improving the gadgets and machines we use in our every day lives. Think about it. You’ve no doubt seen the huge gramophones that music lovers once used to play their tunes. Fast forward to today and you can store hundreds, even thousands, of songs on your phone. And, it’s not just our personal lives that advances in technology affect. It’s everything. Manufacturing, in particular Perth steel fabrication, is moving forward rapidly in every way you can think of. The breakthroughs and advances in this field have created a need to make good things better and to make better things incredible.
These changes in tech have led to a huge revolution in machining. What used to be pretty accurate is now clinically so. There is a whole new generation of machines that aren’t manually operated and controlled but that take their instructions from computers. These machines can achieve nano accuracy levels that were like science fiction a decade or so ago. It’s such an exciting time to work in the engineering field with the many changes for the better that are happening all around!
There are various types of machines and equipment that are utilised in the manufacturing process dependent on the end product that’s required. Taking this into account, let’s take a look at some common equipment and how it’s used.
Lathe
The lathe is a truly ancient tool. In fact, did you know that they Ancient Egyptians used them? The humble lathe is an invention that helped other machines to evolve. Think about it – it was used to refine the wheel into a perfect circle. And, even nowadays, lathes are still used to create circular parts.
In terms of tooling, the lathe is confined to a single point tool only. This is generally mounted on the lathe tool post. It’s also possible to mount other tools on the lathe tool post such as ones for threading and so on.
Milling Machines
Milling machines are excellent all-rounders that can be anything from bench-mounted to floor-standing. They can perform all sorts of cutting tasks such as creating slots in shafts, making different shapes and more. Milling machining is a particularly common manufacturing process used in fabrication Perth-wide to create high precision parts and products in various different sizes and shapes.
Milling cutters are pretty uniquely constructed because they can be operated as vertical and horizontal machines. Due to this fact, the cutters are designed in vertical and horizontal versions separately. With the help of milling machines, you can perform all sorts of functions and operations to create amazing quality precision parts and products in different sizes and shapes.
Broaching Machines
Broaching machines are mostly used for creating complex, odd or circular shapes that can be internal or external. Broaching is an operation that removes material, cutting a predetermined shape. Broaching machines use unique tooling known as broaches. Although these tools are pretty costly, they are excellent in terms of both accuracy and precision.
Due to the high costs involved in creating a customised broach, it’s best to use broaching for high-volume workpieces. In terms of time, the entire broaching cycle tends to take less than 20 seconds at the most. Additionally, the quality and productivity are impressive.
Drilling Machines
As you can probably imagine, drilling machines are perfect for making holes. Whether you’re looking for a tapped hole, a countersunk hole or a straight hole, these machines are perfect for the job! It’s also possible to add attachments such as an indexing table that will enhance the machine’s capabilities. So, for real precision, a drilling machine cannot be beaten.
The most common kinds of tooling used in drilling machines are taps and drills (of course!) A tap is used to create a threaded hole whereas a drill is used to make a general hole.
Gear Manufacturing Machines
Because they are positive drive transmission elements gears need to be produced using particular types of machines. It’s crucial to make sure that gears are precision machined so they operate correctly. Some processes involved in gear manufacturing include deburring, hobbing, lapping, milling and grinding.
CNC Machines
CNC machines are computer-controlled. What this means is that the movement of the workpiece and the tool are controlled by a computer. CNC machining in Perth is really interesting to look at in action because the motion system is developed in such a way that the movements of both the workpiece and the tool are able to happen at really fast speeds. And, rapid speeds do not equate inaccuracy – far from it – CNC machines are extremely accurate every time they’re used.
A CNC machine has a microcomputer or a minicomputer that is the controller unit of the machine. How things work is that the program is stored in the computer’s memory. So, the programmer can easily write codes as well as edit programs dependent on specific manufacturing requirements. These programs can be used to make different parts so there is no need to repeat them over and over.
Machine Tooling
Taking a look at any basic machine, it will never be able to produce a precision component with just its general primary features. For a precision creation, you’ll need special tooling attachments that are designed to work with the machine itself and for the purpose, you need them to.
If you have a Perth steel fabrication project that needs to be taken on by the experts, the team at InLine Engineering has the right solutions to suit you. Simply get in touch with your requirements.
