TPT May 2017

T E CHNOLOG Y

Fast finishing of aluminium die castings FOR high-volume production of complex aluminium die castings, Kovolis Hedvikov is a partner to car manufacturers and their suppliers. To expand its capacity and achieve more flexibility in the overall manufacturing process the company purchased a new vibratory finishing system that can handle a wide workpiece spectrum and was custom engineered to fit into the available space at the customer’s premises. the existing finishing system was not suitable and had also reached the end of its productive service life. The new system had to cope with larger workpieces, and the finishing process also had to be gentler.

between 30 and 60 seconds. The single curve U-shaped cross section of the processing channel ensures optimum movement of the media and workpieces through the machine. With the use of high-performance plastic media, this design produces finishing results within a maximum processing time of eight minutes. This time can be adjusted by simple inclination of the processing bowl. The undersize media classification system is equipped with an adjustable bar screen that allows Kovolis to decide at which dimensions undersize media must be discharged. Since the finished die-castings do not undergo a separate cleaning step for removal of media fines from their surface, the separation unit is equipped with a spray-rinse station. Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH – Germany

The Rösler continuous feed vibratory finishing system met the technical requirements and Rösler could also supply the necessary compounds and finishing media. The new finishing system consists of a linear feed machine, type R 550/4600 DA, with a usable length of 4.6m. The functions of the existing loading system and hot air belt drier were integrated into the overall system controls. Around 30 different workpieces with a maximum diameter of 300mm (12") are currently processed in the R 550/4600 DA. As it can handle parts with diameters of up to 400mm (16"), the machine offers flexibility for the future. Depending on their individual design, the castings are fed into the finishing system at cycle times

Kovolis produces components from nine different aluminium alloys and weighing between 200g and 8kg, using casting technologies such as vacuum investment casting and rheocasting. The product range includes brakes, power steering systems, turbo chargers and compressors for air conditioning systems. The company also provides services for machining, heat treatment and surface finishing. With a trend towards larger and more delicate components, which require a vibratory finishing step after punch de- burring for their downstream handling,

Fax: +49 9533 924 300 Email: info@rosler.com Website: www.rosler.com

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MAY 2017