A plus in time savings and precision
In 5-sided machining, the innovative automatic assembly machine achieves the hot countersinking of metal threaded bushes into plastic parts faster and more precisely.
Plastic parts that replace metal components are becoming increasingly popular in many industries. In vehicle construction in particular, stable fastening points are required for intake manifolds, cylinder head covers, cladding, housings and other plastic parts using subsequently countersunk metal threaded bushes.
The 5-axis automatic inserting machine allows both the plastic parts and the bushes to be positioned freely using a servomotor-driven five-axis system that combines toothed belt and spindle axes for the X, Y and Z travels with a swivel axis and a rotary table to accommodate the changing device.
Fewer reclamping operations and greater machining precision
This means that the advantages of a five-axis machining center can also be used for hot sinking: fewer reclamping operations, higher machining precision and therefore increased productivity.
The second innovation of the machining center developed by HENKEL + ROTH also offers time and precision gains. Instead of being heated in a continuous furnace, the bushings are individually heated inductively using high-frequency technology. Because the heating and transfer of the individual bushes (inserts), which are transported by a hose feed, takes place directly at the insert head, the travel distances are shortened, which also saves valuable machining time.
„This enables us to meet the growing demand for time and cost-saving solutions.“Matthias Roth, managing director
Variable feeding and heating
Another special feature: thanks to the individual feed, variable heating of each individual bushing is possible. This means that the joining process can be individually optimized for each hole in the plastic part. The automatic assembly machine can therefore not only be used for handling bushings with different thread diameters, but the cooling times and bushing protrusions can also be selected separately for each metal insert.
The quality of the bolted joint depends largely on the defined bushing protrusion. This makes it all the more important that the HENKEL + ROTH automatic assembly machine can countersink bushes with an accuracy of ± 0.05 mm in relation to the circumferential bore edge on the plastic part. The plastic part is not used as a stop for the press, but is probed with a sensor.
Special single-sink head
With this tried-and-tested process, which has already been used in previous hot insertion machines from the Ilmenau-based system manufacturer, the insertion depth is measured with a low contact force and continuously readjusted; this allows the system to react flexibly to elastic deformations of the plastic part, which are continuously compensated for during the insertion process. In this way, even very thin-walled or slightly yielding plastic parts can be processed with maximum precision. A special countersunk head with floating bearing of the bushes compensates for position tolerances of the holes that can occur due to shrinkage of the plastic part.
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