A second automated production cell has been installed at the Tamworth factory of Alcon Components (www.alcon.co.ukto cope with world-wide demand for its monobloc brake calipers.

These are machined from aluminium or lithium billet for racing cars and high-performance road cars — and from cast iron for military vehicles.

Similar to the original automated system installed in February 2007, the latest cell is based on a bigger Hermle five-axis vertical machining centre, a model C32U with a 650 x 650 x 500mm work envelope, reflecting the fact that brake calipers have become larger over the past decade.

Supplied by Gosport-based Geo Kingsbury (www.geokingsbury.com) — the UK agent for the German machine manufacturer — the C32U has been equipped with an Erowa Robot Easy that stores 12 pallets (each 210mm in diameter); these are transferred to and from the working area by a horizontally travelling load/unload arm.

As on the previous Hermle C20U installed at Alcon, the latest five-axis machine is equipped with Blum laser-based tool-breakage monitoring and length setting, Renishaw part probing, an 18,000rev/min HSK63 spindle, 80-bar through-tool coolant and a 117-position tool magazine.

Swarf management has also been provided, consistent with unattended machining of light alloy parts.

Designs are produced in SolidWorks, while Open Mind’s HyperMill CAM software is used for creating the cutter paths, before program transfer to the Heidenhain control.

Brake caliper production is a natural application for five-axis machining, as Alcon discovered 10 years ago.

Compared with four-axis metal cutting, it is not only faster but also inherently more accurate, as approach angles can be adjusted to allow shorter — and hence more-rigid — tool-holders to access awkward component areas.