Gosiger News

Dayton OH – According to machine tool distributor and factory automation specialist, Gosiger Inc., new software and machine control technologies enable manufacturers to integrate dimensional part inspection within a robotically automated CNC machining cell.

1. Improve Productivity. There’s more to maximizing manufacturing efficiency than installing the latest-and-greatest machine tools. It also involves looking at the entire process and making sure that each step is as streamlined as possible. This includes assuring that the cleanliness of a part meets the customer’s expectations.
2. One solution won’t clean all parts. If some parts you produce have simple geometry while others are more complex with blind holes, cross-holes and ID threads, for example, you may need different cleaning methods for each. Simple parts can be cleaned with water-based solutions while more complex parts may need solvent-based cleaners.
3. You may need more than chemicals. Some parts require mechanical cleaning methods along with the proper solutions. These can include high-pressure sprays, agitating the chemical bath, or rotating the basket within a cleaning chamber.
4. Ultrasound can help. In some cases cleaning is aided by ultra-high sound frequencies that produce thousands of tiny bubbles that implode when they strike the surface of a part. The energy released gently removes contaminants from the part.
5. Best performed in a vacuum. Vacuuming air out of the cleaning chamber serves 2 purposes: (1) It protects the parts from airborne contaminants, and (2) it removes air pockets from the complex part features to allow the solvents to clean more effectively.
6. How safe is solvent cleaning? It’s no secret that solvents are harmful to workers and the environment. That’s why they are strictly regulated in many states. To clean safely and effectively with solvent-based chemicals requires a special kind of cleaning apparatus.
7. Versatility is the key. The ideal parts washer operates in a sealed chamber using hydrocarbons or modified alcohol-based solutions that are internally recycled through a distillation process, and combines spraying, immersion, submerged jets, ultrasonic and vapor cleaning options applied either statically or with oscillation or rotation added.

Long rods and shafts that require multiple operations can be efficiently machined on one Swiss-type lathe – if part of a well thought out work cell. Gosiger High Volume department met this challenge as demonstrated in this brief video of a customer installation.

Workplace violence is not a subject we like to think about and, in a simpler time, was seldom on our radar. However as recent events demonstrate all too clearly, acts of violence in schools, malls, theatres, other public places and, yes, in workplaces is on the rise.

While we all want our employees to be safe in the workplace, the fact is there were close to 3 million reports of nonfatal injuries reported to OSHA last year. Over 900,000 cases involved days away from work. FEMA reports that in 2011 there were 85,400 non-residential fires in the U.S. that caused 80 deaths and 1,100 injuries. The dollar loss from these fires amounted to $2,435,700,000.

For the third year, Gardner Research conducted an in-depth study of CNC machine shops to better understand the reasons some companies perform better in terms of income, profit and growth. The study focused on 4 keys to success:

Gosiger encourages all customers to have in place a comprehensive Planned Preventative Maintenance Plan for all of the equipment in their shop. By performing the regular inspections and service that every machine requires, you can avoid unnecessary downtime, lost production, late deliveries and expensive machine repairs.

From December 10 – 12, 2013 Gosiger's partner, Okuma, will present the latest technology tools and strategies to help CNC machine shops maximize productivity and profitability.

Recently a customer asked Gosiger to help reduce the cost of machining complex pump shafts it produces for military and other applications. The CNC machine shop was using 5 machine tools to perform 14 operations on the workpiece, including turning, drilling, milling and hobbing. This required multiple setups, programming, machining cycles, and movement of the part between the 5 machines.