Many aerospace manufacturers grapple with the need to minimize downtime on production lines that combine high-volume output with small runs of parts, all with demanding specifications. When complex setups and tool changeovers leave vertical machine tools idle, the simple solution—add horizontal machining—may look contradictory at first.
But some aerospace suppliers find that the combination of horizontal machining, modular automation and high-capacity tool-hives puts high-mix/low-volume (HMLV) machining back on track.
Aerotech Inc., a Pittsburgh-based aerospace supplier that delivers component manufacturing and testing solutions for mission-critical parts, found itself in need of an antidote to exorbitant downtime. The systems it produces provide unparalleled accuracy that gives customers a high degree of confidence in the real-world performance of their aerospace products—and keep the smallest aerospace component testing errors from becoming big problems in the field.
To complement the precision of its own products, however, the shop needed to ensure its own efficiency and productivity.
Aerotech grew from a garage startup into a global leader in automation equipment, with many jobs that involve runs of 10 or fewer parts with varying sizes and features, typically with tolerances of 0.0001"-0.0002". Failure is unacceptable in these motion solutions, with customers relying on lasting quality and consistent success in aerospace components.
Quality control wasn’t a problem for Aerotech. When it analyzed spindle use, the company discovered that about 90% of production time went into setups and changeovers, leaving machine tools idle most of the time.
Even this labor-intensive downtime didn’t squelch Aerotech’s output, which averaged 300,000 parts per year for advanced research, medical implant manufacturers, semiconductor fabs and other high-tech sectors. But the shop wanted to balance its workflow, make fuller use of verticals and optimize productivity.
The shop’s longtime machine-tool sales representative A.W. Miller identified a solution: add automated horizontal machining capabilities to the production mix. With the right equipment, the company could shorten lead times, increase spindle uptime and add unattended production to improve output.
The idea was met with some resistance at first, given that horizontal machining typically accommodates high-volume output rather than the types of HMLV jobs that the supplier needed to optimize. Once the shop realized how much this expansion could increase its output, the concept took root.
For its high-mix operations, Aerotech invested in two Mazak HCN-5000/50S Horizontal Machining Centers with 240-tool-hives. These machines integrate with a Mazak PALLETECH 28-pallet high-rise automation system, dual loading stations and an overhead gantry loader. Mazak supplied all parts of this solution, which automated the overwhelming majority of the HMLV production processes.
“At first blush, choosing the Mazak horizontals seemed counterproductive,” says Anthony Fazzini, director of machining at Aerotech. “Those types of machines typically are meant for high-volume production. However, pairing the machines with a modular, pre-engineered PALLETECH system and high-capacity tool-hives definitely provided us with the job flexibility we needed to reduce setup times.”
As an automation supplier, Aerotech recognizes the value of its own investment in automated production equipment, which keeps its new horizontals cutting while its machinists set up downstream jobs and prepare to run lights out. With 28 pallets of production ready to go in advance, the shop can run unattended for an entire long weekend. This adds productivity without adding shifts. That type of efficiency maximizes productivity without the need to staff up in a tight labor market.
The new equipment’s versatility complements its flexibility. A robust CAT 50, 10,000-rpm spindle enables each HCN-5000 to achieve exceptional metal removal capabilities in a wide range of workpiece materials, from steels to nonferrous metals. These machines feature a special integral spindle/motor headstock design that minimizes vibration and heat generation, especially when operating at a maximum torque of 159 lb-ft (215 N-m).
The machine’s high-speed, high-accuracy positioning capabilities also provide part-processing flexibility and reduced non-cut time, while smooth high-gain servos and high-power AC servomotors allow for fast, vibration-free acceleration and deceleration rates.
Fazzini sees the new equipment acquisitions as a win-win-win: More output, greater efficiency and less need for skilled machinists. “We estimate that the system does the work of eight stand-alone vertical machining centers that would need six full-time machinists to run them,” he says. “Equally important, we’ve reduced our staffing requirements significantly. Our new system only needs one part-time machinist and one or two full-time operators.”
The staffing portion of the upgrade makes a big difference in manufacturing, especially for firms with a specialized aerospace focus. As the baby-boom generation of machinists continues to retire and skilled jobs go unfilled, many shops need to do more with fewer workers—not only without diminished production but with greater productivity. These challenges loom even larger in the aerospace industry, where complex parts, demanding specifications and high-value, tough-to-cut materials dominate job rosters and customer expectations.
As Aerotech’s experience clearly shows, solutions such as the broadened integration of machining technologies and the increased use of automation can help aerospace manufacturers reach their goals.
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