The Overview:
Spirax Sarco, the leading provider of steam systems solutions has for nearly a century been committed to helping steam users optimize productivity. Located in Blythewood, SC, Spirax had an immediate need for a solution for turning a family of steam valve bodies with ease of changeover and low cost-to-valve ratio.
The Situation:
Spirax was using a rotary transfer machine for manufacturing steam valve bodies needing multiple sides turned. The machine had a long changeover process and issues with capability. There was an attempt to repair the machine, but repairs and upgrades were unsuccessful.
The Solution:
Spirax Sarco purchased a fully turn-keyed MW200 with gantry loader. Murata built a pallet system and feeder tables for Spirax that would allow an entire part family to fit on one pallet rather having to change the pallets for each part number. The gantry workholding was also adapted to make the changeover of this component minimal. Lastly, an indexing chuck was incorporated for both spindles. This allowed Spirax to turn the multiple sides on each spindle. Since the MW200 is a twin-spindle machine, you completed two completed parts per cycle. Murata has in-house capability to customize solutions for each customer. Although machines arrive with the gantry built into the system, MMUSA builds all feeding systems and gantry workholding internally. Murata’s experienced in-house design engineers adapt customer needs to complement the automation of the system.
The Result:
Changeover time from one size part to another is less than 30 minutes with the Muratec MW200. Changeover with the transfer machine could take up to 3-6 hours. With redundant tooling as a standard feature, shutting the system down because of toolwear is not as frequent. This allows for uninterrupted turning, giving the operator time to focus on other areas in the process. As a bonus, the equipment was incorporated into a one-man, three-machine cell.
The Bottom Line:
Spirax wanted a system that was easy to changeover due to the lot sizes they run. Their experience with a “custom” machine was unsuccessful, and they wanted an out-of-the-box system that offered them simple automation. They did not want to break the bank with their investment. The Muratec MW200 solved all three concerns.
Products Used:
