Going Against the Flow Pays Dividends for AddisonMckee
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Global leader in the design, manufacture and supply of the world's finest tube
bending and endforming technologies, AddisonMckee of Lebanon, Ohio,
Brantford, Ontario and Bamber Bridge, UK, has recently completed contracts to
supply one of its groundbreaking high speed bending machines to one of the
world's leading manufacturers of flow control products for the residential,
commercial construction, industrial and irrigation markets. The innovative
technology provides a high volume tube bending solution capable of achieving
speeds unmatched anywhere in the industry. The machine will be the tenth such
machine supplied over the last ten years and the first to be sold outside of
Europe. Each year the basic unique technical solution is enhanced!
The remarkable AddisonMckee EB28HS4
The EB28HS4 is a highly specialised electrically powered and hydraulically
operated CNC bending machine harnessing revolutionary technology and
capable of accepting tubing of up to 28 mm in diameter, working at phenomenal
speeds and operating to bend up to six components at a time. The set-up
incorporates four or six sets of mandrel bend tooling to achieve optimum levels
of quality. To meet the customer's required production volumes, the machine
was specially designed to be capable of forming no less than six 90-degree or
45-degree elbow joints every seven seconds. While simple start-up and shutdown
procedures mean that the machine is sufficiently flexible to allow tubes in
the range of 12-28mm to be bent, with a maximum tool changeover time of just
25 minutes! The machine is also programmed to inform the operator if the elbow
collection box is full. It carries the CE mark for safety, with safety stops integral
to the design.
Bending the rules
In creating the EB28HS4, innovation was the key for AddisonMckee. That is,
innovation and breaking one or two conventions to achieve the remarkable results
required by the customer's exacting brief. Through significant investment in new
technology, and with environmental considerations in mind, the specified maximum
hydraulic leakage rate was achieved (working to a maximum leakage rate of 50ml per
valve group over 528 hours of operation). The AddisonMcKee machine is freestanding,
with the hydraulic fluid tank forming an integral part of the structure. The bending
motion is provided by a servomotor driving through a reduction gear head, which in turn
drives a pinion and helical ring gear to produce a 100-degree maximum of bend angle.
The control system is based on a Siemens 840 D controller and all electrical control
gear and axis drives are integral to the machine, mounted in an electrical cabinet
secured to the base frame.
Very specific challenges
While the normal procedure would involve using a Brehm-type cutting machine to
prepare the cut to length blanks, in this case the cut to length parts (thousands of them) were presented in a large tote bin, and a system incorporated that lifted and tipped the components into a step feeder that fed the loading device via a small conveyor. While, prior to loading the components, an inline mechanism was incorporated and the parts qualified by a system of inserting rams to ensure the components were round.
As AddisonMckee's General Manager Phillip Aspinall remarks: 'The machine is based
upon a unique design achieving faster production rates than anything else on the
market. When the technology was first developed, we really did have to take things
right back to the drawing board. But the results have proved it was more than worth it.
Time is money in our industry as much as any other and our customers are delighted
by the way in which the EB28HS4 can help to absolutely transform productivity levels'.
Forming better strategies for all its customers
The fortunes of AddisonMckee have certainly taken a turn for the better in recent
months as the market climbs out of recession and the company's landmark presence at
Tube Dusseldorf is certain to provide further evidence of the company's increasing
strength, confidence and industry-leading expertise.
New ownership has galvanized the company by introducing a number of measures to
ensure a smoother ride for all its customers, in, amongst others, the automotive,
aviation, truck and shipbuilding industries.
And, significantly, while the company remains a truly global concern with its major
facilities in Lebanon, Ohio in the US and Brantford, Ontario in Canada, and partners all over the world, in response to overwhelming demand from its European customers
AddisonMckee has restored the manufacturing facility at its UK HQ at Bamber Bridge,
Lancashire, a move which underscores the company's commitment to its European
partners not least by significantly reducing costs.
As AddisonMckee CEO Alastair Tedford remarks: "The company has emerged
stronger than ever this year with an extremely healthy order book. As a management
team, we believe this is due to building on the company's core values to offer
customers a better service than ever before coupled with a significant investment in
research and development."
For more information about AddisonMckee and its products and services, please
contact:
Phillip Aspinall - General Manager - Europe.
Tel: +44 (0) 1772 334511
Email: paspinall@addisonmckee.com Website: www.addisonmckee.com
Jennifer Rankin - North America
Tel. +1 513.228.7000
Email: jrankin@addisonmckee.com
