Manufacturer Finds Solutions to Common Shop Issues
MicroSwiss Shop Owner Jeff Bonner doubled part production with a superior surface finish compared with previous processes. The medical device manufacturer runs one Citizen A20 and three L20 CNC Swiss lathes and lives and dies by its ability to provide more parts with better quality and efficiency.
By incorporating a precision collet in the Swiss machine’s live toolholder, along with new bearings, the company can produce as many as 30,000 parts with a single grinding wheel.
MicroSwiss Inc. out of Naples, Florida, is always looking for clever solutions to common shop issues. One such product development has helped Shop Owner Jeff Bonner doubled part production with a superior surface finish compared with previous processes. The medical device manufacturer runs one Citizen A20 and three L20 CNC Swiss lathes and lives and dies by its ability to provide more parts with better quality and efficiency.
After machining a part for a customer in-house, the company discovered they needed a more efficient solution. Although a grinding wheel was considered at first, screw machines are not designed to handle grinding operations. So Mr. Bonner designed a grinding wheel with a 10-mm shank and a 30-mm head diameter to provide the maximum possible cutter speed. Further modifications were made, and with these changes a single grinding wheel could now produce 30,000 parts.
Due to the success with the Swiss grinding process, Mr. Bonner has made the tool available to other shops. Chris Felix expands on how innovation can lead to a shop’s success in his article, “Grinding on a Swiss.” Read the full article here.
