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Composite camshafts are gaining in importance, as they decrease in weight, offering more opportunities for automotive manufacturers. Thanks to the new SFC 600 heat-shrink machine from EMAG, the heat-shrink process achieves new levels of flexibility.
Camshaft Variants are Joined via Heat-Shrink in Quick Succession
The heat-shrink assembly of camshafts offers multiple advantages to the automotive industry. One advantage is that the design is based on a tube but still it’s much lighter in comparison with the conventional monoblock design. Another plus is that the ideal material can be used for each individual camshaft component by manufacturers. For example, the cams are sintered while subordinate components such as end pieces and plugs are made of more favorable materials. This approach not only reduces costs but also makes production planning and implementation of the camshaft much easier.
New Opportunities for Heat-Shrink Technology
EMAG Automation has developed its patented heat-shrink technology for more than two decades. The cam is heated inductively, where it expands subsequently, and is fitted onto the shaft without any force involved. The entire process is performed at a temperature level generated to suit the particular material and component geometry. Once the component is subsequently quenched, the heat-shrink process begins which results in an air-tight shrink-fit. With their advanced SFC 600 shrink-fit machine, the creators of this technology pave the way for new opportunities, where the shrink-fitting of camshafts of length up to 600 mm gets even faster and significantly more flexible.
Rapid Workpiece
In particular, fast and precise NC axes with linear motor technology are at the center of the solution. With this technology, the whole production process can be controlled with an NC program which is necessary for flexibility. Sometimes, it is enough to simply adjust the NC program based on the camshaft model. The entire user interface is made to suit the programming of the machine tool. All data is stored in the control system.
The changeover from one camshaft production to another takes less than ten minutes.
Mr. Wolfgang Bohn, Application Engineer, EMAG Automation
The system is especially effective where retooling is a frequent requirement, most tools in the SFC 600 heat-shrink machine do not have to be retooled.
60 Second Assembly
The actual shrink-fit process also has very short cycle times. The gantry loader picks up two shaft components at the same time and takes them to the two inductors to be heated. An NC-controlled twin-gripper then controls the two components and pushes them onto the shaft, as described thus enabling the complete assembly of a standard 4-cylinder camshaft in about 60 seconds.
The SFC 600 makes the process faster, more flexible and easier to control. We’re sure that our combination of heat-shrinking and NC-based drives will have a major impact in camshaft production.
Wolfgang Bohn
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by EMAG LLC USA.
For more information on this source, please visit EMAG LLC USA.
Manufacturing Camshafts – Increase Your Flexibility
Manufacturing Camshafts – Increase Your Flexibility