Deburring Machine for Motorcycle Disc Brake Rotors
Ellesco has revealed how its Timesavers series 42 deburring system is enabling EBC Brakes to make productivity gains in the manufacture of motorcycle disc brake rotors. A switch from machining the disc rotors to using laser to create the complex shapes and patterns that are both practical and functional on modern motorcycle brakes created a product that had burrs and sharp edges. While having no effect on the performance of the brakes, these burrs had to be removed for the health and safety of customers who would be handling the product, and for aesthetic reasons.
Initially, this deburring was being done manually in between other operations, which posed a risk of injury in the handling of the discs and was also tiring and time consuming. Paul Britchford, production manager at EBC, said: 'It did not take us long to realise that we needed to find an alternative to hand deburring that would provide the quality of finish and an automated solution to reduce the time being taken to deburr these rotors. 'We had seen the Timesavers machine on a visit to the Mach exhibition, so we invited Ellesco to put forward a proposal.
'It was confident that the Timesavers 42 series would handle both the volumes and the application,' Britchford added. The Timesavers series 42 machines have a combination of abrasive belt deburring and rotary disc pad, linishing and deburring built into the same system. This provides the ability to remove heavy burrs and/or linish the component using the belt, then breaking the edges, smoothing the surface and deburring using the rotary pad, or combining both in the same operation. With table widths of up to 1,350mm wide, large volumes of parts can be fed through the machine at any one time.
For further reassurance that the machine was capable of meeting EBC's requirements, a consignment of brake discs was shipped to Timesavers in the Netherlands. These trials proved successful, and Britchford said: 'Once we saw the quality of the parts that were being produced, the decision to purchase was a no-brainer. 'You can put a part through the Timesavers machine and it will deburr and apply a small radius to every edge of the component in a single pass. 'At the same time, it leaves the flat surfaces of the discs with a lightly brushed finish, which makes them look much better than we were achieving before,' he added.
The main reasons for the purchase were the elimination of sharp edges for safety and aesthetic reasons. Both of these aims were achieved virtually overnight, according to the company. A key feature of the machine for EBC is the large-diameter rotary nylon web pad that has abrasive material embedded in its fibres allowing it to act like a giant polishing mop. The gentle action of this disc rounds off the sharp edges without damaging the surfaces. In the case of EBC, many of its disc brakes are powder coated before they are finished; however, the Timesavers deburring process causes no damage to the coating.
In addition, the lack of pressure on the disc eliminates any possibility of them becoming distorted and having to be flattened prior to despatch. As for the consumables element, in the first three months since the machine was installed EBC has not had to replace the rotary disc and only one abrasive belt has been used. 'The longevity of the consumables is good because you are not putting excessive load on the abrasive belt and pad due to the design of the machine,' Britchford said. Having installed the Timesavers machine, EBC said it is experiencing additional benefits.
For example, the labour requirement is one operator who feeds the parts at the front of the machine in manageable batches and retrieves them from the rear of the machine. These parts are then turned over for the reverse face to be deburred. Furthermore, setting of the machine is said to be very simple. Part thickness is measured with a micrometer and the belt/rotary pad height is set accordingly using the digital thickness monitor on the machine's display. All that is then required is for the feed rate to be set and production can begin.
Initially, this deburring was being done manually in between other operations, which posed a risk of injury in the handling of the discs and was also tiring and time consuming. Paul Britchford, production manager at EBC, said: 'It did not take us long to realise that we needed to find an alternative to hand deburring that would provide the quality of finish and an automated solution to reduce the time being taken to deburr these rotors. 'We had seen the Timesavers machine on a visit to the Mach exhibition, so we invited Ellesco to put forward a proposal.
'It was confident that the Timesavers 42 series would handle both the volumes and the application,' Britchford added. The Timesavers series 42 machines have a combination of abrasive belt deburring and rotary disc pad, linishing and deburring built into the same system. This provides the ability to remove heavy burrs and/or linish the component using the belt, then breaking the edges, smoothing the surface and deburring using the rotary pad, or combining both in the same operation. With table widths of up to 1,350mm wide, large volumes of parts can be fed through the machine at any one time.
For further reassurance that the machine was capable of meeting EBC's requirements, a consignment of brake discs was shipped to Timesavers in the Netherlands. These trials proved successful, and Britchford said: 'Once we saw the quality of the parts that were being produced, the decision to purchase was a no-brainer. 'You can put a part through the Timesavers machine and it will deburr and apply a small radius to every edge of the component in a single pass. 'At the same time, it leaves the flat surfaces of the discs with a lightly brushed finish, which makes them look much better than we were achieving before,' he added.
The main reasons for the purchase were the elimination of sharp edges for safety and aesthetic reasons. Both of these aims were achieved virtually overnight, according to the company. A key feature of the machine for EBC is the large-diameter rotary nylon web pad that has abrasive material embedded in its fibres allowing it to act like a giant polishing mop. The gentle action of this disc rounds off the sharp edges without damaging the surfaces. In the case of EBC, many of its disc brakes are powder coated before they are finished; however, the Timesavers deburring process causes no damage to the coating.
In addition, the lack of pressure on the disc eliminates any possibility of them becoming distorted and having to be flattened prior to despatch. As for the consumables element, in the first three months since the machine was installed EBC has not had to replace the rotary disc and only one abrasive belt has been used. 'The longevity of the consumables is good because you are not putting excessive load on the abrasive belt and pad due to the design of the machine,' Britchford said. Having installed the Timesavers machine, EBC said it is experiencing additional benefits.
For example, the labour requirement is one operator who feeds the parts at the front of the machine in manageable batches and retrieves them from the rear of the machine. These parts are then turned over for the reverse face to be deburred. Furthermore, setting of the machine is said to be very simple. Part thickness is measured with a micrometer and the belt/rotary pad height is set accordingly using the digital thickness monitor on the machine's display. All that is then required is for the feed rate to be set and production can begin.
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