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CNC WEST June/July 2021
Starrag and Amorphology Open West Coast Lab for Machining Aerospace Parts with Bumotec’s s191H
Starrag Bumotec and Amorphology are teaming up to establish a US West Coast laboratory where cus- tomers of both companies can observe real-time precision engineering and machining of complex gears using amor- phous metals.
Amorphology, a NASA spinoff company founded from technology developed at the Jet Propulsion Labora- tory (JPL) and the California Institute of Technology, is a leader in applying advanced materials and manufacturing technologies toward improving gear production for ro- botics and other industrial applications using amorphous metals, also known as bulk metal glass (BMG).
The laboratory will be at Amorphology’s Pasadena, Calif., headquarters where Starrag Bumotec’s s191H CNC machine will be showcased, machining a wide variety of parts, from mold inserts to rapid prototype gears as well as other production BMGs and traditional metal parts.
“We are targeting high-precision parts with toleranc- es often <5μm on certain dimensions,” said Jason Riley, Amorphology’s chief operating officer. “The majority of our work is focused on rapid prototyping and production quantities in the hundreds of parts per month.”
“Establishing a laboratory environment to showcase the precision, quality and capabilities of the Bumotec s191H will enable aerospace and defense engineers to experience this real-time machining that could be used in their manufacturing operations,” said Greg Dunkley, Starrag Bumotec vice president of precision engineering. “ BMGs have several material advantages over tra- ditional steel, titanium and aluminum metals and alloys. Amorphology’s patent portfolio includes several patents focused on high-precision gears for space and other ex- treme cold temperature applications. Amorphous metals are a non-crystalline class of alloys that cut and chip dif- ferently than other materials.
“The Bumotec s191H provides mill-turn capabilities as well as a higher production capacity,” said Riley. “Bu- motec can take our alloys and machine single pieces. Or instead of machining one part at a time, it can produce hundreds of pieces lights out.”
Besides making gears for aerospace, Amorphology’s gears are made for use in cobots, robots and medical
devices. For example, most cobots use strainwave gears – the main component being a flexspline. It is complex, thin- walled and fulfills an important role – to precisely move the arm of the robot.
Many of the cobot, robot and medical device parts can be cast or injected molded, but at times the micro-parts need to be post-processed to extremely high tolerances. “Bumotec ‘cut its teeth’ in designing machines for the Swiss watch in- dustry,” said Dunkley. “Bumotec has a talent for machining micro-size high-value gears.”
The Bumotec s191H blends Swiss mechanics and state- of-the-art axis drive technologies. The cast iron three-point machine base and linear drives eliminate vibration which yields superior surface finishes. Advanced kinematics and thermal management allow the implementation of numerous high speed machining operations in a small footprint.
Other key features include :linear driven motors and di- rect-driven rotation axis, extensive features with a maximum of 7 axes and 3 spindles, a unique spindle with high torque, universal bar machining (bar passage: 32, 50 or 65 mm), a large tool changer for 90 HSK40 tools, high thermal stability, simple clamping and high finish quality and
automatic in/out loading unit for blanks.
Other features include from bar to finished part, in one single production cycle, multiple processes (turning, milling, grinding, drilling, gear hobbing) and a multi-task machine fully equipped instead of multiple production units.
Riley believes the Bumotec s191H will make Amorphol- ogy’s own micro gearboxes without lubrication in robots and medical devices. “We will be machining our patented alloys to very small sizes where production quantities don’t require our injection molding process,” he said.
For information on the Davis Tech facility, please visit www.davistech.edu.