Perform Multiple Fabrication Processes With One Automation System
The Auto Drill 30 station for ESAB’s Suprarex HDX and Numorex cutting machines increases productivity by combining multiple processes. Operators can produce finished, or nearly finished, parts using one automation system.
Posted: December 31, 2020
Thanks to a completely new spindle design, the fully automated Auto Drill 30 from ESAB Welding & Cutting Products (Annapolis Junction, MD) drills holes with diameters up to 30 mm and through plate thicknesses up to 50 mm (depending on material type). Equipped with a seven-tool changer to accommodate seven tools within the same program, the drill also taps, countersinks, and counterbores.
Available as an option for the company’s Suprarex HDX and Numorex automated cutting machines, the drill is ideal for steel service centers, large manufacturers, bridge builders, and structural steel companies. It can be used in combination with stations for plasma beveling, oxy-fuel cutting, inkjet marking and pin stamping.
The tool changer is mounted on a carriage attached directly to the drill station, allowing tool changes to happen very quickly without moving or unclamping the drill station itself. This increases productivity because the machine and tool station don’t have to move to a different location to change tools and there’s no need to reorient the plate to ensure accuracy. A laser sensor measure tool confirms tool tip position on every downstroke, allowing it to detect if the tool is broken.
The drill includes through-the-tool cooling as well as external cooling. A pneumatic hold-down device with chip shield reduces vibration and prevents throwing chips. Both the X and Y axes have clamps for holding the tool steady while drilling.
The system is supplied with drilling parameters for a wide range of hole sizes, making it easy to produce cut parts with precision-drilled holes in a single operation. All drilling parameters are captured and automated by ESAB’s on-board process database, and can be easily retrieved manually or fully automated by the part program.
