Page 28 - MetalForming June 2014

Common Controls
Simplify Spinning
Bringing metal-spinning machines of different makes under common control systems improves efficiency and performance at Ratliff Metal Spinning.
Formed in 1967 as a provider of hand metal-spinning services, Ratliff Metal Spinning Co. (RMS) has, over the years, adopted technolo- gy to bring more science to the art of metal spinning. The company incor- porates seven CNC spinning lathes from various manufacturers into workcells at its plant in Englewood, OH, enabling it to handle blanks to 63-in. dia.
Purchased separately, the CNC spin- ning lathes employed their own control systems. The variety greatly affected operations, as only operators trained on a particular control system could run a machine. With approximately 35 employees—the operation runs 14 hr./day across one overlapping shift, with a second shift typically added through summer months—RMS lacks
the size and infrastructure to absorb idle machinery due to a lack of trained operators. It also couldn’t possibly cross-train numerous employees to handle the unique aspects of each con- trol system.
Overall, the firm’s aging controls hampered efficiency, quality and pro- ductivity. With limited control capa- bilities, RMS experienced lengthy setup times and diminished ability to pro- gram new and repeat part runs, and edit part programs.
Retrofits to the Rescue
Seeing the need to work smarter, the company has tapped metal-spin- ning control systems from MJC Engi- neering and Technology, Inc., Hunt- ington Beach, CA, to upgrade its
spinning-lathe controls. Taking a machine offline one at a time, RMS has retrofitted three machines, with plans to upgrade two more.
“We completely stripped down the machines and rebuilt them, and then MJC came in to install the new con- trols,” says RMS president Mike Ratliff.
While plenty of work went into the bodies, it was the brains, or con- trol systems, that needed the major overhaul.
“The machines were PLC-driven, using old control technology that’s not as user-friendly as what’s available now,” explains Ratliff, noting that chal- lenges with the old controls included the inability to edit. “They were strict- ly teach and play...if we did not get the part just right, we had no ability to
26 MetalForming/June 2014
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