SHOP SOLUTIONS s Problem Solving on the ShoP Floor - …€¦ · · 2015-02-24old company that was founded by Jack Roush, Robert ... it has ballooned in recent years. The Andretti

March 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 45

Andretti Corners Indy Racing with Innovative Tooling

Andretti Autosport, based in Indianapolis and led by

racing legend Michael Andretti, boasts four IndyCar

Series championships, two Indy Lights titles, one Pro Mazda

championship, one USF2000 championship and has won the

Read more, P46

HMC’s Precision Puts Clamps on Leaky Pipelines

P LIDCO-The Pipe Line Development Co. (Westlake, OH),

founded in 1949 by Joseph B. and Berneice K. Smith,

manufactures high-pressure pipeline repair and mainte-

nance fittings for onshore and offshore applications.

Read more, P48

Tooling Partnership Wins Races with Performance

Roush Yates Engines (RYE; Mooresville, NC) is a 10-year-

old company that was founded by Jack Roush, Robert

Yates, and Doug Yates to be the sole factory-supported

engine building facility for the Ford FR9.

Read more, P51

sSHOP SOLUTIONSProblem Solving on the ShoP Floor

Ryan Hunter-Reay took the checkered flag as the winner of the

98th Indianapolis 500 race. Four of five Andretti racers finished

in the top six of the race.

Roush Yates Engine D3 engine cover machined using Mitsubishi

Materials cutting tools.

Dan Shaw (left), CNC programmer, and Pete Haburt, sales manager,

inspect half of a 6" 3705wp PLIDCO Split+Sleeve that is being manufac-

tured on a Kitamura HMC for Tremco Pipeline Equipment Co. in Australia.

46 AdvancedManufacturing.org | March 2015

Indianapolis 500 three times—including its victory in 2014.

Staying on top and winning with this kind of consistency,

year in, year out, is a credit to the racers themselves, but

also to the engineers and machinists who are working

behind the scenes to produce the fastest, safest and best

automobiles possible. Getting the best performance out of

an Indy car requires vigilance in seeking the best applications

and best tools for the job, and it all has to be done with strict

adherence to the IndyCar Series rules and standards. This

is where the solid partnership that Andretti shares with BIG

Kaiser Precision Tooling (Hoffman Estates, IL) really shines.

The sandbox that Andretti and other IndyCar engineers

get to play in, in terms of innovation, is only so big. Event rules

carefully restrict many modifications, but they still allow techni-

cians substantial flexibility in critical areas, such as suspen-

sions. Kevin Harvey, lead machinist for Andretti, said that the

team has always had a shock and suspension program, but

it has ballooned in recent years. The Andretti shop recently

added DMG MORI DMU 3+2 five-axis machines that allow

for more machining flexibility than in the past. Machining for

suspension components and a few steering rack components

involves complex geometries that require getting deep into

solid forms to precisely machine at a deep reach.

Suspensions are a bit of a Wild West in the otherwise

strictly-governed IndyCar realm. They’re one of the few

elements Harvey and his team can change and manipulate

between races. These intricately machined suspension

components are extremely important because they allow

Andretti cars, and by extension, their drivers, to “get off the

corners” better than they ever have. The way in which the

tires are planted, which this component regulates, creates

the necessary traction, and allows drivers to go into the

corners and get out of them more quickly.

To get the best possible performance with the best

possible runout standards, even while reaching deep into

component features, Harvey turns to BIG Kaiser and its BIG

Daishowa Mega Micro collet chucks. A slim nut and taper

design prevents interference in applications with microdrills

and end mills. Mega Micro chuck’s notch-free nut design

prevents vibration and noise, while offering great balance

and concentricity. This smooth nut design not only eliminates

whistling noise and coolant splattering, but also increases the

strength of the nut itself.

“One of the areas in which the Mega Micro has really

come in handy is in parts where we’re doing three-dimen-

sional contouring on the inside of bores on the shocks, which

is very complicated machining. What BIG Kaiser tools have

allowed us to do is reach down inside this one particular

component, probably less than a 2" [51-mm] diameter bore,

and do complicated three-dimensional machining inside the

cylinder walls so we can rotate the part up,” Harvey said.

Harvey described this piece as machined from 10 different

angles, and despite being able to fit a couple of them within

the palm of your hand, they involve close to 100 steps in

programming. All told, it took about 25–30 tools to machine

this little part. Now, with BIG Kaiser tooling on a five-axis

machine, Harvey can complete the component in just two

setups. “We start where we have extra material on the back

side of the part and do the machining on all these different

angles by just holding onto the end of the block. Then, we

SHOP SOLUTIONSContinued from P45

Mega Micro collet chucks from BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling

allow Andretti Autosport machinists to reach deep inside the

bores of shocks to do 3D contour machining.


use a fixture that holds it on the second side, where we take

probably four more machining passes.”

Previously, Harvey and his team had to make their own tool

extensions to reach down inside these bores. The Mega Micro

series features a slim body, but with a tapered design for added

rigidity, and the new Mega 8S now offers the series a bigger

clamping diameter capacity to hold a larger shank tool. This

allows Harvey to rigidly hold the cutting tool, and still be able to

get down inside the bores without any extra, specialized tooling.

“We hadn’t found anything this long with this small of a di-

ameter. At least nothing that performs so well,” Harvey said.

“We’ve also been using the Mega Synchro Tapping Holders

from BIG Kaiser for a lot of our tapping operations, and we

use them from a 6-32 up to 3/8" [9.5-mm] diameters. We

don’t have much bigger fasteners than that in IndyCar. The

way the attachment is engineered, we have almost zero tap

breakage with these due to special damping mechanism in

the Synchro Holder,” said Harvey.

Andretti Autosport technicians are realizing a longer tool life

because the Synchro helps mitigate the initial shock of when

the tap hits the material, a critical moment. The toolholder’s

proprietary rubber-like bushing—the Synchro Adjuster—

dampens the tool when it starts cutting, stops, and then it

reverses. This is another critical point, so it replaces operations

that have, in the past, been straight, rigid tapping. “We’ve

seen an increase in tool life for sure,” Harvey said.

Cornering is critical in IndyCar. Tracks don’t consist of

the gradual, sweeping left turns of many other racing sports.

Instead, a track is punctuated by hairpin turns and switch-

backs—in both directions—between

220-mph (354-km/h) straights. To that

end, Andretti Autosport created an entire

suspension and damper department, and

it has really grown recently. If cornering

is the key to winning, the dampers take

either the blame or the praise for cornering

failure or success.

“Tooling in general from BIG Kaiser is far

and away above all the other tooling I’ve

used in the past,” Harvey said. “I now have

cutters that last so much longer. Because

of the runout control, everything is so

precise and the rigidity is great. My finishes

come off the machine like mirrors, and

that’s all due to the quality of the holders,

surpassing anything I’ve used.”

For more information from BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling

Inc., go to www.bigkaiser.com, or phone 847-228-7660.

Continued from P45

HMC’s Precision Puts Clamps on Leaky Pipelines

PLIDCO-The Pipe Line Development Co. (Westlake, OH),

founded in 1949 by Joseph B. and Berneice K. Smith,

manufactures high-pressure pipeline repair and maintenance

fittings for onshore and offshore applications for the global

gas, oil, water, chemical, steam, and slurry industries. Its

high-pressure clamps and fittings are used to quickly and

safely repair pipelines to avoid or minimize costly and danger-

ous shutdowns, saving risk, time, and money for customers

on land or subsea around the world. Kimberly Smith is the

third-generation president and general manager of the family-

owned company. “PLIDCO prides itself on the quality fittings

that leave our dock and make their way across the globe to

make hazardous piping safer,” said Smith.

“We are the first responders, the emergency room for the

global pipeline industry when they develop leakage in pipe-

lines on land, in refineries, or subsea that are carrying hydro-

carbons, natural gas, chemical products and oil,” said Pete

Haburt, PLIDCO sales manager. “Our products are code-engi-

neered and precision-manufactured from designs drawn from

the ASME section 8 codes, the API 6X codes, and B31 codes

for different industries,” said Haburt.

SHOP SOLUTIONS

Kimberly Smith, president and general manager, and operator Nick Panza with the

Kitamura HX630iTGA 630-mm HMC machining a 2" (51-mm) PLIDCO Split+Sleeve

fitting for the pipeline and repair industry.


PLIDCO’s precision-machined components are designed

to withstand pressures up to 10,000 psi (69 MPa) and

temperatures that range from −250° to 1100° F in API pipe

sizes from 1 ½ through 48" (37–1219 mm). The PLIDCO

facility has ISO 9001:2008 and ISO

14001: 2004 certifications and oc-

cupies 56,000 ft2 (5202 m2) of office

and factory space. Manufacturing

processes include all of the standard

fabrication and machine tools plus

special equipment required to com-

pletely manufacture standard and

special fittings.

PLIDCO’s product categories

include leak enclosure fittings for

high-pressure lines, connector fittings

for pipeline repair, hot tapping and line

plugging fittings, and custom-designed

fittings. “The purpose of our ten or so

product lines is to provide an engi-

neered solution for the various types

of problems that can be encountered,”

said Haburt. “They require precision

machining and a substantial amount

of welding. We form plate and weld on

the side bars to form our basic shell

and make our sleeves out of varieties of

low-carbon steel.

To increase production and versatil-

ity of its machining of Split+Sleeves

from the smallest up to 30" (762-

mm) long PLIDCO acquired a twin-

pallet Kitamura HX630iTGA 630-mm

horizontal machining center, through

Tipton Machinery (Cleveland, OH). The

Kitamura HX630iTGA, which has been

in service a little over a year, features a

high-torque, four-step geared spindle

that can deliver torque up to 680 ft-lb

(921 N•m). The HX630iTGA features

box-way construction and twin

ballscrews for heavy-duty accurate

cutting of harder materials.

“Formerly, a lot of our products

were machined on older-style manual

machines that typically required that

we machine clamps and fittings on multiple machines,” said

Dan Shaw, CNC programmer. “With the Kitamura horizon-

tal, we can machine all operations completely on a single

machine, which improves throughput and accuracy. And

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having two pallets, we can set up one piece while another

one is still running so that we have continuous production.

In addition, the two-pallet system and rotary table enables

us to set up fixturing by part family and switch between

sizes within families quickly compared with the manual

machines,” said Shaw.

A definite benefit of having the advanced machining capa-

bility of the Kitamura is the new tooling available to PLIDCO

that can be used on the CNC machine. “The old-style blade

tooling that we used on the manual machines for holemak-

ing for studs required a lot of torque and was expensive. The

new CNC tooling for the Kitamura CNC is carbide or coated

inserts that are less costly, very repeatable without resetting

and requires a lot less torque and horsepower,” said Shaw.

For its largest workpieces, parts up to 118" (2997-mm) long,

60" (1524-mm) wide and weighing in at 15,000 lb (6804 kg),

PLIDCO uses a large vertical machining center. Programming

is done with Mastercam, which has postprocessors that can

be customized to each machine.

“With the Kitamura, it takes about 20% of the time to make

the same size hole that it took with the manual machines.

With its newer controller and tool probing capability to find the

workpiece, the Kitamura HMC has reduced machining time

significantly and increased production to 60%.” According to

Kimberly Smith, the Split+Sleeve is the fitting sold most often

to PLIDCO customers around the globe. “Saving time in the

manufacturing process shortens customer delivery times and

allows for emergency stock quantities to rise. That makes

everyone happy from the factory through the distributor and to

the end user,” said Smith.

PLIDCO founder, Joe Smith, had a saying, “One quick

look at any of our products reveals their quality. As I said

before, we do not care to be the biggest, we want to be the

best.” To that end, the recent purchase of the Kitamura and

the quality fittings it is producing is keeping the third genera-

tion of PLIDCO right on track.

For more information from Kitamura Machinery of USA Inc.,

go to www.kitamura-machinery.com, or phone 847-520-7755.

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SHOP SOLUTIONS


Continued from P45

Tooling Partnership Wins Races with Performance

Roush Yates Engines (RYE; Moores-

ville, NC) is a 10-year-old company

that was founded by Jack Roush,

Robert Yates, and Doug Yates to be

the sole factory-supported engine

building facility for the Ford FR9. All of

the Ford FR9 engines that are used in

the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide

Series, and Camping World Truck Se-

ries are built by Roush Yates Engines.

Every Ford team on the track, includ-

ing Penske Racing, Roush Fenway

Racing, Wood Brothers, Front Row,

and Richard Petty Motorsports use

engines built by RYE.

“In addition to the Ford FR9 engine,

Roush Yates Engines produces engines

and components for the IMSA [Inter-

national Motor Sports Association] V6

Ford EcoBoost engine, which uses

70% factory parts, and the RY45

Platform, which is ideal for grass roots,”

said Michael Alvarez, director e-com-

merce and marketing. “We produce a

total of more than 800 engines a year

from all of our facilities.

As the Official Tooling Partner of

Roush Yates Engines, Mitsubishi

Materials USA Corp. (Fountain Valley,

CA) supplies tooling that is used in

more than 50 machines that are used

to manufacture engine components

throughout the Roush Yates Group’s

facilities in Mooresville, NC. In its

preferred position, Mitsubishi Materials

USA shares the commitment to R&D

that is advancing tooling technology

for producing components needed for Roush Yates Group’s

world-class racing performance.

“As far as machining requirements for our engine parts is

concerned, form, fit, and finish tolerances are just as tight as

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those for aerospace applications,” said Rodney

Tucker, manufacturing engineer, who has had ex-

perience in the aerospace manufacturing industry.

“Our tolerances are very tight. For example, true

positional tolerances that we have to meet on

compound angle holes through a plane on a cyl-

inder head are extremely tight. Just about every

part we manufacture goes through a CMM, and

just about every part has a first-article inspection

on it,” said Tucker.

Machining capabilities of the tooling that

Mitsubishi Materials has to meet include simul-

taneous five-axis machining, mill-turn machin-

ing, cellular machining on two Makino horizontal

machining centers with robot load/unload, several

four-axis Makino HMCs, and simultaneous ma-

chining on a nine-axis DMG Mori NT, as well as

other machining processes. “The Makino cell has

laser tool breakage detection and the reliability

SHOP SOLUTIONS

A selection of parts machined using Mitsubishi Materials tooling by

Roush Yates Engines for the Ford FR9 engine and the RY 45 platform.


of the Mitsubishi Materials tools allows us to run lights-out

without worrying about tool breakage,” said Tucker. “The one

thing that is really nice with the reliability and repeatability

of Mitsubishi Materials’ tools—especially in the Makino cell

where we monitor tool life very careful-

ly—is that when we rate a tool for 2500

cycles, we know that we can count on

it delivering that level of performance.”

“We’re typically machining met-

als hardened to Rc 40 including 4140,

4340, titanium, and 6160 and 7075

aluminum, as well as proprietary met-

als. One of our big challenges involves

machining main caps that hold the

crank to the block, which is made of

some pretty tough materials and hold-

ing diametrical and locational toler-

ances that are really tight,” said Tucker.

The Mitsubishi Materials’ drills with

coolant-through really shine in drilling

deep holes in the main cap. The major-

ity of our machines have 1000 psi [6.89

MPa],” said Tucker.

“We’ve been using Mitsubishi Mate-

rials’ tools including face mills, end

mills, and drills long enough so that

we are able to judge their performance

by monitoring tool life and quality of

machined parts over a long period

of usage,” said Tucker. Typical tools

include Mitsubishi Materials’ ½" (12.7-

mm) end mills for roughing rocker

arms, 13.5-mm drills for cylinder head

machining, and boring bars to bore

IDs on shims.

“Like Mitsubishi Materials USA,

Roush Yates is a market leading com-

pany in their industry,” said Motoharu

Yamamoto, president and CEO. “As the

preferred cutting tool supplier for Roush

Yates Engines, we look forward to pro-

viding the best cutting tool materials,

products, and services to enhance their

reputation for power, performance, and

reliability. The partnership between our

two companies will lead to the develop-

ment of new tooling technologies, products, and processes

used in their manufacturing environment.”

For more information from Mitsubishi Materials USA

Corp., go to www.mmus.com, or phone 800-523-0800.

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Documents

SHOP SOLUTIONS s Problem Solving on the ShoP Floor - …€¦ · · 2015-02-24old company that was founded by Jack Roush, Robert ... it has ballooned in recent years. The Andretti