Transfer line system (TLS)

Transfer line system (TLS)—transfer line machining---- transfer machining

 Mass production
 Automation
 Product layout
 What is TLS ?
Ans:- Manufacturing a product from start to finish. i.e. From raw material to finished product
/good
 Layout is arranged in such a way that there is minimum handling, minimum distance travelled by
product from one work station to next work station.

 Two main types

1. Inline layout
2. Rotary layout
3. Combination type

Even store location is such that it is easy to supply Raw material from store to first work station with out
any bottleneck or barrier and minimum distance.

 Use of E.O.T cranes/gantry type cranes/cantilever type swinging arm crane or hoist
 Forklifts
 Industrial trucks.
 Conveyors
 AGV :- Automated guided vehicle which is guided by magnetic path as per requirement

Essential components of TLS are

 Conveyors –
1. belt type,
2. chain type,
3. hanger type etc
 SPM- Special purpose machine
Features are
 high RPM,
  advanced tooling,
 Automatic clamping and unclamping units
 tool magazines,
 Machine configuration supporting more degrees of freedom,
 advanced Jigs and fixtures,
 advanced gauging units ( mostly sensor type probes),
 closed loop system for gauging
 high accuracy,
 good surface finish,
 support easy and quick loading and unloading of work piece,
 Loading unloading devices-
 lifting mechanisms,
 push- pull arrangement,
 manipulators,
 grippers,
 pick and place units,
 smart Robots etc

 Robots
1. Articulated type
2. SCARA
3. Gantry type
4. Cartesian
5. Polar ( cylindrical)
 AGVs
 Feeders
 Positioners
 Orientation mechanisms

All these operations needs to be synchronized. The component which assists us in that are

o timers,
o sensors,
o relays,
o synchronous motors,
o closed loop system,
o computer assistance.
SPM are different from standard machinery
They are specially made for particular operation and to produce particular dimensions at a time so

 We can set high rpm,

 tools suitable to take high rpm,
 Automatic clamping and unclamping units
 automatic cooling units
 advanced gauging system
 high accuracy,
 good surface finish,
 support easy and quick loading and unloading of work piece

Standard machine tool however can be used to machine any component at any given time so they
have higher flexibility in terms of job/workpiece.

Everything i.e. loading unloading of job, tool selection, clamping unclamping – generally manually

So to differentiate SPM and standard machineries

Features Special Purpose machinery Standard machinery
Purpose Mass production Job production
flexibility Less/limited ( that’s why FMS more
possible)
Tooling Advanced Common/standard
Loading – unloading Automatic/advanced Manual/semiautomatic
units/devices
Pick and Place units supports Doesn’t support
Setting time less more
Machining time less more
Accuracy and surface finish high moderate
Automatic Transfer Machine
a system of machinery, a set of basic and auxiliary equipment which carries out entire
manufacturing processes or reprocesses of a product orpart of it automatically within a specified
technological sequence and at a specified pace.

The servicing personnel of an automatic transfermachine perform the following functions:

control, monitoring of the performance of units or production sections in the transfer line, and

repairand adjustment. Transfer machines requiring the direct participation of human operators in
order to complete some of the operations of themanufacturing process (for example, starting and
stopping individual units, mounting or displacing the workpiece) are known as semi automatic
transfer machines. Many of the auxiliary operations (for example, removal of production wastes)
, product quality control, output evaluation are mechanized and automated on modern automatic
transfer machines. Many automatic transfer machines feature automatic control
of the variables of the manufacturing processes, automatic displacement of working tools, and
automatic adjustment and readjustment ofequipment. The design of automatic transfer machines
and their acceptance into regular production is one of the most important stages in theautomation
of production, in the transition from individual automatic machines to automatic systems of mac
hines and automated complexes
frequently combining manufacturing processes of widely contrasting types.

A further stage in the development of automatic transfer machines was the building of type-
standardized fast-readjustable versatile automatic
transfer machines for machining cylindrical gears, stepped shafts, and castellated shafts. Several
parts of the same type having differentdimensions can be machined simultaneously on such
transfer machines with minimum readjustment time; besides, each machine tool in the
transfer line is capable of operating independently in the process. The development of type-
standardized automatic machine tools on the basisof general-
purpose machines and equipment has brought about the necessary conditions for the manufacture
of automatic transfer machines inlots and for their introduction into lot production.

Automatic transfer machines are being widely used in the food industry, in the production of
household wares, in the electrical and electronic
goods industries, and in the chemical industry. Automatic transfer machines have received wide
acceptance in the machine industry. Many ofthose machines are fabricated directly at the plants
using already existing equipment.

Automatic transfer machines for processing commodities which are strictly determined in shape
and dimension are called special-purpose
transfer machines; these machines have to be replaced or modified when the product being manu
factured is changed. Specialized automatic
transfer machines for machining products of a single type over a specified range of parameters of
fer a broader range of options in production
practice. When production plans call for a switch to a new production item, specialized
automatic transfer machines generally need only to beretooled in individual machining units,
with changes in their operating conditions; the basic manufacturing equipment can be used to
fabricate the new product of a single type in most cases. Special-
purpose and specialized automatic transfer machines are used principally in mass production.

Automatic transfer machines used in large-

lot production must exhibit versatility and the option of fast-
readjustment capability in the fabricationof different products of the same type. Such automatic
transfer machines are known as general-purpose fast-readjustment machines, or multiple-
machine automatic transfer machines. General
purpose automatic transfer machines are less productive than their special-purpose counter
parts but compensate with their rapid readjustment in the production of a broad assortment of
different products.

The structural layout of an automatic transfer machine depends on the production volume and on
the nature of the manufacturing process.There exist in-line or parallel-
action automatic transfer machines, single production lines, multiple production lines, or mixed
production lines(with branching flows). Parallel-
action automatic transfer machines are used to carry out a single operation when the duration of t
hat operationis much longer than the required production pace. The workpiece is transferred auto
matically (from a magazine or hopper), is indexed fromstation to station among the units in the
transfer line, and after machining is picked up by material-handling devices and routed through
subsequent operations. Multiple-
flow automatic transfer machines constitute a system of parallel-
action automatic transfer machines designedto carry out several manufacturing operations, each
of which lasts longer than the specified production pace. Several in-line automatic transfer
machines or parallel-
action automatic transfer machines can be combined into a single system. These systems are then
known as automatic production sections, departments, or production facilities.

The control of automatic transfer machine tools is handled by automatic control systems which a
re classified as either inner-loop systems orouter-loop systems. Inner-
loop control systems make it possible for a single unit or mechanism in the transfer line to carry
out all the basic andauxiliary operations in the manufacturing process on that particular unit. An
outerloop system (as a rule, a routing control system organized onthe feedback loop principle)
ensures coordinated work of units and section units in the transfer line. Automatic transfer
machine control
systems are built on the basis of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or combined
coupling links, depending on the specific
production conditions. Electronic program control systems are used for automatic control of the
manufacturing process and of equipmentreadjustment on automatic transfer machines
(predominantly multiple
machine setups). Large integrated automatic transfer machines areequipped with electronic
control machines and other computing equipment. Separate electric power drives or multi
engine power drives are used
predominantly on units in an automatic transfer line; controlled variable electric, hydraulic, or m
echanical power drives are employed lessfrequently.

Indexing of the work (a piece to be machined) from one machining station to another can be
handled by either a rigid or a flexible conveying or material-
handling system. A rigid conveying system may pass through the work space of the unit of the au
tomatic transfer line, may besituated parallel to it, or may have devices mounted perpendicular to
it for loading and unloading the station. The work stations on each unit areset at equal distances
apart. The part is dismounted, after being machined at one station, and transferred to the next stat
ion; a new work pieceis then indexed to the first station, and the finished work piece is removed f
rom the last station. Depending on the design, dimensions, andshape of the product, the conveyor
s used may be step-by-step conveyors, transfer-bar-type conveyors, or hook conveyors, slat-
type or palletconveyors, chain conveyors, and so forth. Rigid conveying systems are used predo
minantly on in-line single-
flow transfer machines fabricatinglarge single products (for example, on transfer machines consi
sting of multihead machine tools or on transfer machines for machiningcylindrical gears). When
a flexible conveying system is used, the unmachined work-
piece is indexed at the first station and the finished productis removed from the last station indep
endently on each unit in the automatic transfer line; transfer of work from one position to another
can bekept in pace with the actual progress of the manufacturing process. The workpieces are in
dexed between units with the aid of inclined orvibration-
aided chutes, chain conveyors, band conveyors, trough conveyors, and the like. The flexible conv
eying system is most effective in themachining of small parts and products on parallel-
action automatic transfer machines and also on multiple-
flow and mixed automatic transfermachines. The usual practice when using a flexible conveying
system is to place magazines or storage bunkers at each work station. Theirpurpose is to keep the
automatic transfer machine working in the event of a shutdown of individual units and to improv
e the servicing of thetransfer lines. The number and capacity of these storage bunkers are determi
ned by the complexity and extent of the automatic transfer lineand by the degree of reliability an
d trouble-
free operation of the units. The magazines (storage hoppers) are also used on automatic transfer
machines equipped with a rigid conveying system; in that case they are built into the overall con
veying system and material-
handling system,so that the individual production sections can operate independently.

The workpiece can remain stationary or can be moved in a straight line during the machining pro
cess (as in centerless grinding automatictransfer machines) or in a circular or a rotary motion (as
in a rotary-
indexing transfer machine). Fixed or rotating parts are located or placedprior to machining in the
required position directly at the work station or in a satellite fixture. Straight-
line or circular displacement of the workduring the machining process is usually carried out by m
aterial-handling devices.

The stability of the manufacturing process in the case of automatic transfer machines is defined a
s the time during which the required processvariables are kept close to the set point within the re
quired tolerance limits. The stability of the product quality and removal of errors during themach
ining process in automatic transfer machines is achieved through systematic inspection of the ass
igned variables and active interventionin the production process.

The direct effectiveness of automatic transfer machine tools is felt in particular as a decrease in t
he number of workers previously employed inthe same line and volume of production. But auto
matic transfer machine work requires high skill on the part of the operating and servicingpersonn
el. Automatic transfer machines are most effective when improved manufacturing processes are
being implemented in production oncomplex and integrated levels. Under socialist conditions of
production, automatic transfer machines are being used to handle labor-
consumingoperations and hazardous processes, where this results in significant improvements in
working conditions and makes the labor of the workerseasier. However, as a rule automatic trans
fer machine tools also yield an indispensable economic efficiency, which is particularly high inin
tegrated automation of production. The cost of products manufactured on automatic transfer mac
hines depends primarily on the cost of theoriginal materials and on the cost of the semifinished p
roducts, on the capacity of the automatic transfer machine, and on the developmentcosts.

The cost of automatic transfer machines is determined by the number of manufacturing operation
s they perform, the complexity of thoseoperations, the volume of products manufactured, the co
mplexity of the equipment and control systems, and the level of lot production. Otherconditions
being equal, the decisive factor determining the cost of an automatic transfer machine will be the
level of lot production of the lineequipment. The cost of an automatic transfer machine is lowere
d when standardized assemblies, mechanisms, and tools are used; when thefabrication of the con
veying system and control system is centralized; and when the duration of installation and adjust
ment operations isshortened. Lowering the cost of the automatic transfer machine expands the ec
onomically feasible range of applications of the transfermachine, making it possible to put autom
atic transfer machines needed for the technical retooling of an industry into operation.

The capacity of an automatic transfer machine depends on the time spent in directly carrying out
the manufacturing process, the time requiredto carry out auxiliary indexing operations (uncoordi
nated material-
handling operations, mounting and dismounting the work, removal andtransfer of tools), readjust
ment time, adjustment time, and time required to put the transfer machine back in operation after
shutdown. The timeof the manufacturing process can be shortened by using highly productive tec
hnology. The time spent in auxiliary indexing operations can beshortened by cutting down the nu
mber of unproductive transfers occurring during the process or by increasing the speed of the tra
nsfers or bycarrying out those unproductive transfers simultaneously with the manufacturing pro
cess. The criterion of cyclical continuity of the work, whichis defined (in the case of the discrete
manufacturing processes) by the ratio of the time required to complete the manufacturing process
to thefull cycle time, is important for evaluating the capacity of the automatic transfer machine.
The time spent in setup, readjustments, and repairsis shortened by using automatic control, by in
creasing the stability of the tools, and by replacing defective tools in good time.
 ROBOTS
types
HIGH SPEED MACHINING ….HSM
Cutting at speeds significantly higher than those used in conventional machining operations •A
persistent trend throughout history of machining is higher and higher cutting speeds •At present there
is a renewed interest in HSM due to potential for faster production rates, shorter lead times, and
reduced costs

Other HSM Definitions –DN Ratio

DN ratio = bearing bore diameter (mm) multiplied by maximum spindle speed (rev/min) •For high speed
machining, typical DN ratio is between 500,000 and 1,000,000 •Allows larger diameter bearings to fall
within HSM range, even though they operate at lower rotational speeds than smaller bearings

Other HSM Definitions –HP/RPM Ratio

hp/rpm ratio = ratio of horsepower to maximum spindle speed •Conventional machine tools usually
have a higher hp/rpm ratio than those equipped for HSM •Dividing line between conventional
machining and HSM is around 0.005 hp/rpm •Thus, HSM includes 15 hp spindles that can rotate at
30,000 rpm (0.0005 hp/rpm)

Other HSM Definitions

•Emphasize:

Higher production rates

Shorter lead times

Rather than functions of spindle speed

•Important non-cutting factors:

Rapid traverse speeds

Automatic tool changes

Requirements for High Speed Machining

•Special bearings designed for high rpm

•High feed rate capability (e.g., 50 m/min)

•CNC motion controls with “look-ahead”features to avoid “undershooting”or “overshooting”tool path

•Balanced cutting tools, toolholders, and spindles to minimize vibration
 •Coolant delivery systems that provide higher pressures than conventional machining •Chip control and
removal systems to cope with much larger metal removal rates

High Speed Machining Applications

•Aircraft industry, machining of large airframe components from large aluminum blocks Much metal
removal, mostly by milling

•Multiple machining operations on aluminum to produce automotive, computer, and medical

components Quick tool changes and tool path control important

•Die and mold industry Fabricating complex geometries from hard materials