Published

Video: Swiss Machining of Airbag Component

The capability to perform multiple operations, including backworking, makes these machines attractive for complex, short parts like this airbag component.

Share

Loading the player ...

Swiss-type lathes use a sliding headstock with guide bushing that provides support for barstock very close to the point of contact for an OD cutting tool. It’s this feature that makes them very effective for turning very long workpieces.

However, the capability to perform multiple operations, including backworking, makes these machines attractive for complex, shorter parts, too. Plus, the resulting stability lets a Swiss-type cut aggressively without sacrificing tool life or precision. This is evident in video of a Tsugami BS26C Swiss-type (available from REM Sales in Windsor, Connecticut) machining an intricate airbag component complete from barstock. Operations performed include turning, boring, drilling, grooving and knurling. The BS26C in the video features driven tool positions for both its main and sub spindles. Transferring the part to the sub-spindle for backworking operations allows for complete production of this tricky component.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Reinventing the Wheel with Robot-Automated CNC Multitasking

    One race team discovers how to efficiently manufacture a new wheel nut design for the next-generation NASCAR stock car with the help of a CNC mill/turn and a built-in robot.

  • The Dirt On Cleaner Crankshafts

    A high-pressure waterjet blasts away burrs and machining residues that resist more traditional cleaning methods.

  • For Plateau Honing, Consider Ball Style

    The ball-style hone is a specialized abrasive tool that is instantly recognizable by its unique appearance. For engineers in the automotive, aerospace, manufacturing and machining industries, this application-engineered hone, characterized by the small, abrasive globules that are permanently mounted to flexible filaments, is a flexible, low-cost tool for sophisticated surfacing, deburring and edge blending.