IK4-Tekniker participates in the European project DynXperts

The machines-tool employed for the mechanised of pieces of aluminium, as those that use the customers of Goialde High Speed, need to employ cabezales of a big power and a high speed of twist to obtain big productivities.

The cabezales with ceramic threads used traditionally have the problem to have usual failures, owed mainly to breaks of the threads. As alternative, Goialde High Speed and IK4-Tekniker carry years developing cabezales with cojinetes magnetic that do not require of maintenance to the not existing mechanical contact. The cabezales with cojinetes magnetic, however, are susceptible of problems of unsteadiness in the mechanised had to mainly to the fault of amortiguamiento.

IK4-Tekniker has worked, in the frame of the European project DynXperts, in the resolution of this limitation. Besides, it collaborates in the project with other 11 companies, technology centres and universities, between them IK4-Ideko, leader of the project, Soraluce and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). The common aim is to investigate with cabezales active and intelligent fixations to improve the dynamic behaviour of the machines and, therefore, improve his productivity.

IK4-Tekniker has commissioned of the development of five integrated functionalities (monitoring, calibration, stability, amortiguamiento and algorithms of control advanced) on a cabezal magnetic designed especially for Goialde. The final aim is to increase the capacity of cut of the cabezales magnetic, surpassing the proportionate by the cabezales of traditional threads. Of this form surpasses one of the barriers that existed for his integration in machines of high productivity.

Of the five functions enumerated previously, the capacity of amortiguamiento has been the one who has provided better results, allowing multiply five times the productivity of the cabezal magnetic designed by the researchers of the centre. In the conditions tested, employing simultaneously the function of amortiguamiento and control advanced, has improving the productivity 7 times.

In addition to allowing reduce the costs of maintenance (since the maintenance practically disappears) and provide a greater availability of the machine, the cojinetes magnetic allow to employ technicians like the 'axis on axis', that increases considerably the dynamics of the machine tool in small movements, which allows to win time in changes of path.