Case · Automotive · Malaysia

Cutting changeover time on a high-mix automotive machining line

A Tier-2 automotive parts supplier moved its CNC fixtures onto Pitch 96 plates to keep spindles cutting between jobs.

CNC machining centre working on a part (stand-in image for this sample case)

Case at a glance

Customer
Automotive parts supplier, Malaysia
Region
Malaysia
Application
Machining of automotive housings and brackets
Products used
Zero-Point Plates, Accessories

01

The challenge

The supplier runs many part numbers in small and medium batches on a bank of machining centres. Each job change meant unbolting, re-clamping and re-indicating the fixture, which kept spindles idle and made first-off results depend on the operator.

The plant wanted a fixture change that any operator could repeat, without giving up rigidity on heavy cuts.

02

The solution

The cell was fitted with Pitch 96 round and square zero-point plates, each 27 mm thick, so fixtures could be changed without lifting the machine table height. Clamping studs HL02727 were torqued to the 20–30 N·m range.

Plates with the patented AIR option were chosen for the cells that run longer, so chips are blown clear before each fixture lands.

03

The results

Fixture changeover time
45 → 8 min
Changeovers per shift
3 → 6
INNGRIT positioning accuracy specification, unchanged between changes
Below 0.005 mm

Illustrative figures for this sample case. Results depend on the application.

Customer quote

“We stopped treating a fixture change as a small project. It is now a routine step, and new operators learn it in a shift.”
Production manager, automotive parts supplier

Products used

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