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Airbus productivity takes off thanks to AlfaPure Z3
The Airbus plant at Broughton Flintshire has eliminated coolant fouling and disposal problems and improved productivity since installing AlfaPure Z3 coolant treatment systems from Alfa Laval.
Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer whose customer focus, commercial know-how, technological leadership and manufacturing efficiency have propelled it to the forefront of the industry. Airbus’s Broughton site is responsible for assembling wings for the whole Airbus family of aircraft. Crucial components in the construction of each wing are the spars which comprise the frame of the wing and the stringers which provide both strength and essential flexbility. These stringers vary in length from 15 – 21 metres and are machined from solid auminium billets, 200mm wide and up to 1 tonne in weight, on a purpose-built Dorries Scharmann CNC machine. In the process, 80% of the aluminium is removed so that only the core material, offering the best strength and flexibility, is used. Accuracy is crucial to the operation and, typically, component tolerances are accurate to +0 -150microns on the horizontal surface and +- 3mm on a 21 metre length of material.
Machining a 15 metre billet of 20/26 aluminium requires approximately 4.5 hours of machine time. 27,000 litres of water-based Alusol A coolant cascade continuously over the workpiece and tooling to ensure tool life and cutting accuracy and to maintain the operation at the correct temperature. Castrol Alusol A is a soluble cutting fluid specifically formulated for machining aerospace aluminium alloys without the staining problems that are encountered with conventional soluble cutting fluids.
Airbus engineers have devised a special attachment which ensures that the bulk of the aluminium is removed in sections which look something like a picture frame. This reduces the volume of swarf produced and makes the job of scrap disposal much simpler. However, during the cutting operation tramp hydraulic oils can become entrained in the coolant along with swarf and other metal fines. Coolant and swarf are fed into a Mayfran coolant and swarf management system where the two elements are separated in a series of settling tanks. Although this efficiently decontaminates the swarf and the solid scrap ready for disposal, it does not treat the coolant itself.
In the past, this led to severe problems with contaminated coolant. Tramp oils entrained in fluid can lead to bacterial growth and represent a potential health hazard. In addition, tramp oil tended to leave a film on the cylinders inside the CNC machine which allowed foreign objects to adhere to them. Dealing with these problems was both time and labour-intensive.
Airbus’s stringent Health & safety rules meant that the whole line had to be shut down to enable the interior to be manually cleaned. Personnel involved in this operation had to wear protective clothing and breathing apparatus which was extremely time consuming. Since the stringer production line is designed to operate continuously – except for scheduled maintenance periods – any unscheduled stoppage represented a significant loss of production.
To solve the problem, engineers at Airbus had to replace the coolant at frequent intervals. This was expensive for two reasons: first, the cost of the coolant and secondly because of the need to employ specialist contractors to handle the waste whose disposal is governed by strict environmental regulations. Consequently, they investigated the possibility of recovering coolant to extend its life and eliminate disposal problems. They researched a number of coolant recovery options before settling on the AlfaPure Z3 system from Alfa Laval.
Based around a high speed centrifugal separator, the AlfaPure Z3 cleaning module is a compact, mobile unit that occupies less than 3 m2 of floor space. Operation is via a PLC-based control system which uses a touch screen to provide a clear overview and touch control of all functions and efficient removal of tramp oil, grease and particles from coolants and other wash liquids.
Automatic in operation, the system requires no supervision. Waste volumes are low and the self-cleaning separator is easy to service and maintain. Continuous cleaning with an AlfaPure Z3 considerably prolongs the life of the service fluids.
In fact, the life of wash liquids can be extended by up to six times and, with topping-up, coolants can last as long as 10 years! Thus, major savings can be made on fluid disposal and replacement. Filter replacement and disposal costs are also reduced or eliminated. It was this combination of features that made the AlfaPure Z3 so attractive to Airbus.
The machine installed in the stringer manufacturing shop continuously cleans 3000 litres of Alusol A coolant per hour and returns it to the production line. Since the machine was installed, according to Airbus engineers, they have eliminated the problem of contaminated coolant completely. There is no more bacterial growth and, most important of all, no more extended and unscheduled breaks for clean-up operations. The AlfaPure Z3 has been operating for some two years now and, in that time, the only additional coolant that Airbus has had to purchase has been needed to top-up fluid lost to atmosphere or on workpieces or scrap.
A second AlfaPure Z3 module is also in operation in the wing spar production plant, where it is used to clean and recycle a water-based coolant, Cimstar 560, which cools an Ingersoll machining centre, the largest of its kind in the world.
http://www.pandct.com/media/shownews.asp?ID=19525
Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer whose customer focus, commercial know-how, technological leadership and manufacturing efficiency have propelled it to the forefront of the industry. Airbus’s Broughton site is responsible for assembling wings for the whole Airbus family of aircraft. Crucial components in the construction of each wing are the spars which comprise the frame of the wing and the stringers which provide both strength and essential flexbility. These stringers vary in length from 15 – 21 metres and are machined from solid auminium billets, 200mm wide and up to 1 tonne in weight, on a purpose-built Dorries Scharmann CNC machine. In the process, 80% of the aluminium is removed so that only the core material, offering the best strength and flexibility, is used. Accuracy is crucial to the operation and, typically, component tolerances are accurate to +0 -150microns on the horizontal surface and +- 3mm on a 21 metre length of material.
Machining a 15 metre billet of 20/26 aluminium requires approximately 4.5 hours of machine time. 27,000 litres of water-based Alusol A coolant cascade continuously over the workpiece and tooling to ensure tool life and cutting accuracy and to maintain the operation at the correct temperature. Castrol Alusol A is a soluble cutting fluid specifically formulated for machining aerospace aluminium alloys without the staining problems that are encountered with conventional soluble cutting fluids.
Airbus engineers have devised a special attachment which ensures that the bulk of the aluminium is removed in sections which look something like a picture frame. This reduces the volume of swarf produced and makes the job of scrap disposal much simpler. However, during the cutting operation tramp hydraulic oils can become entrained in the coolant along with swarf and other metal fines. Coolant and swarf are fed into a Mayfran coolant and swarf management system where the two elements are separated in a series of settling tanks. Although this efficiently decontaminates the swarf and the solid scrap ready for disposal, it does not treat the coolant itself.
In the past, this led to severe problems with contaminated coolant. Tramp oils entrained in fluid can lead to bacterial growth and represent a potential health hazard. In addition, tramp oil tended to leave a film on the cylinders inside the CNC machine which allowed foreign objects to adhere to them. Dealing with these problems was both time and labour-intensive.
Airbus’s stringent Health & safety rules meant that the whole line had to be shut down to enable the interior to be manually cleaned. Personnel involved in this operation had to wear protective clothing and breathing apparatus which was extremely time consuming. Since the stringer production line is designed to operate continuously – except for scheduled maintenance periods – any unscheduled stoppage represented a significant loss of production.
To solve the problem, engineers at Airbus had to replace the coolant at frequent intervals. This was expensive for two reasons: first, the cost of the coolant and secondly because of the need to employ specialist contractors to handle the waste whose disposal is governed by strict environmental regulations. Consequently, they investigated the possibility of recovering coolant to extend its life and eliminate disposal problems. They researched a number of coolant recovery options before settling on the AlfaPure Z3 system from Alfa Laval.
Based around a high speed centrifugal separator, the AlfaPure Z3 cleaning module is a compact, mobile unit that occupies less than 3 m2 of floor space. Operation is via a PLC-based control system which uses a touch screen to provide a clear overview and touch control of all functions and efficient removal of tramp oil, grease and particles from coolants and other wash liquids.
Automatic in operation, the system requires no supervision. Waste volumes are low and the self-cleaning separator is easy to service and maintain. Continuous cleaning with an AlfaPure Z3 considerably prolongs the life of the service fluids.
In fact, the life of wash liquids can be extended by up to six times and, with topping-up, coolants can last as long as 10 years! Thus, major savings can be made on fluid disposal and replacement. Filter replacement and disposal costs are also reduced or eliminated. It was this combination of features that made the AlfaPure Z3 so attractive to Airbus.
The machine installed in the stringer manufacturing shop continuously cleans 3000 litres of Alusol A coolant per hour and returns it to the production line. Since the machine was installed, according to Airbus engineers, they have eliminated the problem of contaminated coolant completely. There is no more bacterial growth and, most important of all, no more extended and unscheduled breaks for clean-up operations. The AlfaPure Z3 has been operating for some two years now and, in that time, the only additional coolant that Airbus has had to purchase has been needed to top-up fluid lost to atmosphere or on workpieces or scrap.
A second AlfaPure Z3 module is also in operation in the wing spar production plant, where it is used to clean and recycle a water-based coolant, Cimstar 560, which cools an Ingersoll machining centre, the largest of its kind in the world.
http://www.pandct.com/media/shownews.asp?ID=19525
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