Mechanical Technology October 2016

⎪ On the cover ⎪

Left above: Materials come into the factory and go directly into bulk storage. Stroke related parts are cut using cutting machines on receipt of a customer order. Left: Thread rollers are used to generate the tie rod and piston rod threads. Above right: For the larger piston rods, two precision DMG Mori CNC machines are used. Right : Assembly starts by attaching pistons to piston rods. For the majority of sizes, SMC uses the roll crimping method.

the piston onto a machined rod. For the smallest sizes, we run a thread through the piston and screw it onto the end of the rod. But for the majority of sizes, we use the roll crimping meth- od,” Austin notes. “The aluminium piston is assembled onto the rod and placed into an assembly jig to complete the crimping,” Austin informs MechTech . There are three actuator assembly lines based on fundamentally different methods of assembly. “We also have a fourth assembly line for the assembly of valve manifolds and FRLs (filter, regula- tor, lubricators) – this is a custom assem- bly service from standard components. The fifth line is used to add accessories to existing products,” he says. “We are able to assemble everything from the most basic to the high-tech Industry 4.0 ready components – and SMC can offer systems to almost any protocol to suit its markets in every part of the world. “As a global company, we strive to produce as much as possible in-house, so we do our own die-casting, moulding and

sion DMG Mori (Morisiki) CNC machines are used, the largest being sized for manufacturing rods for the 300 bore cylinder from 70 mm rod, while the middle DMG machine is dedicated to the 16 to 30 mm rod range for the 32 to 125 mm actuators. “These are the first machines in the country with this level of CNC control. DMG Mori is, itself, an SMC customer and we provide the pneumatics for its machines. We also supply most of the pneumatics for other Japanese machine tool builders. “We use the same processes, jigs and machines as those in our big standard- product factories to manufacture custom- ised products. The net result is product with exactly the same machined quality, without sacrificing competitiveness,” says Austin. “All of our processes are audited for quality in Japan and we are required us to send samples for cutting and testing.” Following machining, the assembly process begins. Pistons, rod covers, head covers, cushion rings and other standard internal components are stored on the production line. Assembly starts by attaching pistons to piston rods. “SMC has several methods of locking

extruding – and we even make or own circuit boards. While some of our large factories are 100 times bigger than this one in South Africa, we retain the same flow, the same degree of control and we achieve the same product quality. “Philosophically, SMC is driven by customer demand. That is why this factory is needed in South Africa, so we can offer the same level of customised service available to any SMC customer anywhere in the world, along with the same Japanese approved quality level,” Austin concludes. q

Mechanical Technology — October 2016

5