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Gary Vanderpol (right) and Customer Service Manager Frank McDougall (left) attend to business at the recent Westec show held in Los Angeles. |
Vol. 1 Issue 1
From
The President: Welcome To EASTEC
At EASTEC '99: Three New Products To Be Introduced
Where Metal Meets Metal
Suggestions: For Better Boring Head Performance
WELCOME TO EASTEC
After a very successful show at WESTEC in Las Angeles, we are
looking forward to another successful show at EASTEC. We have concentrated on making the
best boring tools and machine tool accessories available, and have several new items that
will be on display.
Our tools are not only rugged, but very precise as well. We know, because our
customers are telling us so (please refer to the article further on about Rodeck Aluminum
Blocks). They say that Criterion tools just keep turning.
Naturally we like the accolades, but we listen too. We realize that
service is especially important to machining shops and departments, and our service
department is always "on the ready".
We believe we have the best boring tools and machine tools accessories
in the business and we would like you to stop by our booth #365 and let us show we can
help you in you tooling needs.
Truly yours,
Gary Vanderpol
President, Criterion Machine Works
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Gary Vanderpol (right) and Customer Service Manager Frank McDougall (left) attend to business at the recent Westec show held in Los Angeles. |
At EASTEC '99: THREE NEW PRODUCTS TO BE INTRODUCED
Criterion is showing three new tool products at EASTEC '99, West Springfield, MA, May 25 - May 27, booth #365. Criterion manufacturers one of the most complete lines of boring heads, tools, shanks and adapters available. As a manufacturer of machine tool accessories for over 60 years, Criterion products have become the standard by which others are measured.
3F-HB F/F BORING AND FACING HEAD
According to Mr. Vanderpol, the standard 3F-HB boring and facing head is the ideal tool for performing difficult facing, grooving, backfacing and counterboring operations on work pieces too large to turn or too bulky to handle safely. The 3F-HB features a gear drive that generates a continuous feed rate of .003 per revolution. A new version (3F-HB F/F) of the standard unit features a fine feed that allows a feed rate of .0015 per revolution.
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Another feature added to the 3F-HB is a reversing function. All 3F-HB heads (standard and fine feed), now come with a reversing feature that allows the facing head to feed in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The head incorporates reversing features. The head can be used in either the forward mode (moving from the inside to the outside) or in the reversing mode (from the outside to the inside). This reversing function is accomplished by reversing the spindle and using the special shank lock mechanism built into the head. Existing 3F-HB heads without the revering feature can be retrofitted.
CHB-80B, 80D &80E CROSS-HOLE BORING BARS
This family of boring bars is ideal for larger diameter boring of holes. Available in .500, .750 and 1.000 diameter shanks with four flats, the bars use an 80º diamond insert (CPMT Style) to give side and end clearance without sacrificing insert strength. These bars are designed to fit the cross-hole of Criterion's DBL-202, DBL-203, DBL-204 boring heads.
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CRI CHAMFER BARS
This family of 30º and 45º chamfer bars has been designed around the inserts used in Criterion boring bars and CRI BORE boring system. They are manufactured from premium alloy steel with four flats and the shank is cylindrically ground to a tolerance of .0005. The bars are ideal with used-inserts for chamfering operations.
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Often in the racing business we hear the expression "where rubber meets road." In the machining business, it's "where metal meets metal." At Rodeck Aluminum Blocks, Inc., Paso Robles, California, both statements apply as they manufacture aluminum engine blocks for the racing industry. According to John Rodeck, the firm's President, "Even though we have the latest in CNC equipment, nothing is more important than the cutting tools, because that's where it all comes together. We feel that in cutting metal, there can be no cutting corners when buying tooling and that is why we use Criterion."
john Rodeck |
Racing cars is an expensive vocation and John has been racing them for years. He has always been interested in racing and in 1972 left his printing press erector job to start a small shop to machine offset printing plate equipment as he felt he needed his own business to keep up with his insatiable appetite for racing. In the process he developed the ability to machine racing parts and in 1976, decided to do this full time.
One of the most critical parts of any racing car is the engine. For instance, when drag racing a 500 cu. in. engine can develop upwards of 6,000 hp for 4.5 seconds. Fuel consumption is at 60 gpm and the fuel used is more like low-grade rocket fuel (it will burn in a vacuum) rather than gasoline. Machining aluminum blocks for racing engines became Rodeck's expertise and he is now a major supplier for drag and circle track racing. Not only is he a major supplier, but he is a major contender on the track as well. In 1998 in the Winston NHRA Championship, John's blocks were in the cars that won both the Top Fuel and Funny car events in the professional category with record speeds of 326 mph and 323 mph respectively.
STATE-OF-THE-ART-MANUFACTURING
John being a true professional, believes that his manufacturing facility should reflect his racing abilities. In 1990, he moved his machining operations from Gardena, California to a new manufacturing facility in Paso Robles, California. The Move was primarily made to improve quality of life. Paso Robles is 200 miles from the smog of LA, and John feels that this is important for himself and his workers. From CAD to CAM in the engineering area, to machine tools and tooling in the manufacturing arena, everything is state-of-the-art.
The theory behind a first class facility is increased productivity and quality. John stated that racing can be dangerous and only by using high-quality reliable parts is the risk element under control. Therefore he wants only premium quality parts, not only for his customers, but for himself as well. In line with this philosophy, he only uses the latest design in equipment and software.
In the software department, CADKEY is used for design, and SurfCAM for CNC programming. Both programs implement solid modeling techniques. CADKEY, from Baystate Technologies, features advanced solid modeling technology that is adaptable to Windows 98/NT. Its latest enhancement includes photo-realistic rendering for virtual prototyping. SurfCAM is also PC compatible and features CNC programming for 2-5 axis mills, lathes and wire EDM, which makes it ideal for Rodeck's machining environment.
LEADING EDGE MACHINERY
As with the rest of the operation, Rodeck Aluminum Blocks, Inc. employs the latest in machining technology. In addition to Cincinnati CNC VMC and HMCs for machining blocks, the company has a Mori Seiki NC lathe for machining cylinder liners, several CNC Mazak lathes (one completely machines cap nuts), several Monarchs, and even an API Model 600 EDM machine (for machining the main bearing caps for the blocks). The Cincinnati's are key to the operation and Rodeck has two of the Cincinnati C-630 Maxim HMCs and a Cincinnati Lancer. Two HMCs machine two blocks at a time and one of the horizontals is used with a seven pallet system, functioning as an automatic machining center.
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All fixturing is built in-house and John's philosophy is to machine as much as possible in one operation. A good example of this is the special cap nuts that are machined on one of the Mazacks. The nut has a 12 point alloy steel cap that is machined in one operation on a multi axis lathe. The nut is then ready for heat treating.
CUTTING EDGE TOOLING
The tooling of choice for Rodeck is Criterion. According to John, they settled on Criterion shortly after the company started because of Criterion's quality and service. If they required any special modifications, Criterion would do it for them. In fact, John likes to point out that one of the modified tools is still in use after some 20 years, which is about the only item in his facility that is that old.
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According to John, "Boring is the key to our operation. A big advantage of Criterion boring heads is that they are adaptable to a variety of machining tools. Simply stated, a boring head is an adjustable tool holder. Its purpose is to bore precision holes in a variety of sizes. In particular, the Criterion's generous bearing surface makes possible heavy roughing cuts and more accurate finish cuts, something that we really appreciate."
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The basic boring head is made up of three components; the body, the bar holder, and the graduated micrometer screw (dial screw). An important feature is the threaded back, which can be fitted with interchangeable shanks. All heads have a clearly graduated micrometer dial screw of heat treated steel with the threads ground from the solid after hardening. The bar holder contains a dovetail that is mated to a dovetail slot running the full width of the body. A web mounted on the underside of the bar holder, rides in a slot ground into the head section of the dial screw. As the dial screw is advanced or retracted, it moves the bar holder along with it, permitting controlled adjustments of .0005, or less.
A variety of Criterion boring heads and bars are used at Rodeck. John favors the indexable inserts, because of his shop's high production rates. Likewise, with the indexable inserts, inventory for tools is held to a minimum.
IMPROVEMENT IS ONGOING
John Rodeck firmly believes that technology is vibrant and that he should constantly upgrade his operation. The cap nuts for instance, were hard to come by. By manufacturing his own, he not only has a constant source, but sells them to other manufacturers. He uses the EDM for machining the bearing caps for the blocks because there is no finishing required after the cut. He also uses the latest software versions for his CAD/CAM version. Neither are the machine tools sacred, most are new.
He also has his own foundry in Ontario, California for casting the aluminum engine blocks. However, he is experimenting with machining aluminum block forgings as they offer better strength-to-weight ratios that the cast blocks. Although costing more, the overall benefits seem most promising.
SUGGESTIONS: FOR BETTER BORING HEAD PERFORMANCE
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