SŽ – VIT’s wheel machining service at the shop in Ptuj recently got a boost by acquiring a new CNC vertical carousel lathe and a new CNC horizontal lathe, which are crucial tools in this line of work, facilitating high precision and quality reconditioning of wheelsets.
The lathes are used to process axles and monoblocs, and bring a number of advantages and improvements to our production processes.
The CNC technology guarantees precise and fast machining operations. Having a bigger work surface allows us to machine larger and heavier pieces, which improves our flexibility and lets us produce complex components.
The lathes also bring in more automation of the work process. Complex tasks can be fully programmed using CNC-controlled features without the need for human supervision. Tech-intensive projects can be completed faster and more reliably, which boosts our productivity and frees up labour.
Another major project recently completed was the renewing and upgrading of the wheel mount press, which is a core piece of the equipment used in our maintenance services. The work comprised reconditioning the hydraulic and electronic equipment and adding digital recording of data through advanced measurement technology.
Recording the data digitally is the biggest quality of life improvement – it allows us to track the movement, time, pressure and temperature of components during the mounting process. This gives us more control over the whole process and allows a fast response to errors. The digital data recordings are also a valuable resource for various analyses and improvements.
This article was originally published by SŽ – VIT.
