SPOTLIGHT ON TECHNOLOGY By TIM TRIPLETT, Editor-in-Chief

Coming to a Service Center Near You: Routers

Will high-tech CNC milling routers soon become commonplace on service center shop floors?

Reprinted from December 2009 — METAL C ENTER NEWS SPOTLIGHT ON TECHNOLOGY

BOB CAREY, SR., managing part- The company’s 17,000- The CNC router is con- ner at Metal Sales CEM Supply -foot processing center trolled by a CAD/CAM type Inc. in Harvey, La., is convinced houses a Flow International program that can nest multiple that computer-controlled mil- waterjet machine, in addition parts and maximize usage of Bling routers are so superior to to a variety of and shears, the plate with the least amount waterjet and plasma for cutting but the centerpieces of the of waste. Carey points to one aluminum that they will soon operation are its three CNC job in which hundreds of parts find their way onto the shop milling routers. The first was are cut from an 8-by-20 foot floors of service centers across purchased from MultiCAM of plate, with a single setup. “You the country. Dallas, Texas, about four years turn the machine on and walk Milling routers are uncom- ago. The two newest were made away, and at the end of the day mon in today’s service center environment, but as value- added processing and first- stage part production becomes more typical among service centers, so will this technology, Carey maintains. Metal Sales CEM Supply, headquartered in suburban New Orleans with a sales office in Norfolk, Va., employs 20 and specializes in marine grade alu- minum plate, extrusions, tube and pipe. Its two primary mar- kets are and defense contractors. Like other service centers, the company has suffered from the economic downturn; however, its focus by C.R. Onsrud Inc., Trout- on value-added processing has man, N.C. helped cushion the blow. “Most All of the company’s CNC of 2008 and 2009 has been a milling machines are mounted ł Using a CNC milling router, many major struggle, though I do see to vacuum hold-down tables small parts can be cut from a single piece improvement in the last quarter that can handle up to an 8-by- of plate in one setup. The system tightly nests the parts to minimize wasted mate- in both national defense buying 40-foot piece of aluminum rial. Unlike plasma or waterjet machines and aluminum shipbuilding. plate. With vertical bits turning that cut straight through material, a router We are seeing a definite increase at 18,000 to 20,000 rotations can be used to create rounded or elliptical across the board in our market- per minute, following a com- edges (Inset). place,” Carey says. puter-controlled path, CNC milling routers can cut straight you have 480 of those little ŀ CNC milling routers, such as this lines or elaborate shapes to an parts. That is a definite cost model from C.R. Onsrud, will eventually accuracy of plus or minus advantage.” find a home in every major service cen- ter, according to one industry executive. 0.005-inch at speeds three Metal Sales CEM uses the (Photos courtesy Metal Sales CEM times faster than waterjet, machine to cut aluminum plate Supply Inc.) Carey says. from thin up to 4 inches

Reprinted from December 2009 — METAL C ENTER NEWS SPOTLIGHT ON TECHNOLOGY

thick. It can cut, notch, pocket mill, cut at a rate of 200 inches per by milling it down by a quarter inch. make curved sections and holes, minute, though it may take three “Another application for that is if you all in a single operation. Though not passes to work its way through a have a badly water-stained piece of faster than plasma cutting, milling heavy plate. Waterjet cuts through aluminum plate and you need it produces a superior edge finish with the plate in a single pass, but at just cleaned up. You can just mill off the no heat distortion, he says. Unlike 15 to 20 inches per minute. Dividing surface, while keeping the plate with- waterjet, a router can cut a ledge or the router rate by the three passes in mill thickness tolerances,” Carey pocket mill a certain depth into a produces a cutting rate of about 66 notes. part rather than cutting all the way ipm vs. 20 ipm for the waterjet. Thus Operating a CNC milling router through. With numerous tooling the router is about three times requires some additional expertise. options, the router can create various faster. The thicker the plate, the Metal Sales CEM Supply has three edge treatments such as or more cost effective the CNC milling trained machinists and two elliptical shapes. “That is CAD/CAM programmers on complex machining. You can- staff to create the CNC cut- not do that with a waterjet or ting files for each job using a plasma cutter,” Carey says. MasterCAM software. “It Waterjet does have some takes some pretty talented advantages. The initial cost of people to run this type of the equipment is less, operation,” Carey observes. depending on the model. Specialized milling routers Parts can be nested closer can be used to cut steel as together, as the cutting well, but not as fast. “You stream on a waterjet is about need a higher torque and less 0.040 inch vs. 3/8ths inch or rpms if you are going to cut more for a router bit. The steel. You go slower, but with CNC milling router produces more force,” he says. The need 10 to 15 percent more scrap for flood-style coolant causes than a waterjet, but most of issues with the vacuum hold- that can be recovered. down system, as well. ł “We collect all those chips and Milling routers can be used for contour cut- Metals Sales CEM Supply keeps ting, etching, notching and pocket milling. Plasma they go right back to Metro Alloys steel away from its machines. “We and waterjet machines can only be used to cut all in Atlanta, our scrap processer. the way through material. only cut aluminum with these They compress the chips into routers so we don’t contaminate the ‘pucks’ and resell them to Alcoa or router becomes, Carey notes. equipment. If it goes into a boat, they another producer. In addition, a router holes, will it and soon have rust on “Metro loves our scrap because it while a waterjet cuts them. “You can the surface because there are steel has less oil residue since we use a clearly see the advantage of a drilled chips in the aluminum that will bleed mist coolant system,” Carey adds. hole vs. that of a waterjet cut hole,” through,” Carey explains. “We like that too because we receive Carey says. “It’s much faster and The initial cost of a CNC milling more for our scrap, improving our clearly produces a more precise hole.” router is a bit more than a waterjet, in bottom line.” Unlike other types of cutting part because of the high-power vacu- For most applications, a CNC equipment, a milling machine can um pumps that go with the cutting milling router offers greater versatili- even be used to change the dimen- table. Metal Sales CEM paid around ty, produces a better finish and is sions of a piece of raw stock. A 3- $500,000 for its second router vs. much faster than waterjet cutting, inch-thick piece of plate in inventory $325,000 for its first waterjet Carey says. The CNC router can can be turned into a 2 ⇠-inch piece machine. Large high-end versions of

Reprinted from December 2009 — METAL C ENTER NEWS SPOTLIGHT ON TECHNOLOGY

both types of machines can cost well volume to justify the CNC milling customers’ toes.“We are adding value over $1 million. Both waterjet and capability in-house, he adds. “We to the raw aluminum product that we milling routers have consumables love the distribution business. It sell as a metal service center. We don’t costs, which vary depending on their gives them the ability to supply their build anything, we don’t weld, we usage. For waterjet, grit is customers with a finished part, ready don’t paint and we don’t assemble, so added to the cutting stream, and noz- for assembly,” he says. we are not in competition with our zles must be replaced periodically; for Is Carey’s company more of a customers,” he says. routers, tooling wears out and must part maker than a distributor? The Metal Sales CEM Supply still uses be replaced or resharpened. Cutting technology is blurring the lines. saws and waterjets, but now sees the bits cost from $5 to $200 apiece. “Value-added sets us apart. If some- CNC milling routers as the big guns The payoff is worth the invest- one calls and says they want a 4-by- in its arsenal. “It’s a question of using ment, Carey says. By offering first- 12 piece of three-quarter-inch plate, the right for the job, and CNC stage part production instead of just my plate is no different than any- routers are the right tool for many selling raw material, the company body else’s. But then I ask, ‘What are jobs,” Carey says. The technology has cements a strong relationship with its you going to do with that plate?’ And expanded his company’s capabilities customers, who are less apt to change they may say they plan to cut some and its market opportunity, and it a part supplier than the supplier of a rings out of it. Then I ask, ‘Can I give could do the same for others. “CNC commodity metal product. you a price on the rings?’ And they milling routers are the technology of Another important business seg- usually say yes. It helps me to sell the future and will eventually find a ment is toll processing for other that standard piece of plate.” home in every major service center. I service centers that don’t have the Carey is careful not to step on his see it coming,” he adds. Ⅲ

Reprinted from December 2009 — METAL C ENTER NEWS