Midwest Manufacturing News • Jan 20 • New Version of Magazine Bar Feeder

Edge Technologies has introduced the newest version of the FMB Turbo 3- 38, an automatic bar loading magazine feeder designed for feeding round, square and hexagonal bar material into CNC lathes. Upgraded components, improved controls and Industry 4.0/Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connectivity are a feature of this upgraded version. Quick change polyurethane guide channels allow for quiet operation at high RPM cutting. This feeder is compatible with all types of sliding or fixed, CNC or cam operated lathes with spindle bores up to 38 mm.

The Turbo 3-38 features a Bosch Electronic Package. The Bosch controller, with servo motor drive to the feed mechanism, offers flexible control of the length and rate of feed that provides the optimum practical and economic use of the magazine feeder. The new 8” easy touchscreen operator control panel is Industry 4.0 ready for Ethernet communications. It provides the interaction between the bar feeder and the CNC lathe. Parameters are clearly shown on the display.

This FMB model, like many other in the Turbo line, is equipped with a headstock synchronization device, allowing rapid backward/forward movements on fast moving sliding headstock lathes without forward feed pressure from the bar pusher. The result: no bar distortion. For the loading of irregular shaped bar stock, the feed mechanism is automatically pulsed to ensure the profiled material is successfully located in the lathe collet/chuck. The robust design of the Turbo’s main beam and support stands are resistant to bending, this keeps vibration from bent bars to a minimum, so a smooth operation is offered. Doublepusher space-saving design is 4’ shorter than single pusher bar feeders.

The Quick-Change polyurethane guide channels can be changed quickly and easily in about 10 minutes to accommodate multiple bar stock diameters. Oil filled guide channels envelope the stock, providing the ideal guiding system for high RPM turning operations. During this process, the rotation of the bar creates a hydro-dynamic effect, centering the bar stock in the channel reducing noise and vibration. The guide channel is securely closed with a toggle lever system while machining bars. Bar stock collet changes can be done less than two minutes with the “Pin-On” collet feature.

A Roller Steady Rest device on the Turbo guides the bar stock between the bar feeder and lathe. Rollers or blocks provide enhanced feeding of round or profiled material. The rollers can be continuously adjusted to the bar diameter and can quickly be replaced with blocks for supporting profiled material. Two Turbo 3-38 configurations will handle bar lengths of 3,800 mm (12’ 5”) with the standard 12’ unit, or 2,200 mm (7’ 3”) bars with the 6’ unit.

Bars are placed on the storage table at the side of the guide channel. This table features a loading capacity of 11”. The new bar is automatically positioned in the lathe ready for facing before the first component is produced. Part to part feed out can be controlled without a dead stop being required. Loading time for a 12’ bar is 24 seconds. Maximum adjustable forward feedrate is 1,000 mm per second and maximum adjustable return speed is 2,000 mm per second.

The bar remnants are withdrawn to the back end of the magazine and a gripper extracts it out of the collet and deposits it in a remnant basket. An air operated gripping device is used to both insert the new bar into the bar stock collet and to extract the remnant. It is not necessary to chamfer the bar if it is cleanly cut. No adjustment for bar size is necessary and it is completely self-centering.

The bar stock alignment guides and separation device can be quickly adjusted for the choice of new bar diameters. The set-up-time is therefore reduced. The guide channel is closed and locked with a toggle lever system.