Bespoke Presetting Equipment Maximises Machining Precision at ALCON

One of the world’s leading prestigious braking component manufacturers has employed state-of-the-art presetting and measurement technology to deliver the ultimate in part precision for their elite tier 1 customers.

Employing a team of 125 at their site in Tamworth, ALCON are specialists in the design, manufacture and worldwide distribution of motorsport brakes and clutches.

Established in 1983 by engineer and sports car racer, John Moore, the company has over 30 years of experience in supplying to the top echelons of the motorsport industry, including World Rally Championship teams, Formula teams and NASCAR based in America.

To ensure products of the highest calibre are delivered to their global customers, ALCON have integrated the ZOLLER »venturion 450« universal tool presetting and measurement system.

 

 

We spoke to Brian Cutler the Production Engineering Manager at ALCON.

 

“At ALCON we produce parts that perform to the very highest standards, so we needed a solution that could guarantee our machining methods are the best in class, we chose the ZOLLER venturion 450 tool presetter because we manufacture a multitude of complex products in a wide range of materials, often using tools weighing an average of 15 kilograms each. ZOLLER offered us the tailor-made solution we needed, and with fully automatic operation.”

 

ZOLLER engineers worked with ALCON to create a unique adapter to hold ALCON’s bespoke tooling ensuring the products are machined to exacting tolerances demanded of their motorsport customers.

 

“ZOLLER UK were able to offer us a bespoke adapter which was modified and fitted to the machine. Alongside intuitive software that is able to interpret the 90 degree turn-through of our right angle headed tools. We are now able to programme our vast library of tools, and monitor drill and insert changes, ensuring the operator uses the correct tool for the job. Altogether working to reduce errors often made during the changeover process.”

 

The »venturion 450« has empowered ALCON operators, giving them the capability needed to maintain the highest precision throughout their machining processes. As well as providing each operator with an individual log on so that ALCON have full traceability of who’s manned the machine which can be extremely important to their customers.

 

“Training prior to the delivery of the machine meant that our team had a deep understanding of how to operate the system and software from day one. We were especially impressed by ZOLLER UK’s ability to deliver exactly what we asked for swiftly and within the agreed amount of time. From the day the venturion was installed we were astonished at the accuracy, functionality and usability of the machine,”

 

Moving forward, ALCON look to further strengthen their relationship with ZOLLER UK, with the implementation of ZOLLER Tool Management Solutions (TMS) which will allow the manufacturing company to have complete control over all tool-based production operations.