A slotting Machine is a production machine. It is indeed a very old type of machine invented by Brunel.
This Slotting Machine is similar one to vertical shaper. The ram carrying the slotting tool reciprocates in a vertical guide-way of the machine.
The Slotting Machine is capable of manufacturing flat and contour surfaces, slot and internal groves
Definition:
Slotting Machine is a great machine tool for removing unwanted material chips from a work piece to make splines, grooves and much more.
Slotting Machine Parts
A slotting machine consists of the following parts;
- Base
- Column
- Saddle
- Cross-slide
- Rotating or Circular table
- Ram and tool head
- Ram drive
- Feed drive
Base:
It should be sustainably rigid to take up the entire load of the machine. It has to take all the load(dynamic as well as impact loading) while operating. The guideways for the same are perpendicular to the column face accurately finished to move the saddle quickly and easily.
Most generally it is made up of cast iron.
Column:
The right vertical cast integral rigid part of the base is the column and it serves the following purposes.
- It houses the driving mechanism of the ram reciprocating on its front vertical face.
- It is also capable of housing the feeding mechanism of the table.
- It subsequently moves on the guideways on the base to provide a longitudinal feed of the table, i.e. in a perpendicular direction to the front vertical face of the column.
- It is also capable of providing guideways on its top face perpendicular to the guideways on the base for the cross-slide.
- Although the longitudinal feed may be given either manually or by power.
Cross-Slide:
It is generally mounted on the guideways of the saddle and can provide cross-feeding of the table.
- Cross-slide holds the circular table.
- It generally provides the arrangement of cross-feeding either annually or by power.
Circular or Rotating Table:
- It holds the ability to rotate on the cross-slide to provide circular feeding of the work.
- It can definitely hold back the work by clamping, using fixtures and fixing vices, etc.
- It does have the arrangement of the rotary feeding either by hand or by power.
On certain machines the table graduates in degrees for indexing.
Ram and Tool Head:
Ram generally slides on the guideways mounted on the vertical face of the column and provides a slot for changing the position of the stroke. It does carry the tool which is mounted at the bottom end of the tool head.
Ram-Drive
It provides the circular motion of the motor to the reciprocating motion of the ram in the vertical phase. It provides the arrangement with a slower speed during the cutting or forward stroke and greater speed during the return stroke to reduce the idle time.
Feed Drive:
It provides the arrangement of the longitudinal and crosses- a feed of the table either by power or manual and provides the arrangement of the circular or rotary feeding of the table either by power or manual.
Intermittent feeding of the table is supplied at the beginning of each cutting or forward stroke of the ram.
Mechanism of Slotter Machine
· Hydraulic Drive
· Variable Speed Motor Drive
Hydraulic Drive
The speed motor drives a hydraulic pump delivering oil at a constant pressure to the line. The regulating valve admits the oil under pressure. A regulating valve admits oil under pressure to each and every piston alternatively at the same time allowing the oil from other end to reach the reservoir
The piston that is pushed by the oil and connected to the ram by the piston rod pushes the ram carrying the tool.
The relative admission of oil to each end of the piston alternately is accomplished with the help of the trip dogs and pilot valves.
As and when the ram moves and completes its stroke, a trip dog will trip the pilot valve operating the regulating valve. The regulating valve admits oil to the other side of the piston and the motion gets reversed.
Also, the length of the ram stroke will depend upon the position of the trip dogs and can be changed by unclamping and moving the trip dogs to the desired position.
Variable Speed Motor Drive:
In this variant of the slotter, speed is obtained by different gears present in the gearbox and the shaft rotates with the help of the electrical motor.
Technically it is used in the larger slotter machines.
The Working Principle:
The definite working of the Slotting Machine is somewhat similar to the shaper machine, just the main difference lies in the fact that the slotter machine works vertically whilst the shaper works horizontally.
Now the ram connected to the crank and the crank is connected to the gears. So what happens here is that when we increase or decrease the gear speed, the rotation of the crank increases and decreases. And as per these, the ram moves up and down.
Esskay Lathe Machine Tools, One of the Top Notch Lathe Machine Manufacturers, have attached the workpiece to the work table and manually we bring them up near the workpiece, then adjust the worktable and clamp it up.
Now we supply the power as per gear the crank rotates and the crank is connected to the ram so the ram moves up and down.
When it moves down the cutting stroke takes place and while moving up or return stroke there is no cut.
If we have to cut at the different sections then manually we give feed to the work table and as per the requirements, it cuts. That’s how it works.
When do we require Slotting Machine Operations?
- Internal and External Flat surface machining
- The internal recess of circular, semi-circular and concave-convex surfaces.
- Internal, external circular surfaces machining and Blind Holes Internal machining.
- For shaping internal and external forms or profiles.
- The machine operates vertical, Horizontal and at some angle too (Inclined Surfaces).
- Irregular surface machining.
- Machining operation of Dies and Punches.
- The operation like slots, grooves, splines, and keyways for both internal and external surfaces.
- Internal and external gear teeth machining.
Categorisation Of Slotting Machines
There are prevalently 4 types of slotter machines namely;
Esskay Lathe Machine Tools is one of the Best Slotting Machine Manufacturers in India. Precision tool room slotter, Production slotter, punch slotter and special purpose slotter machine.
Our More Products: CNC Lathe Machine Manufacturer India
Let us have an overview of the same types.