Hello,

I have been the Maint Supervisor at a machine shop for about 3 years now. Our biggest problems by far are chip conveyors. We have 140 Cnc machines, machining diecast aluminum for Honda automotive engines.
Most of the machines are Nashida's with Bunri chip systems. We also have some Mazaks and Okuma's with Mayfran concept series.
I honestly think we are making such a small chip that it never settles to the bottom to allow the conveyor to do its job. Im told that we cannot cut bigger chips due to surface roughness specs.
Any suggestions on manufacturers that i can check out for future machines?

thanks,
Bob

HI, On some of our cnc's we use a paper like media that rides on top of a chain mesh conveyor. The coolant is filtered across the top of the media capturing oils and small chips and allows the coolant to flow through. Our other machines use long drag conveyors to allow the chips to settle, If someone tampers with the coolant flow to the tank we end up with turbulance and the chips are held in suspension and get sucked up into our priming pumps :(
See if you can control the flow of coolant and allow the chips to settle if you can't change the conveyor??? just a thought........

http://www.turbosystemsinc.com/

Try these folks too

http://www.midbrook.com/hurricane_equipment_beltconveyor.htm

We have Turbo and Midbrook and the Midbrook are a bit more depenable
But you are right the biggest problem with Aluminum is the chips float, It tooks us a few years to get it right. But all I can say is Filter Filter Filter.
I acually eliminated the front drag on our Makino's all together and made a flume type system that the coolant flow takes all the chips to the side drag.
And from there its Filter Filter Filter I got 2 sets of rosedales and went to a smaller screen in the side drag. But without the rosedales my nozzel and thruspindle would clog constantly
Also keep your cooloant level a tad lower than you would normaly this helps evacuate chips better

Swarf or chip conveyors, contrary to popular belief are not a one size fits all package, sounds to me like you are using a conventional track conveyor when you really should have used a drag conveyor, if machining alumium at high speed was the the application you bought the machines for, then they should have supplyed the correct conveyor.