Introduction
A front axle beam is a component that plays a critical role in automotive engineering. It connects the front wheels of a vehicle, supports the weight of the front part of the vehicle, and facilitates the mounting of steering components and the turning of the front wheels, among other functions.
A few of Bharat Fritz Werner’s (BFW) Indian clients work in the forging industry, producing automotive parts. These manufacturers face the challenge of India-made machining solutions for front axle beams. BFW filled the vacuum by developing a machine that offers complete machining solutions for the production of front axle beams.
About our client
Our clients are in the forging business, manufacturing auto components. Our clients faced the challenge of procuring Indian-made machines for manufacturing front axle beams.
Challenges and requirements of our client
One of the challenges Indian manufacturers face is the non-availability of Indian-made machines. For instance, there are no other machine manufacturers, apart from BFW, who offer manufacturing solutions for front axle beams.
Our solution
BFW provided the Fab Flexible Machine Nex Gen — an alternative to its imported equivalent. The features of this machine include:
- Refrigerated coolant for machine and structure
- Radio monitoring probe for spindle
- Imported hydro-cyclone filtration for coolant through spindle
- Tool life monitoring system (Optional)
- Automation for component loading/unloading
- Hydraulic counterbalance for vertical slide
- Encompasses a complete machining solution in a single clamp
- Based on horizontal spindle, offering rigidity
All moving structural parts are FEA analysed and optimised to achieve higher strength-to-weight ratio for consistent accuracy. The column and base are fabricated, and the slides are made of high-grade SG Iron to ensure better stiffness, higher load-carrying capacity, and improved vibration dampening.
Additionally, all structured sections are stress-relieved for stability and accuracy over an extended period, with positive chip disposal facilitated by running the conveyor below the cutting zone. The tool magazine is protected from chip entry by an automatic door separating the machining zone and ATC. All machine elements are well protected from coolant and chips, with high-pressure coolant through the spindle at 16 Bar and 40 Bar.
Impact
Our machine can handle and machine different sizes of front axle beams for commercial vehicles, reducing cycle time by up to 35% and cutting costs by 50% compared to relying on imported machines.
The Fab Flexible Machine Nex Gen is designed with Industry 4.0 at its heart. BFW subsidiary company m2nxt-developed IRIS is an integrated Industry 4.0 solution with a secure, cloud-based system. IRIS offers real-time monitoring, performance optimization, and reporting, making the manufacturing process for front axle beams fast, secure, and highly precise.
Conclusion
With its front axle beam machining solution, BFW has enabled automotive machine tool manufacturers in India to produce high-quality, low-cost tools within a reduced cycle time. BFW has been a significant contributor to the machine tools industry in India offering highly advanced solutions leveraging automation and Industry 4.0.
