Extreme Machining Contest Winners
The inaugural edition of Mori Seiki’s Innovation of the Americas contest took place in 2006. Winning entries in that contest ranged from a tiny Jeep replica, which was made from three materials, to a titanium splice plate for a Boeing 737 winglet. Click here to find photos of the first- and second-place winners in
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This speed boat dash cluster is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum. The shop was able to cut cycle time in half by using a CNC VMC. Total cycle time for this part is now 2 hours 3 minutes.
This 15-5 PH stainless steel aircraft part measures 4.0 x 4.5 x 6.5 inches and was manufactured on an HMC. It requires four separate operations and has a total cycle time of 3 hours and 45 minutes.
This aluminum test plate measures 0.56 x 3.26 x 4.68 inches and contains more than 5,000 individual dimensions that were programmed without CAD/CAM. The part is produced on a VMC with a cycle time of 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Hommer's collapsible mold for injection molding does not use a rotating core. This results in increased speed and reduced cycle time. the mold, which requires a tolerance of 0.002 inch, was manufactured using a CNC lathe and multi-axis turning center. It is machined from A2 tool steel.
Produced for Harley Davidson, this 6061-T6 aluminum air intake component is designed to create performance-enhancing air flow. The part requires accuracy of 0.005 inch and is manufactured on a VMC.
Measuring 6 x 6 inches, this 304 stainless steel distribution block requires accuracy of 0.0002 inch and has a cycle time of 14 hours. It is machined on a VMC.
Made from 6AL-4V titanium, this splice plate for a Boeing 737 winglet requires machining on both sides of the part. By moving to a machining strategy in which cutting is performed on both sides during the same operation, the company was able to reduce the cycle time from 65 hours to 27.1 hours.
Measuring 6 x 4 x 4 inches, this little Jeep was created using brass, aluminum and polycarbonate resin. The vehicle was manufactured using manual machines.
The inaugural edition of Mori Seiki’s Innovation of the Americas contest took place in 2006. Winning entries in that contest ranged from a tiny Jeep replica, which was made from three materials, to a titanium splice plate for a Boeing 737 winglet. Click here to find photos of the first- and second-place winners in four categories from the 2006 contest. The categories include aerospace, automotive, die/mold and general parts.
Entry applications are now open for the 2008 edition of the contest. Visit Mori Seiki (www.moriseikius.com/iofa) to read the submission instructions and to apply online. The deadline to enter is June 30, 2008.
