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G 環（huán）球瞭望 LOBAL OUTLOOK
如果是用數（shù）控機床進行加工，則每 300 個 That said, that plate-machining job presented
孔就（jiù）可能出現一次斷（duàn）絲，而 FlexArm 將錯誤率 a challenge. The shop’s CNC mill did not have
降低到了 1/3000。在使用 FlexArm 時，操作員 adequate Z-axis travel to handle the thickness
可以在情況發（fā）生前發現已有缺口的絲錐，換成數 of the plates or the ability to tap holes all the
控機（jī）床，則會繼續執行任務，導致絲錐破裂。一 way around the parts, so using it to perform the
旦發生這種情況，受到影響的不僅是昂貴的部件 tapping operations was not an option. He also did
或生產進度，操作人員還（hái）要浪費時間，找到絲（sī）錐 not want to risk breaking a tap in one of the holes
片（piàn）段。 or cross-threading the ¼-inch-thick, 14-inch-tall
6061-T6 aluminum plates, which cost $1,000 each.
通過加快生產，騰出銑床的（de）時間，降低加
Because of the difficulty of the job and the tight
工成本，FlexArm 完成（chéng）第一次任務後，這家車間
turnaround, Mr. Little had little time to consider
便收回了機器購買成本。
solutions.
The Tapping Arm’s Advantages Over a
【英文如下】
CNC Milling Machine
Sometimes shops are asked to take on jobs Mr. Little remembered seeing a video on
that seem impossible. Little Enterprises, a small Facebook of a pneumatic tapping arm from
shop in Purcellville, Virginia, was faced with such FlexArm, a manufacturer of drilling and tapping
a task last December. A new customer had a solutions. He put a call into the company and
job consisting of six plates that each required ordered an A32 model.
600 holes to be tapped. The real challenge, FlexArm’s pneumatic arms are specifically
however, was the timeline: The job needed to be designed for fast and easy tapping. With adjustable
completed in a week. Three other shops had told gas counter-balanced springs, operators can
the customer that it would take months, but Little
simply position the tap over a hole and execute
Enterprises was able to tap all 3,600 holes in the the tap. The FlexArm can also be adjusted to stay
allotted timeframe with the help of a tapping arm where it is positioned or automatically return to
from FlexArm (Wapakoneta, Ohio).
the home (folded) position. The tap head is always
A Little Shop with a Big Job at 90 degrees to ensure accurate threading with
Little Enterprises gets its name from its the Helicoil inserts.
founder, Rob Little, but it also describes the The FlexArm counterbalances the weight of
number of employees. The shop consists of Mr. the motor and absorbs the torque created by the
Little and his father. His wife is also on the payroll, tool to reduce fatigue and the risk of operator
and his 12-year-old daughter and 13-year-old injury. A quick-change chuck enables operators to
son help after school, on weekends and during quickly change tap sizes without changing gears,
Christmas and summer breaks. head height or stops.
What the shop lacks in operator quantity When the FlexArm arrived, Mr. Little wasted
it makes up for in technology. Mr. Little uses no time. He set up the parts in Kurt vises and had
Autodesk Inventor, a parametric 3D solid modeling his 13-year-old son do the tapping while he filmed
software, to speed the prototyping process. For it to make his own Facebook video. “The FlexArm
instance, when he makes changes to the design is not considered hazardous manufacturing
of the model, the CAM software updates the code equipment under Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
for the shop’s CNC lathe mill. definitions, and my son loves using it,” he says. ·86· 第06期 數控機床市場