Linear motion rings up to 8m and beyond

Development of manufacturing techniques and continued investment in the new technology now allows HepcoMotion to supply single piece rings in diameters up to 1.8m. These products are produced in a dedicated machining cell, a lean manufacturing move that has substantially improved lead times.

“This is a product that is ideally suited to cellular manufacture,” explains Manufacturing Director Barry Engstrom. “It is completed in six processes and the new layout means we have reduced the distance a ring travels during production from 530m to just 44m. We have also substantially reduced machine set-up times.” So a standard 1m ring now spends considerably less time in the production process and the lead times for a more complex, non-standard ring has been reduced from 5-6 weeks to 3 weeks.

HepcoMotion’s longstanding ability to manufacture rings has led to the supply of ring segments for oval systems and for incorporation into special purpose machinery. As a result ring segments have been part of the company’s product programme for many years and, in common with all of its core products, have themselves been subject to continuous development.

“Manufacturing individual segments that are distortion-free is technically very challenging,” adds Peter Fanshawe, Technical Director of HepcoMotion. “We’ve been on a long journey to perfect our techniques but now we can ensure excellent roundness and continuity between sections, regardless of diameter.”

The introduction of high capacity bearings have naturally been a parallel development. At its dedicated bearings production site in Essex, the company now manufactures bearings up to 150mm that individually can take loads of several tons.

The demand for large HepcoMotion rings is growing considerably. The company has manufactured bespoke rings for use in wind turbine applications and is currently working on a project for turning ‘sunseeking’ houses. Another big growth area is in the field of on-site machining where the machine is constructed next to the super-sized part that cannot be easily transported. Peter Fanshawe concludes, “The quality of our manufacturing process ensures that every segment fits exactly when the ring is re-assembled in the field.”