Jan 19 2011
MAG Industrial Automation Systems has secured an order worth $7 million from Lockheed Martin to supply two CNC-controlled, 6-axis AutoDrill systems.
Lockheed Martin will use the systems in its Marietta, Georgia-based facility. This is a turnkey deal that comprises deployment, startup and training and the systems are slated for delivery in the first quarter of 2011.
AutoDrill Systems
The accurate auto trimming and drilling system will utilize a surface-detecting pressure foot to countersink and drill many fastener holes via intricate surfaces made up of aluminum, stacked composite materials and titanium for the Center Wing assembly of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter. Lockheed orders its fourth and fifth MAG AutoDrill systems and the first three systems are used at its Fort Worth, Texas-based facility.
The latest drilling systems comprise an enhanced spindle with a speed of 24,000 rpm and with integral vacuum ducting without external wires or hoses. The head design carries the porting of cables, wires and hoses via the head against external porting to eliminate intrusion during operation. The systems are developed for nonstop operation at 100% job cycle for three shifts every day. The Freedom eLog software of MAG comes with an event-log tracking tool to help maintenance and plant engineers.
The advanced volumetric error compensation (VEC) functionality of MAG will be included in the AutoDrill system for enhanced drilled hole positional precision. The VEC is developed particularly for enhancing accuracy of machining for huge 5-axis machine tools by over 50%. VEC evaluates and rectifies positioning inaccuracies in all machine-tool axes in tandem for exceptional machining accuracies on huge parts.