Machine Technology: Alternatives to hand-feeding machines

To stay competitive, a growing number of parts manufacturers are opting to automatically feed their turning machines.

In recent years, for example, Charlotte, N.C.-based Okuma America Corp. has seen the number of lathes it sells with some type of automated material-feeding system go from 10 percent of the total to more than 30 percent, according to Jeff Estes, director of Okuma’s Partners in THINC, a supplier group that seeks to solve machining problems and boost productivity.

“I tell people that if you buy a lathe with a bar feeder, you are probably looking at $20,000 to $30,000 for the total package,” Estes said. But this investment “will pay for itself real quick.”

Okuma’s Multus B-400W turning center is paired with an Edge Technologies bar feeder.
Image courtesy of Okuma America.

How? The automatic bar feeder “isn’t going to leave after a 12-hour shift,” Estes noted. Instead, it can continue to operate unattended, feeding material into the machine tool for an additional 2 to 4 hours, depending on the part.

And when the plant is occupied, automatic feeding systems allow manufacturers to make better use of a valuable asset: their machinists. In traditional two- or three-machine work cells, a machinist would be placed in the middle of the machines. “There’s nothing wrong with having a qualified machinist there,” Estes said. “But where do you find these people anymore?”

So manufacturers are turning to automation to fill the skills gap, freeing up their trained personnel for machine setup and monitoring. “Now a person can monitor four or five machines that are being automatically fed, so you can spread the talent that you do find over more machines,” Estes said.

In the U.S., Estes noted, hundreds of thousands of bar feeders are helping machines run efficiently and effectively. Already proven and reliable, bar-feeder technology is being improved to simplify setup and product changeovers.