The first of two new 10m stroke 30kW horizontal honing machines has been successfully delivered and installed by Apperley Honing to a client in Singapore.

With over 45 years knowledge of the subcontract market Apperley has used its experience to create a brand new design of hone. Called the Tubehone, the 24m long all electric machines have two powerful 15kW motors driving the rotation and stroking axis. Controlled by a Siemens touchscreen HMI, Apperley reports that the machines can be set-up in a matter of minutes and novice operators can be trained to run the machines in less than a day.

The Tubehones are equipped with traditional V- blocks and ratchet clamps to support the workpieces as well as a feed in device which allows the operator to inch the hone head in and out of the tubes in safety. To improve safety even further, the driveshafts are totally enclosed and whenever the access doors are open during set-up phase, the machine is restricted to slow, safe jog speeds. Only when the doors are closed can the full capacity of 32m/minute and 220rpm be achieved.

The machine can be designed to suit the needs of the customer with a range of power options from 5.5 to 30kW and workpiece lengths from 2m to 10m. The modular design means that a customer can start with a 2m machine and then acquire additional frame sections as they are needed in order to increase the capacity up to the maximum of 10m. The machines can be tailored to suit different applications coping with small 25mm diameters bores as well as large components with 750mm outside diameters.

Managing director, Charles Sanders elaborates: "We work with pretty much every type of honing machine here in Cheltenham. Our subcontract department operates over 25 different types of honing machine and delivers results for clients in the automotive, defence, pharmaceutical, aerospace and petrochemical industries. We maintain, repair and refurbish honing machines day in and day out, and so for us it’s been a relatively small step to create and manufacture our own design.”

The two heavyweight machines were both designed and built at the Apperley Honing factory in Cheltenham UK. The first was shipped to Singapore in July, with the second in October. Each machine was equipped with Apperley's Ranger and Shell tooling.

Apperley Honing Machines
www.apperleyhoning.co.uk