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The Great Advantages of the "Slugging Approach"

Jack Ubersax

Aluminum
Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Location
Wilbraham, MA
Another Significant Innovation! Warner and Swasey was the first turning machine builder to actively promote the use of this method for the machining of bar stock in diameters of around 2.5" and larger. By cutting the bar stock into slugs with an automatic saw, and then predrilling the slugs whenever possible, the parts can be made more efficiently on a smaller and faster machines.

W/S stressed this concept, and practiced it in its own shop and played it up in excellent advertising and in trade magazine articles. It talked about the fact that this approach would become increasingly important in years ahead, as improved cutting materials became common, and that rotating large bars at high speeds toproperly use the new cutting tools would soon be impractical. Of course, a vital aspect was that these slugs could be processed over the steadily growing family of chuckers that W/S was offering to the market: a family without comparison in terms of breadth, operational ease, productivity and longevity
 
This is really interesting. Unexpected but interesting , since I thought the whole idea of getting more efficient was to get a machine large enough to eleminate "slugging"

Thanks Jack
 
This is really interesting. Unexpected but interesting , since I thought the whole idea of getting more efficient was to get a machine large enough to eleminate "slugging"

Thanks Jack

I saw a W&S 4ac converted/built to barstock IIRC it could spin a 6" dia. bar.

The problem lies in spinning that bar at carbide speeds....:eek:

By slugging, the machine tool is smaller, and higher SFM speeds are possible.

Unfortunately it requires an operator to load unload.

If you drive out to E 55th & Carnegie in Cleveland....you will see a faint painting on the wall (overhead train line retaining wall)

Of a concept machine W&S was working on at the very end.

A 2 spindle vertical, (a small bullard or Motch & Merrweather)

But the spindles were upside down.....:skep:

The chips fell freely down.

There is a patent for it (search uspto.gov)

Shows a conveyor for slugs, a robotic arm for loading, and a flip over
and robotic arm for second op.

Looks like taken from a tool changer, not a Fanuc arm robot.
 
My sincere apologies. I saw this in current posts and didn't notice it was a specific forum. I am truly sorry.
 
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This Takisawa Salesman's post is off topic of this forum , I protest the posting of this troll
advertisement, and request the moderator remove it. if this is allowed to start here more and more advertisements of new and non WS machines will begin to appear. While it is quite interesting .....there needs to be some boundaries.
 
Here is the aforementioned article, and with advantages outlined:
 

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It was the development of the Manchester cut off tooling that made this possible back then for what it's worth.
Ken

I dunno, the article (I posted a scan) shows how the bar would not be turned at it's optimum speed, and by slugging, the much shorter
slug can be run at higher speeds.

FWIW I think W&S purchased Manchester.
 
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FWIW I think W&S purchased Manchester.

They did. Later when W & S went under, I believe it eventually ended up with Valenite, and of course now Wida. I was totally thinking of something way different. Now I know...Learned something today! About slugging.
 
FWIW I was in a shop, that copied that pix exactly.

The W&S salesman must have sold them the same set-up, including the odd drill press.

Only thing different was the building columns & paint.
 








 
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