Over 25 years' in business
Delivery to all parts of the UK and Ireland
Fast lead times
Case Study: When Speed Matters
Matara manufactures large ballscrew saving motor manufacturer from downtime
SNAPSHOT
Matara manufactures large
ballscrew to tight deadline
with significant product cost
savings, preventing downtime
on automotive manufacturer
production line.
ABOUT: automotive manufacturer
THE REQUIREMENT: fast turnaround required to replace large ballscrew in assembly machine
When a large ballscrew, which forms part of a well-known motor manufacturer’s Wheel and Tyre Assembly Machine on Line 2, began to make ominous noises, their engineers were quick to inspect it. It was clear that the ballscrew had become too damaged to repair, as the bearings were popping out of the nut.
A fundamentally important part of the production line, the Wheel and Tyre Assembly Machine is used to assemble tyres onto wheel rims. If the ballscrew were to fail, the machine could not operate and production would either have to halt – at a cost of approximately £300k per hour! – or all tyres would have to be fitted from Line 1 machines, thereby impacting production on both lines.
The decision to replace it was therefore made swiftly. Unfortunately, the ballscrew, which measures 1165mm in length, is a non-stock item and therefore either has to be ordered and imported from overseas or has to be made bespoke. The former would take too long and the latter, the company expected, would be expensive.
THE SOLUTION: Matara manufactures ballscrew to tight deadline and delivers 33% cost savings
The automotive manufacturer benefits from a Rubix Insite within its production site, which is essentially a Rubix branch, and all it has to offer by way of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul products and services, but dedicated solely to that company. It helps customers achieve cost savings by consolidating vendors and providing value-added services, including those from other companies within the group; in this case, Matara.
The automotive manufacturer had investigated the cost to replace the damaged ballscrew, but it was coming in at a very high price, especially when this product is generally replaced every two years. The Rubix Insite Manager put forward Matara as an alternative option. Matara has a large, fully equipped machine shop facility at its headquarters in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, where it produces an extensive array of ballscrews.
Matara was readily able to meet the automotive manufacturer’s requirements and produced a stainless steel ballscrew with high speed rolled ball screw shaft to their exact specifications. Furthermore, Matara was able to come in at one third below the other prices, and deliver the ballscrew a week earlier than expected, saving the automotive manufacturer downtime and money.
