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Photo by EMAG GmbH & Co. KG<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n The heat-shrink assembly of camshafts supplies\u00a0the automotive industry with many advantages. For one, the design is based on a tube, howevers it\u2019s much lighter, in comparison\u00a0with the traditional monoblock design. Another plus is that manufacturers can use the ideal material for each individual camshaft component. For example, the cams are sintered, whereas subordinate components \u2013 such as plugs and end pieces \u2013 are made of more favorable materials. This approach reduces costs and makes production planning and implementation of the camshaft easier.<\/p>\n New Opportunities for Heat-Shrink Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n For over 20 years EMAG Automation has developed its patented heat-shrink technology. The cam is heated inductively, where it then expands, and is fitted onto the shaft with no force involved. The whole process is carried out at a temperature level generated to match\u00a0the specific material and component geometry. The heat-shrink process starts when the component is subsequently quenched. The result is an air-tight shrink-fit. With their new SFC 600 shrink-fit machine, the creators of this technology open up new opportunities, where the shrink-fitting of camshafts up to 600 mm length gets even faster and noticeably more flexible.<\/p>\n Rapid Workpiece<\/strong><\/p>\n At the center of the solution are particularly fast and precise NC axes with linear motor technology. With this technology, it is possible to control the whole production process with an NC program \u2013 which is necessary for flexibility. Depending on the camshaft model, it is sometime sufficient to simply adjust the NC program.The whole user interface is made to suit the programming of the machine tool. All data is stored in the control system. \u201cThe changeover from one camshaft production to another takes less than ten minutes\u201d, explains Mr. Wolfgang Bohn, Application Engineer at EMAG Automation. The system is particularly effective where retooling is a frequent requirement, as most tools in the SFC 600 do not have to be retooled.<\/p>\n