Precision partnership develops new air bearing technique

Loxham Precision Ltd, a high precision machine tool company based at Cranfield University, and Ultra Precision Motions Limited (UPM), a specialist bearing company based near Swindon have announced a collaboration that will see them create a new high precision manufacturing technology for producing air bearing components.

This collaboration has gained support from the Manufacturing and Materials programme operated by Innovate UK.

The project will see Loxham Precision and UPM create a new manufacturing technique to produce specialist air bearing components that are widely employed within the multi-axes µ6 CNC machine tool range produced by Loxham Precision.

Air bearings of this type offer a non-contact “friction-free” motion that enables high precision machining of super smooth surfaces.

Paul Shore of Loxham Precision said: “This Innovate UK project will establish a new means to produce micrometre scale features of novel air bearing designs originally pioneered by UPM Limited. This new production technology will enable automated fabrication of air bearings significantly reducing their manufacturing cost.”

The recently launched Loxham µ6 machine product is a 6 axes CNC micro-machining system. It has the size of a domestic white goods product 600mm by 600mm by 1000mm, yet it provides a workpiece machining volume of 125mm by 125 mm by 150mm.

The machine provides comprehensive “turn-mill” capabilities and is designed for eased automation with post machining metrology. The machines electronics and control systems are integrated into the base of the machine which has integrated temperature control.

The µ6 is described by Paul Shore, director at Loxham as “new era and highly integrated in the same way mobile phones are also cameras and portable music players”. Loxhams µ6 provides 2/3 precision turning and 4/5 axis micro-milling . In comparison to conventional machine tools the µ6 machine has a very small environmental footprint. The machine operates from single phase electricity supply, it employs non contacting air bearings and has 100% recyclable machine structure. And at less than 500 kg the machine is easily transported and brought into operation.

Furthermore the machine has been developed with a local manufacturing supply chain reducing distribution costs and emissions impact.

Loxham has thus far sold µ6 machines into leading UK research centres. It is presently validating performance of automated versions of the µ6 for a number of commercial organisations. The machine is aimed at; instruments, sensors, moulds, optics, medical devices, quantum devices, compound semiconductors and watch making industries.