91ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ÎÛ

Published

Tooling Helps Race Shop Take the Fast Lane

Cutting tools and expertise from Sandvik Coromant help this drag racing organization stay ahead.

Edited by:  MMS Editorial Team

Share

Leaders-In background
Heidenhain Corporation
VISIT SHOWROOM

Heidenhain Corporation

HEIDENHAIN is a world-leading provider of encoders, machine controls, touch probes, digital readouts and metrology solutions—empowering engineer...READ MORE

Featured Content
View More
Featured Videos
View More
CNC Engineering, Inc.
VISIT SHOWROOM

CNC Engineering, Inc.

CNC Engineering, Inc. specializes in enhancing CNC machine tools to boost manufacturing productivity. Our key services include: - CNC Retrofits a...READ MORE

Featured Content
View More
Featured Videos
View More
SMW Autoblok Corporation
VISIT SHOWROOM

SMW Autoblok Corporation

Featured Content
View More
Featured Videos
View More
T J Davies, Co., Inc.
VISIT SHOWROOM

T J Davies, Co., Inc.

Since 1965 we have been manufacturing precision metal products in the United States. We are a veteran-founded, woman-led business dedicated to mak...READ MORE

Featured Content
View More
QualiChem Inc.
VISIT SHOWROOM

QualiChem Inc.

Featured Content
View More
Featured Videos
View More
Mikron Corp.
VISIT SHOWROOM

Mikron Corp.

Mikron Machining is the leading partner for high performance machining systems to manufacture complex and precise metal components in high volumes....READ MORE

Featured Content
View More
Featured Videos
View More
ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions
VISIT SHOWROOM

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions

Featured Content
View More
Featured Videos
View More
All World Machinery Supply
VISIT SHOWROOM

All World Machinery Supply

All World Machinery Supply is your one-stop shop for machine tool solutions. Machine Tool Spare Parts | Repair Services | Custom Machine Tool Accesso...READ MORE

Featured Content
View More
Featured Videos
View More

They’re called “funny cars,” but the engineering effort that goes into these dragsters’ success is no laughing matter. Behind every winning car is a team consisting not just of drivers and support staff, but also programmers and machinists tasked with producing top-quality parts on sophisticated manufacturing equipment. The recent experience of one racing organization, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), demonstrates the value of having a supplier that can help get the most out of this equipment. Thanks to tooling and support from Sandvik Coromant (Fair Lawn, New Jersey), the company has re-vamped a troublesome cylinder head manufacturing process to improve part quality and reduce setup time, cycle time and tool costs.

 
DSR was founded by businessman and former drag racer Don Schumacher, who started the operation in 1998 with a single Top Fuel dragster piloted by his son, Tony. The very next year, Tony won the championship, and DSR has since grown to seven full-time drag racing teams—four funny cars and three Top Fuel dragsters. To produce parts for these cars, the organization operates an in-house machine shop at its 120,000-square-foot headquarters in Brownsburg, Indiana.
 
The relationship with Sandvik began two years ago. To manufacture components on a larger scale, the shop had purchased nine Fadal CNC machines to supplement the two Okumas it already had. Along with those additions came a strong focus on process improvement. “We knew that Sandvik Coromant would provide the vital tooling and technology support we needed to get the most out of our CNC machining equipment,” says Mike Lewis, senior vice president at DSR.
 
Cylinder head production was among the first processes targeted for improvement. “The way these parts are engineered and machined can make a huge difference on the track,” says Alan Keep, business manager, northeast zone for Sandvik. “Accuracy and surface quality provide a competitive advantage.”
 
However, attaining requisite levels of either had proven difficult for DSR. Beginning with aluminum billet, the production process is both lengthy and complicated. “Machining involves a large number of tools and operations,” Mr. Keep says. “So when we started consulting and supplying tooling, we had to look at several aspects of the process.”
 
More specifically, machining often left blend lines on the cylinder head combustion surfaces. In addition, complex geometries and the requirement to drill 90 holes measuring 4.5 inches deep in each part caused quality and chip-clearance problems. Setup and cycle times were also too lengthy. 
 
Initial analysis focused on face-milling operations. The 6-inch cutters DSR had been using for both rough and finish face milling had to be hand-loaded because they filled three positions in the tool magazine. Sandvik recommended swapping that tooling for a 4-inch CoroMill Century cutter that occupies only one position in the chain. This change reduced setup time and improved spindle utilization by completely eliminating the need for manual tool changes.
 
To eliminate the troublesome blend lines, the Sandvik team recommended a “roll-in/roll-out” motion in which the tool arcs into the cut in a clockwise direction. This simple programming technique reduces the occurrence of thick chips that cause surface-degrading vibration without sacrificing feed rate, Mr. Keep explains. As a result, surface quality improved by 58 percent, and machinists were able to increase speeds and feeds by 335 percent.
 
Next, the Sandvik team scrutinized profiling and drilling operations in an effort to combat quality and chip-clearance issues. The 1-inch, solid carbide end mill DRS had been using for profiling had a long
overhang that caused vibration problems, and the tool often had to be sent out for resharpening. The tooling supplier recommended swapping that cutter for a 50-mm-diameter Coromill 790 router. It also brought in a Coromant Capto C5 shank to boost rigidity. Finally, the team modified the CNC program to incorporate circular interpolation techniques that reduced radial and axial cutting depth while increasing sfm and ipm. Altogether, these changes reduced the load on the spindle, reduced vibration, improved tool life and simplified tool changes, which are now a matter of changing two inserts, Mr. Keep says.
 
For drilling operations, the team recommended swapping conventional, solid carbide twist drills for R840 CoroDrills. Unlike the previous drills, the R840s feature through-tool coolant capability. The resulting improvement in chip evacuation enabled the shop to eliminate time-consuming pecking cycles. The new tools also improved hole quality and reduced cycle time by 75 percent, Mr. Keep says. 
 
Richard Price, DSR’s machine shop manager, says the wins Sandvik has helped provide in the shop have translated into wins on the track as well. A year after the two organizations first collaborated, DSR collected its ninth NHRA world championship when driver Matt Hagan powered his DieHard Advanced Gold Funny Car across the finish line in Pomona, California. In all, DSR won 18 races and three national records in 2011. “It’s a fantastic partnership,” Mr. Price says.

 

 

Related Content

Eliminating Automotive Defects Per Million With Automated Visual Inspection
Automation

Eliminating Automotive Defects Per Million With Automated Visual Inspection

This automotive manufacturer virtually eliminated PPM defect complaints after implementing an automated visual inspection system at its facility.

Read More
The Role of Surface Finishing in Modern Manufacturing: Trends and Best Practices
Automation

The Role of Surface Finishing in Modern Manufacturing: Trends and Best Practices

You’re attending IMTS to advance your business. Regardless of your role in the manufacturing process, considering how your parts will be finished is crucial. This article can help you understand trends in surface finishing and better communicate with your finishing partners.

Read More
Sunnen Products Company Partners With Hendrick Motorsports
Automotive

Sunnen Products Company Partners With Hendrick Motorsports

The partnership puts the new Sunnen SV-series honing machine in the Hendrick Motorsports engine operation alongside other Sunnen honing and engine building machines.

Read More
DN Solutions Responds to Labor Shortages, Reshoring, the Automotive Industry and More
Workforce Development

DN Solutions Responds to Labor Shortages, Reshoring, the Automotive Industry and More

At its first in-person DIMF since 2019, DN Solutions showcased a range of new technologies, from automation to machine tools to software. President WJ Kim explains how these products are responses to changes within the company and the manufacturing industry as a whole.    

Read More

Read Next

AMRs Are Moving Into Manufacturing: 4 Considerations for Implementation
Automation

AMRs Are Moving Into Manufacturing: 4 Considerations for Implementation

AMRs can provide a flexible, easy-to-use automation platform so long as manufacturers choose a suitable task and prepare their facilities.

Read More
Last Chance! 2025 Top Shops Benchmarking Survey Still Open Through April 30
Economics

Last Chance! 2025 Top Shops Benchmarking Survey Still Open Through April 30

Don’t miss out! 91ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ÎÛ's Top Shops Benchmarking Survey is still open — but not for long. This is your last chance to a receive free, customized benchmarking report that includes actionable feedback across several shopfloor and business metrics. 

Read More
Machine Shop MBA
Top Shops

Machine Shop MBA

  Making Chips and 91ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ÎÛ are teaming up for a new podcast series called Machine Shop MBA—designed to help manufacturers measure their success against the industry’s best. Through the lens of the Top Shops benchmarking program, the series explores the KPIs that set high-performing shops apart, from machine utilization and first-pass yield to employee engagement and revenue per employee.  

Read More