What is precision mechanics? How does it work? Although it is one of the flagships of Italy's large engineering sector, there are still doubts about the definition of precision mechanics.
As the name suggests, what characterizes this branch of metalworking is the high degree of precision guaranteed during the production and machining of each component, which is ensured by the use of state-of-the-art technological machinery.
Today, and as a result of the level of perfection achieved over the years, precision mechanics is happily applied in many different fields: from agriculture to automotive, from hydraulics to the petrochemical context, passing through the pharmaceutical, industrial and other worlds.
What is Precision Mechanics
Precision mechanics refers to the discipline that deals with the manufacture of mechanical components and tools characterized by a high level of accuracy and relatively short production times.
Its primary purpose is to create a final product, generally made of metal, steel, cast iron or plastic, free of imperfections and perfect to meet the multiple functions and applications of use, through complex but effective machining.
In fact, all items, before being sent to the applicant, are generally checked and assessed by specific quality departments whose task is to verify that all workmanship complies with the relevant standards and the executive drawings.
Among the most commissioned precision engineering products are the following solutions:
- Dressing Plates
- Surface Plates
- Clamping Plates
- Test Benches
- Squares
- Cubes and Clamping Towers
- Control Rulers
- Support and Levelling Columns
- Boxes
How Precision Machine Shops Work
In order to optimally process materials and meet customer requirements, precision machine workshops use state-of-the-art, technologically advanced machinery, such as the CNC lathe or milling machine.
This does not mean, however, that human intervention should be minimized; on the contrary, it is indispensable for successful operations. It is only through highly qualified and trained personnel that the machinery becomes capable of performing the required work reliably and accurately.
The synergy between man and machine is realized in the cooperation between the various departments that animate precision engineering companies. The skills and know-how of the production, testing and engineering teams intersect with the aim of enabling the machinery to move in complete autonomy, starting from detailed information.
In this sense, in the field of precision mechanics, human experience and advanced technology enhance each other, guaranteeing a degree of perfection impossible to achieve by other means.
What is Numerical Control Machinery and How it Works
An epoch-making turning point in the field of precision mechanics came with the introduction of numerically controlled machines, also known by the acronym CNC (Computer Numerical Control).
As the name suggests, these are fully computer-controlled machines capable of processing information provided by technical staff and producing highly complex, high-precision components for the many sectors mentioned above.
Once the data has been received and processed by the operator, the Computer Numerical Control activates and coordinates the machine tool which, autonomously and with a margin of error close to zero, produces the component with the required characteristics.
The CNC operator is not only responsible for starting the machining process: he supervises the process during each step and intervenes if corrective actions are necessary. Furthermore, once the operations are completed, he checks the component obtained by performing quality control.
Examples of CNC machines are lathes, milling machines, welding machines or sheet metal cutting machines. The advantages that these provide include: speed in production, high precision, adaptability in machining any type of material and creating any type of object, punctuality in delivery and precise repeatability of machining.
Precision Machining
In precision engineering workshops, each individual piece of machinery is essential to complete a specific machining operation. The milling machine, for example, is indispensable for precision milling, while the lathe is indispensable for precision mechanical turning.
Companies with mechanical pantographs offer the service of mechanical engraving, although considerably more in demand is the precision grinding, which can be carried out with a precision grinding machine and is necessary to bring each required mechanical component to the optimum surface or shape.
Other machining operations are mechanical drilling and mechanical reaming, where the former aims to remove swarf while the latter aims to correct the axiality and diameter of the holes made.
Italian Excellence in Precision Mechanics
In Italy, the precision engineering sector has achieved astonishing results, becoming a world-renowned Made in Italy excellence.
Thanks to the experience gained in over 70 years of activity, Bonanomi, the precision workshop founded in 1946 by Giuseppe Bonanomi, has become the reference point for the largest national and international machine tool manufacturers.
Today, with a production potential of around 1,200 square metres per year, the company is the most sought-after partner for precision machining for third parties such as milling, drilling, boring and grinding. Bonanomi's success in the world has been achieved thanks to the Express Shop service, which gives the possibility to purchase products manufactured on short notice quickly and easily.