With this philosophy, Buffoli Transfer stands out as the sole partner in the manufacturing of integrated production systems, able to provide real competitive advantages in terms of productivity, flexibility, efficiency, ergonomics and total quality.

Buffoli was born over 50 years ago as an engineering firm, able, then, to analyze a family of production components, to integrate different technologies and to optimize and simplify manufacturing processes, thus attaining remarkable cost reductions.

Buffoli proudly counts among its customers, outstanding companies such as Masco Corporation, Parker Hannifin, TRW, Honeywell, Gates Rubber and Danfoss; for these, it designs and implements optimized solutions aimed at process improvement, increased productivity, efficiency, quality and flexibility. Most importantly, Buffoli is an active participant in its customer’s product development and technologies programs.

Buffoli’s value added products: flexible systems that target the customer’s product families, have had a significant impact on maintaining and developing our customer’s international leadership positions.

Buffoli presents itself not only as a simple manufacturer of machinery but as a company able to identify and implement solutions, as a proactive partner in the reorganization and progressive re-structuring of the modern production department.

HISTORY

Buffoli Transfer was founded in 1979 and strictly collaborated with Buffoli Automazione Industriale, a mechanical workshop created in 1960 by Mario Buffoli; today, with its sister companies, employs approximately 80 people. Its headquarters, located in Brescia, covers an area of 8,000 square meters (86,000 square feet), the company’s core business being the design and manufacturing of turnkey CNC flexible systems. In particular, transfer machines and multi-spindle mill-turn machines characterized by quality loading automation for blanks or bar stock.

Today Buffoli Transfer and Buffoli Automazione Industriale stand out as the Italian manufacturer of transfer machines strategically positioned for export, as they have gained a leading role in North-European and North-American markets and have achieved a level of prominence with 800 machines installed all over the world. Their average export percentage is 90% and in 2001 their turnover reached 12,5 million Euros.

Starting from the first linear compact transfer machine, designed back in 1958, able to reach outputs of 2000 pieces/hour and produced in over 200 variations, since 1972 outputs of 10.000 pieces/hour and 95% efficiency have been obtained thanks to the introduction of rotary table models.

Ever since 1974 the company has completed this range of high-speed machines for medium to high volume manufacturing, with a series of patented solutions to machine high precision pieces, such as power steering bodies, gearbox forks, pump bodies and gas valves.
In 1981 Buffoli produced Trans-Bar, the first bar transfer machine. Now Buffoli is characterized, on a global scale, as a leading company in the specialized manufacturing of CNC versions, available on the market since 1987.

With the introduction in the company’s management of Mr. Edoardo Buffoli, son of Mr. Mario Buffoli, the transition from hydraulically controlled machine production to CNC flexible machine manufacturing, began.

In particular, for approximately the last 12 years, Buffoli has been implementing on its systems a proprietary Multi-processing Numerical Control, specifically designed to effectively control the most complex parallel processes.

Buffoli’s CNC is expandable, yet another Buffoli feature characterized by flexibility and reliability, and guaranteed with an unprecedented five year warranty. It integrates tool-monitoring systems, which detect tool wear conditions one hundred times per second, and automatically corrects cutting parameters, thereby facilitating unmanned production with absolute process and quality control.

In the course of the following years, the Buffoli name has become synonymous with creativity and continuous innovation.
In 1993 Buffoli designed a flexible transfer machine for automotive components whose chucks are virtual mini-pallets, which can be pre-set outside of the machine, and then may be quickly changed for the machining of items with different shapes and geometries, reference points and clamping zones. Then began the evolution of the compact multi-spindle machining center, (a modular machining head integrated with the transfer machine); machining systems able to machine up to six sides with arbitrary angles; rigid and compact revolver-type turrets with three high-speed electro-spindles; machining systems integrating two rotary table systems or a rotary table system and a cell of vertical lathes.

Present development is oriented towards the production of machines based upon new concepts and upon a mixture of various technologies, with the goal of producing a single machine capable of manufacturing the most complex finished products at the lowest possible cost. More and more integrated and versatile systems are thus evolving, capable of executing turning, grinding or deep drilling operations and characterized by a configuration which shares the features of five axis machining centers and flexible transfer machines.
The end result is systems able to machine very complex parts with high efficiencies, eliminating detailed finishing operations; managing non-productive time caused by secondary operations and their related costs and quality risks. All are eliminated without giving up fast changeover and process flexibility.

The products developed by Buffoli fully satisfy these needs: both Omni-Flex and Omni-Turn, six axis multi-spindle processing centers and multi-tasking milling and turning cells, are extremely versatile and able to integrate various machining processes into a single machine, thus reaching high productivity levels with reduced retooling times.

DEVELOPMENT ACHIEVED
ALONGSIDE CUSTOMERS

Customers generally look to the company for solutions after they have identified and defined their components processing problems and specific improvement expectations.
If a customer has already gained a certain experience in the production of such components, he normally consults Buffoli because he would like to increase productivity or to rid himself of problems met using standard machines or to improve the quality level of finished products or the process integrity as well.

Buffoli offers, first of all, its in-depth knowledge of the machining of all types of materials, from aluminum alloys to steels alloyed to copper, bronze etc.
The company, relying on a very wide range of process plans already implemented and tested, can promptly propose process sequences and solutions for a large variety of production problems, but at the same time is ready to implement custom machining modules for special applications. A variety of versions are available for the positioning of tables and spindles and dozens of clamping systems (fixed or indexing) and of operation specific spindle types; many solutions, then, are unique and patented, as for instance, rotary tables equipped with off-center chucks (relative to table center line, so that the machining of six sides with only one clamping is allowed). This results in precision machines having the same characteristics of special dedicated machines but also flexible and easily changed over for totally different types of machining.

In the product development phases, various data are analyzed and the process technological know-how is integrated with mechanical and electronic knowledge, so that “ad hoc” solutions are defined and the whole mechanical-electronic project is optimized to meet customers’ present and future requests and needs.

As a matter of fact, Buffoli machines’ flexibility is specifically studied according to the subjects discussed with the customer, taking into account all concurrent aspects: output, costs, ergonomics, accuracy and size of the machine. As these systems are not pre-defined and then adapted afterwards, their design is based on all these aspects; once the best “mix” is identified, it is possible to introduce significant special features, such as deep drilling, rolling, turning with rotating or static part machining.

Buffoli and its customers are often joined by strict partnership relationships, sometimes resulting in the co-engineering of the products to be machined, in order to assure the best final result.
A specific advantage is afforded by the in-house development of the electronic elements installed on the machines. In fact, Buffoli has been constantly collaborating for over 12 years with partner companies for the production of “Buffoli CNC Winflex” Multiprocessing Numerical Controls. That proprietary technology permits Buffoli to obtain really optimized software for the programmed production processes, without any of the limits often characterized by standard Numerical Controls. They provide exceptionally short cycle times, easy programming and, above all, really extraordinarily innovative content.

As far as the machining of difficult materials is concerned, Buffoli CNC is equipped with a tool monitoring system that allows a better and longer use of tooling, a more regular output, an increase in machine uptime and the opportunity for unmanned operation.
Big multinational companies have entrusted Buffoli with the task of reorganizing entire factories, replacing dozens of different machines with only one flexible center, and this has represented a positive experience. This company has been asked to produce machines which are retooled even twice, three times a day and able to cover ranges of several hundred products.

OMNI-TURN-TRANSFER:
INNOVATIVE CONCEPT OF MULTIPLE MACHINE

Omni-Turn-Transfer is the synthesis of an integrated machine, which with only one loading and unloading station, combines a unit with three, four or five vertical lathes with a multi-station rotary transfer table.
It is possible to execute various operations, from turning to drilling, threading, milling, broaching, marking, assembly and gauging in the transfer while the subsequent area is relegated to turning and precision profiling, utilizing from three to five vertical lathes with inverted spindle and revolving turrets, each with a capacity of a maximum of 12 tools. It is possible to obtain high outputs in the machining of complex parts, even while maintaining versatility and quick retooling, vital features for the machining of medium batches, thanks to the flexible Numerical Control and to quick change systems of chucks and tools.

Omni-Turn then represents, a flexible production unit, which is characterized by high accuracy and operational concentricity and combines rotating piece machining with fixed piece/rotating tool operations; besides, it offers the possibility of finishing complex pieces requiring multi-feature machining and different technologies.
The system is serviced by a robot or by a manipulator loading loose pieces but also bar loading can be executed in the same way.

On the left side of the machine structure, a horizontal table (vertical axis) loads the work pieces, machined by upper, bottom and radial rotary spindles, functioning independently from one another, whereas on the right side a manipulator, equipped with two collets, feeds randomly from three to five vertical turning units, all executing precision operations on the pieces prepared by the transfer area and transferring again the components to the transfer for any additional machining.
The turning operations are partly executed on the component in a static condition – for instance: preparation of upper and bottom sides and execution of internal and external roughing operations – and partly on the components while rotating – for instance: finishing of the whole internal and external profiles, with the aid of rotary tailstocks or steady rests.
The integration of more vertical lathes with a rotary table transfer permits the work pieces to be drilled, bored, milled, de-burred, gauged etc. before and after turning, according to the process sequence programmed on the Numerical Control.

The structural rigidity of the machine, the micro-resolution of the axes, the multi-processing CNC allow the attainment of complex profiles, eliminating even the expensive grinding detail finishes on hardened and tempered or just hardened pieces. Also small assembly operations are possible.
Internal and external profiling and deep drilling are preferential operations for these lathes: the revolver-type turrets of the turning units house from 6 to 12 tools and up to 30 spindles machine on the three sides of the table of the machine’s vertical axis transfer area.

A double filtering coolant system cleans precision vices and work pieces and efficiently conveys long and short chips. For this reason, Omni-Turn is equipped with only one coolant filtering system, with a 1.000 lit/min capacity and only one area for chip evacuation.
Omni-Turn then represents an integrated multi-spindle machine able to replace several CNC lathes combined with machining centers or a traditional transfer machine. The examples of the productive performances of this machine range from crankshafts for engines and compressors, to prosthetic joints, SAE flange joints and bushings for hydraulic installations, turbo-chargers components and rotary jacks.
The total changeover time between two different types of work pieces, is one-two hours on average.

THE OMNI-FLEX FAMILY

The new product development programs completed by Buffoli include the family of flexible machines for the machining of complex parts; the machines are called Omni-Flex. Two versions are available: “Quattro”, a 6 axis machining center equipped with four spindles, and “Multi”, a flexible transfer intended for higher volumes.

Omni-Flex “Quattro” is a high speed machining system, equipped with 4 machining center spindles and 80 tools, ideally used for the complete machining of complex six sided parts. In fact, the machine is equipped with two independent chucks, which can be oriented to any compound angle. The automated transfer of the piece from one chuck to the other permits completion of all its sides. Two 12,000 rpm, 22Kw, electro-spindles are installed for each chuck. Even though it is an extremely versatile machine, it allows production volumes similar to revolver turret flexible transfer machines’, thanks to the remarkable reduction of idle times. Totally automated part loading is accomplished in a few seconds by two integrated robots.

Omni-Flex “Multi” represents the rotary table version ideally suited for higher production volumes. This flexible transfer machine assures quick cycle times thanks to the simultaneous use of 11 turrets: upper, bottom and radial. The rotary table is equipped with 6 orienting/clamping systems. In each position, a maximum of 3 turrets operate. Each of them is equipped with three parallel independent electro-spindles for a maximum of 33 available tools. Such turrets, patented by Buffoli, can execute a tool change in less than 1 second as well as precision static turning operations (grooving, threading, profiling etc). Being more rigid and compact than standard revolver heads, they are more suitable for heavy duty or high speed machining applications.

Both machines allow machining of an infinite number of geometries and types of pieces, featuring a large working area (300x300mm) and a good availability of tools.