Sunnen AHL-1000

In manual honing, the operator periodically measures the bore size and adjusts the stone expansion setting to compensate for stone wear (the abrasive surface of honing stones gradually wears down, reducing the effective cutting diameter). In automated production, stopping the machine for operator measurement defeats the purpose of automation. The AHL-1000's stone wear compensation system tracks the cumulative stone wear indirectly — by measuring the final bore size on each part via the in-process gauging system and calculating the stone wear rate from the trend. The CNC automatically adjusts the stone expansion setting upward as stones wear, maintaining consistent bore size output without operator intervention. When stones are worn beyond the compensation range, the CNC alerts the operator for a stone change.

Connecting rod multi-bore honing uses a horizontal fixture pallet that holds multiple connecting rods simultaneously — typically 4–8 rods in a row. The honing spindle traverses horizontally along the pallet, dwelling at each bore position to complete the honing stroke sequence. Alternatively, the pallet can be indexed to present each bore to a fixed honing spindle. For connecting rods, big-end and small-end bores require different stone mandrel sizes — the AHL-1000 can accommodate this with a quick-change mandrel system or by running big-end and small-end honing as sequential automated operations within the same cell. Cycle times for automotive connecting rod honing are typically 15–30 seconds per bore with automated load/unload.

The Sunnen AHL-1000 provides standard discrete I/O and fieldbus (PROFIBUS, PROFINET, DeviceNet, or EtherNet/IP) communication interfaces for robot integration. This is compatible with all major 6-axis industrial robot brands including KUKA, FANUC, ABB, Yaskawa (Motoman), and Stäubli. Sunnen does not supply a specific robot as part of the standard machine — the customer selects and installs the robot based on their facility's existing robot standards, reach requirements, and payload needs. Sunnen provides the robot interface specification document and works with the system integrator or customer's automation engineering team to develop the robot program and cell layout.

The AHL-1000's SPC output system exports bore diameter (from in-process PBG gauging), bore roundness (from multi-point gauge measurements at multiple bore depths), and optionally surface finish Ra (from an integrated post-process surface profilometer if installed). Data is exported per-part with date/time stamp and part serial number (if scanned) to a factory MES, SCADA, or standalone SPC software (such as InfinityQS or Minitab) via OPC-UA, Ethernet, or USB. Control charts (Xbar-R, I-MR) for bore diameter show process stability in real time. Out-of-tolerance conditions automatically halt the cell and alert the operator — preventing a systemic bore size shift from producing a batch of scrap parts before detection.

Gehring (Germany) and Nagel (Germany) are the principal European competitors in automated production honing. Gehring specializes in engine cylinder bore honing with their ConturHoning technology and strong OEM automotive relationships in Europe. Nagel offers a broad range of CNC honing machines with strong automotive Tier 1 penetration. Sunnen's AHL-1000 competes primarily on tooling system integration depth (Sunnen supplies both machine and tooling from one source), North American service network, and total cost of ownership. European manufacturers often specify Gehring or Nagel for European plants and Sunnen for North American plants. Asian automotive manufacturers choose based on local service capability — Sunnen has offices in Japan and Korea.