UST: News

We continue a series of special reports from SkyWay Technologies Co., in which the Company's employees speak about the development of rolling stock for Unitsky String Transport.

Today the Head of the special design-technological Bureau with pilot production facilities Alexander Sinkevich introduces the machine for production of tooling to the viewers. It is a machine for precise milling of model rigging for subsequent manufacture of bodywork parts made of composite materials.

Translation of the video:

Alexander Sinkevich: Right behind us we have another five-axis coordinate machine produced in the Czech Republic. We use it basically for precise milling of the model rigging to further production of carriage body elements made of composite materials. We have selected the machine with the working table of maximum surface size. It is 4 m long, 2.7 m wide and the vertical axis is above 1 m. It is a zone or a volume of parts possible for processing. When our project engineers are designing a vehicle, naturally, it has bodywork panels. Both exterior and interior. They have complex shape and configuration, quite large dimensions. Even at the designing stage, the project engineer should know the size of blank pieces that we can mill so that to divide geometrical shapes on needed elements. On optimal elements of optimal configuration. Now we shall see what's going to happen here. I know that they are milling glass fiber blocks into parts for batteries, some sort of insulators. I can't tell you exactly, you will see it yourselves. It is very convenient for the operator to watch and control the process. There is an efficient system of dust removal in it. We have designed it for this machine. A large cyclone collector for dust and waste is outside. In addition, we have built a special protection chamber, because when this machine processes model rigging, a lot of dust is produced. That's why we insulated it not to disturb other production cycles. Here behind us we have an example of model rigging I spoke about. This is a part of an exterior panel for a high-speed vehicle after processing it in the machine. You see, how complex the shape and configuration are. This is an element, on which an article will be glued. This is the negative from the article we want to obtain. After the machine it will get to our prototyping section where it will be additionally prepared.

M.K.: And we shall get an absolute positive.

A.S.: We shall obtain a very positive article that will be glued up and made of glass fiber with resins and hardeners. We shall get an element of the carriage body. And the blank part looks like this. We use MDF panels (medium density fiberboard) that make up...

M.K.: Roughly speaking, dust compressed together with glue.

A.S.: In general, yes, because this is called disposable rigging. This technology is perfect for prototyping when we need only 1, 2, 3, maximum 5-10 articles to be taken from this form. These are not long-term forms, but they allow to get bodywork elements at low cost and relatively quickly. When we pass the whole complex of perfection, development and testing of a vehicle and determine finally its shape (perhaps, something should be changed), when we approach the stage of commercial production or preparation to it, the technologies and the rigging will be different. More durable and, naturally, more expensive elements.

M.K.: As I see, we do not spend money for nothing.

A.S.: We do not spend money for nothing, because we apply technologies worked out and checked for years by our staff in other projects. They allow to solve these tasks quickly and efficiently. The objectives we are facing as a pilot production facility.