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Company Serves High-Profile
Industrial Engine OEMs And Users
Kams, Inc., Specializes in Manufacturing, Re-Manufacturing
and Re-Engineering Camshafts and Followers
By Russ Burget
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All work stations in the Kams
metal cutting deparment are connected
by a networked SPC (Statistical
Process Control) system to assure
high quality output.
single part number production camshaft.
Horton takes great pride in the company's ongoing R&D
program, which is directed at finding camshaft solutions to
engine- or customer-specific
performance problems. Many engines today are required to
perform at efficiency and emission levels for which they were
not originally designed. The camshaft becomes a focal point on
any effort related to performance improvement because it
is the engine's mechanical "brain." Kams
develops a modified camshaft design by first gaining a
thorough understanding of the current engine operating
conditions and performance and the desired operating
conditions and performance.
Horton notes, "Most of the modifications for the
natural gas industry have to do with improved mixing of
gas, intake air charges and increased intake air velocity
to promote a more complete burn of fuel. These changes are
intended and have resulted in lower NOx emissions
and improved fuel economy, a combination many customers
consider mutually exclusive."
When Kams offers to provide a re-engineered camshaft,
the offer comes with a straight-forward guarantee: if the
re-engineered camshaft fails to provide the improved
performance agreed upon, the company will replace it with
an exact duplicate of the original at no cost to the
customer.
Kams actively provides camshaft education, too. Classes
are held for up to 30 attendees in an on-site classroom.
Subject matter includes camshaft nomenclature, evolution
of camshaft design techniques and modern camshaft design
and materials. "Cam Technology Day" is provided
for individual companies, at which that company's engine
types are used as classroom examples.
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Over the years, Kams has earned a reputation as a
leader in its field and the trust of some of America's
largest makers and users of industrial reciprocating
engines. Included in a base of 1000 customers are
companies such as Cummins Engine, Cooper Energy Services
and General Electric. Kams was selected by Cummins
to produce the camshaft for its latest diesel engine.
G.E. employs Kams to do finish grinding on the cam
segments used for one of its low-emissions locomotive
applications. Soon the company will celebrate its
30th anniversary.
Kams serves customers in many industries: natural gas
transmission and distribution, automotive, electrical
generation, marine propulsion, railroad, and the U.S.
Military. In addition to its domestic markets, Kams is
working with companies in Canada, South America, the
Middle East and Australia.
Jeff Horton now runs the company his
father Bob founded
in 1970. The
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high productivity he achieves is attributable
to combining the
talents of 20 skilled machinists with
sophisticated CNC (computer numerical control) production
and inspection equipment. Last year alone Horton added
more than $2 million worth of new machinery. "These
machines," he said, "have already broadened
production capabilities to support growing customer
requirements." One example of the improved production
is a recently added machine that has reduced milling cycle
time from 6.5 minutes to 22 seconds for a single lobe.
"The centerpiece of our most recent machine
acquisitions is a Landis 3L, CNC camshaft grinder that was
custom configured for our diverse requirements. It took
Landis over a year and a half to manufacture this
machine," he said. It is fitted with two spindles.
The main spindle is for a 16 in. (406 mm) diameter CBN
(cubic boron nitride) abrasive wheel. A swing-down spindle
is for a 10 in.
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(254 mm) diameter CBN wheel used to
produce negative radius curvatures. This machine can
accommodate the growing need for cam profiles
that can lower emissions, reduce fuel consumption and maintain or
increase engine performance.
Sophisticated equipment is also used to measure and
certify that required specifications have been met.
Measurement capabilities include a networked SPC
(Statistical Process Control) at each work station, an 80
in. x 48 in. x 40 in. (203 cm x 122 cm x 102 cm) CNC
coordinate measuring machine with 3-D capability, and a
specialized cam measurement machine that measures accuracy
to one ten-millionth of an inch and radial accuracy to one
arc second.
Kams' production envelope can accommodate lengths from
1 to 40 ft. (30.5 cm to 12.19 m) and lobe and main journal
diameters up to 15 in. (381 mm). Production quantities
range from a single specialty piece to 100 per day of a
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