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High Speed Horizontal Machining for Faster Cycle Times

With the inclusion of a lightweight column featuring a rigid stepped X axis rail design, HMC400 from OKK USA achieves a rapid feed rate of 63 m/min (2,480 ipm) with acceleration of 1 G (XYZ).

Posted: March 21, 2014

The HMC400’s built-in rotary table operates with impressive speed. A powerful, high torque and highly rigid 15K Big Plus Spindle allows the machine to reach cutting speeds of 15,000 rpm in a mere 1.7 seconds (with 50 hp), for faster machining of a variety of tough materials, including 1018 steel.

From its rotary table to its powerful spindle, virtually every feature of OKK USA Corporation’s (Glendale Heights, IL) HMC400 Horizontal Machining Center is engineered for speed and faster cycle times.

High-speed machining is nothing new to OKK; the builder already offers the exceptionally quick HM500S. The HMC400, however, performs even 20 percent faster than the HM500S. With the inclusion of a lightweight column featuring a rigid stepped X axis rail design, the HMC400 achieves a rapid feed rate of 63 m per minute (2,480 ipm) with acceleration of 1 G (XYZ).

A demonstration of the capabilities of the HMC400 horizontal machining center.

The built-in rotary table operates with impressive speed. A large bearing in the B axis of the rotary table, and a multi clamp pallet system, ensure rigidity. Further contributing to the high-speed performance are an exceptionally fast automatic pallet changer and an incredibly quick automatic tool changer.

The HMC400 accepts a wide variety of tool sizes, including tools up to 450 mm long. A longer tool allowance means deep boring operations can be completed without rotating the pallet, for additional time savings. A powerful, high torque and highly rigid 15K Big Plus Spindle allows the machine to reach cutting speeds of 15,000 rpm in a mere 1.7 seconds (with 50 hp), for faster machining of a variety of tough materials, including 1018 steel. In fact, this machine is 25 percent faster at rigid tapping than the HM500S with the same cutting condition. The spindle design also improves tool accessibility. The distance from the spindle nose to the pallet center is 50 mm, the shortest distance in its class.

Maintenance was also considered in the time-saving design. The 1,000 psi coolant through spindle unit features a 5 micron bag filter which can be easily replaced without interrupting the cycle. More than 3 times longer life can be achieved compared to conventional line filter systems. What’s more, virtually all maintenance controls and gauges are centrally located on the front of the machine for convenient daily inspection.

Along with time and cost savings, the HMC400 is designed to save space and includes a low profile chip conveyor that requires less space behind the machine.

OKK USA Corporation, 100 Regency Drive, Glendale Heights, IL 60139, 630-924-9000, Fax: 630-924-9010, www.okkcorp.com.