Horizontal Boring Mills Designed and Priced for Job Shops

In Booth S-8109, Fives Giddings & Lewis, LLC (Fond du Lac, WI) goes toe-to-toe in cost competition by introducing a new line of U.S.-built T-bed boring mills with high accuracy and cutting capacity, but designed and priced for job shops. T-bed or travelling column boring mills move the column in the Z-direction and the tables in X. Engineered for flat-floor installation, small footprint and low ceiling clearance, the first models of the machine are configured with a 10,000 kg capacity (22,000 lb), 1,250 mm x 1,400 mm (49.2 in x 55.1 in) contouring rotary table. Optional 1,400 mm x 1,800 mm (55.1 in x 70.9 in) tables are available.

“These job shop boring mills are the heavyweights in their class, designed with beefy cast iron structures, a cross-braced column for torsional stiffness, linear scales, a precision hydrostatic contouring table and 25 kN thrust capacity,” said Jim Vadnais, a product manager at Fives Giddings & Lewis. “We developed these machines to meet specific cost, size, feature and performance targets for job shops while retaining the premium engineering and build quality our larger machines are known for.” The machines are sized to fit the smaller physical plant of most job shops and tool rooms. Low height and flat-floor installation facilitate machine relocation if necessary. An integral table-mounted pan helps contain chips and coolant.

High-end features on the new machines include an electronically counterbalanced Y-axis headstock for superior contouring performance. The sidehung headstock improves visibility and access for the operator. The spindle snout reaches over the table for rigid cutting without extension and with spindle travel extends well beyond center. In addition, the spindle can reach below table top to probe for location on the table or a particular feature. Permanently greased spindle bearings reduce maintenance. The zero-backlash rotary table is powered by two independent motors and pinion drives that are tensioned against each other to compensate for any lost motion.

The new Giddings & Lewis RT 130 and RT 155 boring mills feature 130 mm or 155 mm (5.1 in or 6.1 in) diameter gear-driven spindles available with up to 45 kW (60 hp) and 3,380 Nm (2,493 ft-lb) torque. All spindles are size 50 tool taper and equipped with exclusive spindle thermal growth compensation. Heavy-duty linear ways on these machines utilize roller bearing carriages that ride on hardened and ground guideways. This rigid, low-friction system supports high loads and fast traverse speeds. By eliminating the stick-slip and thermal growth common to box ways, linear ways facilitate better true positioning and contouring accuracy. They also require less lubrication, thus reducing coolant contamination. Standard X-Y-Z axis travels are 2,000 mm, 1,500 mm and 1600 mm (78.7 in, 59.1 in, 63 in) with W-axis spindle travel of 750 mm (29.5 in).

All CNCs for these new machines are equipped with the new Diagnostic Communications System (DCS) from Fives Machining Systems that allows customers to connect with Global Service technicians on a secure system to review active alarms and operator messages, operator and alarm histories, control parameter settings, PLC programs and the state of devices such as solenoids, switches and encoders. According to Fives, 30 percent to 40 percent of stoppages can be overcome immediately this way without waiting for a service call.

Also making its debut will be the V 800 vertical turning center, part of the new V Series line of lathes that includes six table sizes from 800 mm to 2,500 mm that are designed specifically for shops seeking a dependable, multi-purpose lathe for pumps, valves, gears, bearings, compressors, wheel hubs, jet engine housings and more. With high metal removal rates and high precision, V Series lathes offer unmatched standard features and superior value. All V series machines incorporate a hydrostatic ram to maximize rigidity for heavy, chatter-free cutting and improved part finish. The hydrostatic wear-free guides require less maintenance. The infinitely adjustable cross rail is a programmable positioning axis that is able to handle a wide range of parts and minimize ram extension. Dual scale feedback delivers precision and ensures parallelism, while hydraulic cylinder elevation adds secure 1,000 kN (225,000 lb) of mechanical clamping force per side. No other vertical turning center offers these high-value features standard.

“The V Series is engineered to be flexible, reliable and affordable in response to feedback from our job shop customers,” noted Brad Nelson, the V Series product manager at Fives Giddings & Lewis. “All models have a compact footprint and there is no requirement for special foundations, so the machine can be easily relocated, if necessary. We encourage customers to compare the capabilities and value of the V Series and we’re confident these new machines will impress.” The VLock tooling system provides a stiff interface for modular tooling adaptors, long cutting tools and the optional heavy-duty right angle milling attachment. “Modular turning tools more than double the taper stiffness at loads up to 1,800 Nm,” added Nelson. “Standard modular tools offer significant savings over proprietary vertical lathe tooling offered on most vertical lathes. Modular tools are also lighter, easier and safer to handle, requiring less time to maintain.”

Through-the-tool coolant and 8 bar (116 psi) flood coolant are standard, as is a 12-position tool storage disk. Options include 70 bar (1,015 psi) high-pressure coolant and an 18-tool storage disk. Other options include tool and part probes to increase utilization and ensure part quality, and enclosures from standard to fully enclosed. The V Series is designed and built at the plant in Fond du Lac and stays true to Giddings & Lewis design traditions, with solid cast iron base construction and versatility offered by optional live spindle attachments and a C-axis table. “By adding the V Series to our existing VTC Series of vertical turning centers and starting with 800 mm tables, with swings up to 9 m we are positioned to offer shops the broadest and best range of turning solutions,” added Kevin Lichtenberg, the president of Fives Giddings & Lewis.

Fives Giddings & Lewis, LLC, 142 Doty Street, Fond du Lac, WI 54935, 920-921-9400, Fax: 920-906-2522, metal-cutting-composites.fivesgroup.com/en.