Power and Performance Speed up the Machining Process
Faster machining centers and processes decrease overall production time, enabling your shop to gain improved market responsiveness.
Posted: August 22, 2024
Machining center systems encompass multifunction turning centers, horizontal machining centers, as well as others, as well as advanced controllers to optimize motion control, all of which support flexible machining operations. Implement these advanced machining strategies within your shop to maximize precision and accuracy, as well as your output.
Speed up Your Machining Process with Jaw Nuts that Decrease Change Time by 50%
Fast-Trac Jaw Nuts from Dillon Manufacturing (Springfield, OH) allow users to change jaws in half the time, according to customers who have made the switch. This proven system allows users to preassemble the jaws required for the next operation while the machine is running a separate job, thus minimizing jaw change time while maximizing productivity and profitability. In addition to saving on labor costs, quick change capability allows more components to be machined per shift. Better utilization of machine time enhances efficiency, bolsters the productivity per square foot of manufacturing space, and generates more profit. It is ideal for facilities of all sizes and capabilities.
Dillon Jaw Nuts, T-nuts, and keys are available to fit all popular power chucks from 6” in diameter to 24” in diameter including Forkhardt, Gamet, Howa, Kitigawa, Matsumoto (MMK), Nikko, Pratt Burnerd, Rohm, Samchully, Schuck, SMW, SMW-Autoblok, and more. Standard sizes are stocked for immediate shipment. They are ideal for workholding applications requiring durability and high strength such as high-speed machining.
New Medical Machining and Fabricating Manufacturing Services
For over 55 years, Guill Tool & Engineering (West Warwick, RI) has been providing tooling for the aerospace, extrusion, medical, consumer and commercial, defense, wind, oil and energy industries. Due to its years of experience, the company has a highly skilled team of expert machinists and engineers trained in the latest CAD, CAM, CFD and FEA programs. Besides being experts in extrusion tooling, Guill is a major industrial manufacturer who can provide customers with one-stop shopping for their tooling and other select machine shop needs.
The Guill high quality standards are evidenced by the company’s many certifications, including ISO 9001:2015. Defense certifications include AS9100:2016 (aerospace manufacturing), MIL-I-45208A (inspection system), MIL-STD-45662A (calibration system), JCP Certified (government contracting), ITAR Registered (export compliant), NIST SP800-171 (cyber security) and others.
As part of this new medical machining program, Guill offers 5-axis machining centers, high precision machining, and full wire EDM capabilities with a .008” hole popper. Guill machines super alloys and exotic metals to close tolerances.
Guill CNC milling machines offer resources needed to successfully fulfill the most challenging parts and tooling to keep equipment running efficiently and precisely. The precision of CNC turning is offered for quicker production that meets rigorous standards, regardless of the complexity of the parts. Guill multi-axis machines can produce a variety of sizes, complex engineering and geometric intricacies. Prototype machining and rapid manufacturing enable engineering to develop and innovate solutions with the ability to respond to and modify parts. Super alloys and other materials are offered to benefit customers who need new solutions to remain competitive. Finally, wire EDM eliminates the force put on part surfaces. This protects intricate and fragile tooling, as well as providing higher tolerances and accuracy plus superior surface finishes.
Machining capabilities range from small hole machining, .008” in diameter, to machining material measuring up to 15” in all axes.
High-productivity Horizontal Machining Center Offers Power and Performance
Mazak Corp.’s (Florence, KY) next-generation HCN-5000 NEO Horizontal Machining Center provides the high-performance productivity and versatile options to produce large, heavy parts from virtually any type of material. Its highly rigid construction and compensation ensure extended periods of precise machining.
Redesigned for greater efficiency and sustainable high output, the HCN-5000 NEO features a standard NC rotary table for reduced non-cut time. An optional direct-drive motor rotary table with scale increases high-speed operation efficiency. Additional options include high-rigidity spindles for heavy-duty machining, multiple tool magazine sizes for greater capacity and automation systems for unattended operations. The machine helps shops boost output and precision while its enhanced energy efficiency improves environmental performance, and its three-point leveling bed simplifies machine installation.
The HCN-5000 NEO provides a spacious work envelope and 19.69″ (500 mm) standard pallet size to accommodate parts up to 31.5″-x-39.37″ (800 mm-x-1,000 mm). Its fast rapid traverse speed and rigid, reliable spindles support high-output production, and its low ground-to-pallet-surface design enhances accessibility for easy setup, with 90° setup station indexing for easy workpiece loading and unloading.
A wide variety of high-speed and high-torque integral motor/spindle types ensures that shops can match spindle performance to specific materials, including everything from steels to nonferrous metals. The machine’s ample axis travels measure 28.74″ in both X and Y and 31.5″ in Z (730 mm-x-730 mm-x-800 mm).
For machining stability, an optional high-accuracy non-contact NC4 system measures tool lengths and detects breakage in small-diameter tools at production speed. An optional OTS 3D touch trigger tool setter handles tools down to 0.04″ (1 mm) diameter, with optical signal transmission for easy operation without limiting machine movement. To keep its high-performance spindles in the cut and supplied with tools, the HCN-5000 NEO’s standard 40-tool capacity accommodates tool lengths up 20.08″ (510 mm), diameters to 3.74″ (95 mm) and weights up to 26.46 lbs. (12 kg). For shops that need more tools, Mazak offers 60-, 80-, 120-, 160-, 180-, 240- and 348-tool capacity options for the machine. Quick coolant stop retains coolant inside the magazine area to prevent coolant leaks during tool exchange.
Driven by a roller gear cam, the machine’s B-axis handles parts weighing up to 1,543 lbs. (700 kg). With four-cone clamping, part pallets are secured with 16,456 ft-lbs. (22,311.34 kg) of force for stability and security in high metal removal operations. Optional hydraulic fixtures enhance productivity with multiple ports and pneumatic sealing detection to provide greater load/unload efficiency and the ability to connect workpiece transfer units, including robots.
For overall process optimization, the MAZATROL SmoothG CNC control on the HCN-5000 NEO makes it easy to generate programs for complex parts. The control incorporates a wide variety of advanced programming functions that offer complete ease of use and ensure high-speed, high-accuracy machining performance.
The HCN-5000 NEO includes a standard two-pallet changer. Mazak’s optional PALLETECH and Multi-Pallet Pool compact multiple pallet stocker system automation systems also integrate easily with the machine for longer periods of unattended production.
Horizontal Turning Center Available Through Rental Program
Romi BW Machine Tools Ltd.’s (Erlanger, KY) New Generation Romi GL 250 horizontal turning center is now available through the ROMI MAAS machine tool rental program. Rental options range from 24-to-48 months with up to 300 hours of monthly run time. The new program allows customers to take full advantage of Romi’s machine tool technology without the capital outlay necessary with a purchase.
The GL 250 is equipped with thermal compensation sensors to maintain stable, dimensional results even during long working periods. The use of sensors provides accurate, real-time compensation as opposed to compensation based on pre-defined algorithms. The result is more accurate machining over extended periods of time when the machine temperature increases.
The GL 250 has a maximum cutting diameter of 11″ (282 mm), and a Z travel of 23.6″ (600 mm). The new machine is designed for medium- to high-production environments. It notably features high power, torque, and feed force, and Romi’s trademark rigidity and precision attributed to the robust “Romi-made” monoblock base.
The New Generation turning center is constructed with durable roller ways on all axes to produce high rigidity. A built-in spindle motor with a chiller incorporated and direct drive servo-motors results in high response speed, accuracy, less vibration, and lower maintenance requirements. Chilling the motor increases life expectancy and produces less thermal expansion.
The tailstock is programmable, and servo driven. Position, speed, and force are determined directly via the FANUC controller, which reduces setup time. The GL 250 comes with a 12-station turret for fixed tools with a Romi disk, driven tools with a VDI or BMT disk, driven tools with Y-axis, or dual spindle with driven tools and Y-axis.
The CNC control features a FANUC Oi-TF with a 15″ LCD touchscreen or a FANUC 32iB with a 19″ LCD touchscreen for dual spindle version machines. It is the newest generation of FANUC’s Series iHMI. The control is designed to produce faster, more accurate performance for turning applications with separate areas on the main screen for planning, machining, improvements and utilities. Functions are accessible with just two clicks. It comes standard with an ethernet interface, a compact flash card and USB ports.
Romi’s GL Series turning centers are all produced in its state-of-the-art facilities that maintain various safety and quality certifications, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, IATF 16949, and CE.
Controller Optimizes Motion Control and Features Open Operating Concept
Sinumerik MC is an ideal control for various fabrication machines — especially metal forming
and additive machines, among others, as well as machines with individual user interfaces.
Siemens’ Sinumerik MC controller is a universal, open, industrial PC-based CNC system. Its optimized motion control, high-performance automation and integrated Windows® 10 operating system make it an ideal control for fabrication and specialty machines, including woodworking, stone cutting, laser and even conventional basic grinding machines. With an open operating concept, this new control system is also suitable for certain additive manufacturing, metal forming, adhesive applications, plate cutting, grinding and laser or waterjet cutting.
The operating system provides easy integration of customized software for these machines. The open operating concept and the extensive range of interfaces make it a universal, open control, which can be easily utilized in existing fabrication machine solutions. Sinumerik Motion Control (MC) is optimally equipped with the latest generation of the proven Sinumerik numerical control (NC) kernel to meet the demands of the fabrication industry.
It facilitates motion control with maximum accuracy and — thanks to G-code programming — offers the freedom and flexibility in machine control. The integrated Simatic S7-1500F PLC increases the speed of response which, in turn, improves the automation performance. Sinumerik MC offers Safety Integrated as the Siemens industry standard for safety and implements the multi-layer Defense-in-Depth-Concept for IT-Security.
Sinumerik MC can be engineered in the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal, which provides a highly efficient engineering environment. This opens up new engineering opportunities for machine builders. Conventional PLC languages and high-level language programming are available in the TIA Portal to create automation programs for the control system. This is assisted by fast and simple commissioning offered by Sinumerik Operate, the graphical user interface of the Siemens CNC system.
Sinumerik MC is the ideal CNC controller for fabrication machines that require an individual
user interface and powerful motion control.
Multifunction Turning Center Performs Full Range of Operations
The Tsugami TMA8F MultifunctionTurning Center is the ultimate machining solution. The TMA8F, available through Tsugami America (Windson, CT), is a 6-axis turn/mill equipped that can perform full 5-axis simultaneous machining to machine complex parts complete in a compact, flexible machine tool. You can take the most complex part and perform a full range of operations: CNC milling, drilling, tapping, compound angle work, turning, boring, and threading in a single set up.
The TMA8F features a 60 position (CAPTO C4 Standard) tool magazine with a tool-to-tool speed of 0.8 sec. A magazine door is located on the front of the machine so that operator can easily change and monitor tools. The unique 90° indexable tool spindle can reduce the number of tools and reduce tool change time by using a multi turning holder with four turning tools or can turn back and front faces with the same tool.
This turn/mill center delivers higher precision with high-end components as standard like glass scales on X/Y/Z axes, standard touch setter, parts catcher, and C-axis capability in a powerful yet compact machine tool. The possibilities are endless; the 8” chuck allows for machining of large diameter parts while a quick change collet system can be adapted for up to 2.5” bar work through the spindle.
Tsugami America has been the exclusive North American importer of Precision Tsugami machine tools since 1978. Tsugami America also provides top of the line application engineering, service and customer training.
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