CNC Machines information CNC Articles Machine Tools CNC Software Articles

Hardinge Machine Tools has launched a 42mm-capacity, super-precision turning centre that achieves high-accuracy (nano) production for the medical, aerospace and defence industries and more.
The T-42 turning centre will be launched at IMTS in Chicago and is able to achieve roundness values of 0.25 microns while maintaining overall accuracies within three microns.
The T-42 will be pre-configured for customer requirements to create a dedicated high-precision turning platform able to produce demanding, multi-featured components.
The machine’s modular construction means it can be supplied as a two-axis version with tailstock up to a multi-axis variant with C- and Y-axis and up to 16 live tool turret positions, sub-spindle and automatic offload.
Each version is controlled by Fanuc 31i.
Critical in achieving the level of accuracy within three microns, 0.25 micron in roundness, axis repeatability of 0.76 micron and surface finish within 0.15 micro metres is the strategically rubbed, 45-deg true slant cast iron base.
This is purpose-designed to maintain a precision machining cycle and its reinforcement with Hardinge’s Harcrete polymer composite enhances its vibration-damping ability and higher surface finish capability.
Mounted on the bed is Hardinge’s specialist BMT-45 turret top plate, which carries the 16-station, all-driven bi-directional turret.
The machine has the added versatility of half-indexing positions that capitalise on a range of Hardinge-developed toolholders, which can double the fixed and driven tool carrying count to 32.
In addition, while standard rotary tool speeds are 8,000rev/min from a 3.7kW motor delivering 33Nm of torque via a belt drive to accommodate ultra-small tools and the use of CBN or diamond cutters, ratio upgrades can increase rotational speeds to 16,000rev/min.
Turret index time (clamp to clamp) is within 1sec, and 80 bar high-pressure through-coolant supply is available.
The Hardinge BMT-45 toolholding system has a run-out within three micron.
Hardinge said an advantage is its development of an independent Y-axis with some 84mm of travel and providing ultra-fine adjustment.
This enables pinpoint tool alignment and machining consistency with lower offset error when compared with a conventional machine’s ‘wedge’ design.
The inclusion of the Hardinge collet-ready spindle technology optimises the relative positioning of the cutting tool close to the spindle bearings.
Both main and sub-spindles have the benefit of fast acceleration and deceleration through wraparound high-voltage motors with both having identical 11kW, 101Nm of torque delivering 6,000rev/min with 150mm chuck or 42mm bar capacity.
A bespoke sub-spindle component retrieval system is able to remove the most delicate high-precision component without scratching or marking.
The part gripper has special nylon inserts that can be machined for ’soft’ removal and placement on the part conveyor integrated into the machine.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

Plasma Technologies, a leader in CNC plasma systems integration is pleased to announce a low-cost high-value retrofit kit for Cybermation and Lockformer plasma cutting machines. The retrofit is an ideal solution for HVAC shops that have a failing Cybermation or Lockfomer system and don’t want to purchase a new machine.

The kit includes everything necessary to replace all the old electronics with brand new motors and controls. A Hypertherm Automation Edge Ti is at the heart of the system. This controller features a 15″ color touch screen with a single station operator’s console and built in servo amplifiers. The Edge Ti with its compact size and easy to use software is ideal for sheet metal applications. Also included in the package is MTC software’s Design2Fab and Turbo Nest programs, which give customers the necessary tools to easily create complete duct-fitting layouts while reducing the scrap generated. The software package includes a complete library of shapes and generates flat pattern sheet metal layouts and all necessary labels.

http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/558856

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

Star Micronics will introduce its Star ST-38 sliding-head mill-turn centres - suitable for the electronics, aerospace and medical sectors - at Mach 2010.
One of five Star multi-axis CNC lathes on show, it will take centre-stage on a stand that, at 350m2, is Star’s largest ever.
Star will host an impressive array of partner companies and their products.
All are designed to extract maximum benefit and productivity from sliding-headstock lathes.
Equipment on display will include LNS bar feeders and Star’s Agency range of FMB bar magazines; high-pressure coolant systems from Pumps and Equipment; Filtermist oil-mist collection and filtration; Nobel fire suppression; PSL Datatrack production-management software; cutting tools from WNT and NTK; and two agency lines from Emmaco UK, namely IBAG high-speed spindles and Argotech acoustic and power-monitoring systems.
In addition, manufactured parts can be inspected on a Hommel Opticline non-contact measuring system from Metrology Direct.
Demonstrations running on all five Star machines will show their full capabilities in conjunction with the above equipment.
In addition to the new ST-38 fitted with an FMB Turbo 5-55 bar magazine, there will be a 10mm capacity SR-10J equipped with an FMB Micromag and three 20mm capacity lathes.
There will also be an SR-20RIII with LNS 5-42 3m magazine, ECAS-20T plus FMB Turbo 3-36, and the SR-20JN without guide bush fed from an LNS short bar magazine.
Although sliding-head lathes above 32mm capacity are available on the market, it is very rare to find one in use in the UK because, until now, the mainstream players have not offered one.
The new lathe has 12 CNC axes shared between two C-axis spindles and three live turrets for one-hit machining of highly complex components.
X- and Z-axis rapid feeds are 30m/min, resulting in short idle times.
A three-axis and a two-axis turret can perform combinations of turning and prismatic machining concurrently on round or hexagonal bar rotating at up to 7,000rev/min in the main, 11kW spindle.
Another two-axis turret is devoted to simultaneous back-working on a parted-off component in the 7.5kW/7,000rev/min counter spindle.
Each turret has 10 tool stations driven by a 4kW/5,700rev/min motor for carrying out prismatic cross-working and end-working operations.
As each station can accept two tools, a total of 60 cutters can be resident in the machine for almost limitless metal-cutting flexibility.
Despite its suitability for machining complex components in small batches, the ST-38 remains faithful to the origins of sliding-headstock technology, as it can produce simpler parts economically in high volumes.
To this end, idle times are further reduced by Star’s motion-control system, in which programming is carried out off-line for relatively simple turning operations, resulting in high-speed cycles on the machine.
Conventional computer numerical control is provided by a standard Fanuc 30i-A CNC system.
It is used for more complex operations, programming being in ISO either remotely or at the machine.
For parts involving a combination of simple and complex operations, the complete cycle can be made up from both motion-control programming and traditional ISO format.
ST-38 is a strong, robust machine weighing well over six tonnes.
It has 350mm of headstock stroke in Z, allowing parts up to this length to be produced in one chucking.
The other 11 CNC machining axes are C on the main spindle; Y, Z and C on the synchronous sub-spindle; X and Y on both the left and right rear turrets; and X, Y and Z on the front turret.
Standard equipment is comprehensive, extending to a coolant chiller, broken-tool detection, air purge on the counter spindle, centralised lubrication, absolute position detection, component ejection monitoring and a parts conveyor.
The machine can be retrofitted with a chip conveyor if this option is not selected at the outset.
High-pressure coolant systems rated from 50 to 250 bar are also available.
They are invaluable for breaking up and removing stringy swarf, such as that produced when stainless steel is machined.
HPC also allows deep-hole drilling in the main and counter spindles to a maximum depth of 120mm.
Many of the tool-holders used on Star’s 32mm-capacity sliding-head lathes - ECAS-32T, SV-32 and KNC-32 - are compatible with the ST-38.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

The Maxima machine-tool range features exceptional build quality and competitive pricing and has many technical advantages over the more conventional multi-axis CNC lathes.
Developed to provide a cost-effective solution to repetitive operations, the Maxima series has 19 tool positions and seven axes.

The Maxima range complements the lower specification and more cost-effective Optima range for less complex parts.
The Maxima offers a three-axis upper slide with a maximum of eight fixed tools or a combination of four fixed tools and three driven tools.
This solution combines with a two-axis turret to enable two tools to simultaneously work on a component in the main spindle.
Adding to this innovation, the Maxima range has a turret at the middle of the work envelope that offers four driven tool positions, one of which is used for the pick-off spindle.
To enhance productivity, the turret is bi-directional via the shortest route.
This shaves vital seconds off production cycles and demonstrates the consideration Unamuno has paid to all aspects of the Maxima range to optimise production times.
The sub-spindle operates simultaneously with the main spindle to allow three tools to work at once - further slashing production times.
The motorised pick-off spindle in the turret holds the machined part and is synchronised with the main spindle.
Once the pick-off spindle collects the part from the main spindle, the component is then machined with the four-tool second-operation station that is mounted at the opposite end of the machine bed from the main spindle.
To further enhance productivity, the back working stations are available with live tooling configurations.
The Maxima range is available in 36, 42, 60 and 65mm-diameter capacity ranges.
This enables Leader CNC to offer customers highly productive turning solutions across a broad spectrum of diameters.
The Maxima 36 has the diversity and accuracy to accommodate small components while the Maxima 65 meets the demands of end users that require extremely rigid and robust turning centres that deliver productivity and capability second to none.
The range of turning centres is equipped with drill-breakage detection, pick-off component-expulsion detection and tool-life monitoring for lights-out production.
The ability to produce large batches on a lights-out basis is enhanced by a magazine barfeed that reduces the need for operator intervention.
The build quality of the Unamuno Maxima range is guaranteed with all axes, using high-speed servo motors and precision ball screws with absolute encoder positioning.
The powerful motor spindles from 7.5 to 15.5kW dependent upon machine size have high-speed acceleration and optional C-axis positioning, or full C-axis interpolation with the upper slide for complex machining.
With a focus on ease of use, Unamuno has developed a customer-friendly touch-screen control.
Suited for users accustomed to ISO programming, the Mitsubishi CNC control ensures that no specialised programming knowledge is needed, as the system uses intuitive programming techniques to program even the most complex of parts.
This ease of use is combined with high-performance features such as nano-control technology for ultra high-quality and precision machining.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

IMT has introduced the Procast range of large vertical turning machines at the Milan EMO exhibition.
Models in the range include machines capable of turning 6m-diameter parts that weigh up to 100 tons.
IMT manufactures a complete series of machines - ranging from small machines used for the production of pistons to the large ones used for the production of enormous turbines.
IMT manufactures several ranges of vertical turning lathes - the VBM Procast Line of machines being the largest.
These machines range from a turning capacity of 2.5m up to the largest model that will accept parts up to 6m in diameter.
This machine has a maximum turning height of 4m, with a spindle power rating of 150kW of constant power.
To handle the extremes of power and weight, the machine’s double central column and mobile cross rail are reinforced to ensure maximum rigidity and eliminate torsion bending and vibrations, even when the machine is running at full power.
An optional vertical and/or right-angled 37kW milling head is available to allow for high-capacity milling operations.
Procast lathes may also be equipped with an optional grinding spindle.
Tool changing is performed using single or multiple rotary-disc or horizontal or vertical chain-type tool loaders, and part loading via palletisers is also possible.
The IMT lathes may also be specified with twin vertical slides.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

Tornos has reported that its MultiAlpha 8×20 range of multi-spindle automatic turning machines are being used by Stryker to improve the production of medical parts.

Motorex high-performance machining fluids are being used on the machinery.

In its Stryker Spine plant in Switzerland, high-tech products such as implants and poly-axial screws are produced for spinal surgery purposes.

The production of complex components is renowned for needing several separate machining steps, which often involves using different machines that require multiple fixture settings.

Throughput time lengthens and the repeatability of precision levels starts to diminish, making the manufacture of components for the medical technology sector more expensive, since these are very niche products.

Stryker Spine is using the MultiAlpha 8×20 from Tornos for repeatability, precision and speed.

The MultiAlpha has eight motor-spindles capable of operating at different speeds, and this was customised to include a combined tailstock machining facility, two programmable manipulators and in integral workpiece extraction unit.

Tornos said the MultiAlpha 8×20 provides optimum cutting values in every machining situation and has a blocking and positioning fixture on every spindle.

This provides Stryker with a high level of productivity and flexibility.

With scope for implementing a diverse range of tools and a universal programming system, Stryker said it is confident that it has the most efficient machine tool partner for its facility.

Every year, Stryker Spine processes tons of titanium alloy (soft), stainless steel (tough) and chrome-cobalt (extremely tough).

These materials could not be more different from one another.

The same is true of the machining steps involved, with all operations - from turning to milling - always performed at the optimal cutting speed.

This application profile imposes extreme demands on the machine tool and cutting oil.

In particular, the fast dissipation of heat and the cooling action of the cooling system integrated in the oil circuit are key factors in the process of maintaining dimensional integrity.

At Stryker Spine, work is carried out to the nearest micron.

Demonstrating this accuracy achieved by the Tornos MultiAlpha 8X20, only a 1C change in the temperature of the cutting oil would have an impact on the dimensional integrity of the workpiece.

This means that the front doors of the machine should only ever be opened in genuine emergency situations.

In particular, it is on the MultiAlpha 8×20 that the true benefits of the Motorex Ortho NF-X formulation can be seen.

The heat between workpiece and tool tip resulting from the high cutting pressure and the optimum cutting speed is utilised to enhance high-pressure stability.

This is of particular benefit during machining operations.

The homogeneous and stable film of lubricant between tool blade and workpiece acts as a protective cushion.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

Gibbs Gears Precision Engineers produces around 200,000 of its gears at its Stoke Mandeville subcontract and development machine shop on a Citizen M32-V CNC sliding-head mill-turn centre.

These gears are produced in single-cycle operations involving turning and gear hobbing, with certain gears also requiring the additional milling of drive hexagons.

On the back of the Citizen installation, Gibbs Gears was able to secure a contract that resulted in the retention of gear production in the UK and reversed plans by the customer to source these volume parts offshore and, as a result, close its UK gear machining facility.

‘When we originally found out the customer was possibly closing its UK operation for gear machining, we made an approach and, with the help of Citizen Machinery UK, quoted against its targeted overseas suppliers for the range of 30 fine-pitch spur gears between 5mm-diameter 0.3 module and 18mm 0.8 module,’ said Reece Garrod, managing director.

During the negotiations, technical director David Worthington approached the supplier of sliding-head machines and had sample components produced.

Due to the locality of Citizen Machinery UK at nearby Watford, he ordered the Citizen M32-V.

Worthington said: ‘Although the machine was over capacity with its 32mm bar size for our immediate needs, when the largest gear we were quoting for was being produced from 18mm material, the machine guaranteed the additional rigidity for heavier and greater consistency for hobbing teeth without vibration.

‘It also gave us the added flexibility to produce further subcontract components when needed,’ he added.

The type of contract that Gibbs Gears is now servicing tends to be more demanding and margins are being squeezed, especially in the early days of projects, but, according to Garrod, the use of technology such as the Citizen gives added flexibility for change and the development of processes that help to boost productivity and performance.

Gibbs Gears has invested approximately GBP600,000 over the last 18 months, with CNC replacing a considerable number of manual gear cutting machines.

The business is also said to be reaping success in subcontract machining involving five-axis turning and milling, for which it has now added the capability to produce very complex 32mm turned part machining on the 13-axis Citizen M32-V.

This machine is able to carry up to 72 tools and cut with three tools simultaneously, which reduces cycle times.

Worthington describes the Citizen as the perfect example of automating the gear cutting process.

Previously, the customer’s in-house machine shop produced the 30 spur gear types on a CNC lathe followed by autoloaded hobbing cycles.

He said: ‘With the Citizen, we go from bar, perform perfectly balanced turning and milling as required, then rough and finish hob the teeth.

‘The parts, produced in batch sizes of between 250 and 5,000, pass seamlessly from main to subspindle and into the collection tray in cycle times of between 60 and 90 seconds depending on size.

‘The only time we have to do any further work is if we have to broach splines or keyways, meet very special process requirements such as heat treatment, grinding or special surface finishing,’ added Worthington.

Most gears are made from EN34 steels.

However, to meet the latest medical contract, component parts are also turned and hobbed out of stainless steel.

Production control and setters work together to group parts into material types and, while bar sizes tend to be 10mm, 13mm and 18mm, to further reduce lead times and speed changeovers investigations are under way to standardise on one material size and use the rigidity and twin-tool turning capability of the Citizen to quickly size the part.

The Class 8 spur gears range from 6mm in diameter by 39mm in length with a 2mm bore and 0.3 module gear teeth to 18mm in diameter by 19mm in height with an 8mm bore size and 0.8 module.

Using carbide hobs, cutting speed trials have been performed to strike an economic balance between floor-to-floor time and effective tool life.

In developing the process, Citizen Machinery UK’s application engineers used the machine’s synchronised hobbing software to provide the flexibility to experiment with the number of passes and feeds and speeds to not only minimise cycle time, but to obtain the level of quality in surface finish on the tooth form to meet the classification required.

As a result, it was found to be significantly quicker to rough and finish the gear than hob the teeth in a single pass.

By roughing using two passes at 1,100rev/min and 0.09mm/rev feed rate, the gear is finish hobbed with the same tool at 3,000rev/min and 0.02mm/rev feed.

Within the machine software, the hob is automatically returned to the start position, which means that it provides the flexibility to action the roughing and finishing operations at the most cost-effective and practical point in the overall machining cycle.

Speeds and feeds can also be independently selected to obtain the desired cycle time or surface finish and are not locked into set mechanical ratios between hob and spindle rotation.

Through a macro, Citizen Machinery UK was also able to introduce to the program a hob shift via one of the two Y axes of the machine.

This enabled the cutter to be automatically moved a distance of one tooth pitch following the processing of five gears.

Not only does this ensure even wear and effective control over the tool, but it also helps to maintain a consistent tooth form without burrs.

Around 2,000 parts are produced per hob before it is reground or replaced.

A further advantage from the Citizen software on the M32 is hob phase, which allows features such as the milling of the drive hexagon on one type of gear shaft to be synchronised and aligned to a particular gear tooth or another key element of a component.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

Corus Northern Engineering Services has built and installed a 19m long machine to grind the outside diameter of seamless pipes up to 1200mm diameter and up to 15 tonnes.

Corus Northern Engineering Services (CNES) has built and installed a large grinding machine for Wyman-Gordon.

The Livingstone, Scotland-based company manufactures seamless pipes for the offshore oil, gas and power generation industry.

The 70 tonnes weight grinding machine will be used to grind the outside diameter of seamless pipes, which vary in length from 5m up to 12m.

Pipe diameters range from 200mm up to 1200mm (as long as the weight does not exceed 15 tonnes).

The grinding machine grinds the outside pipe casing to give a smooth, flat finish to the pipe.

The grinding machine is 19m long by 2.5m wide and 4.5m high and has a 16m travel for the grinding heads.

The machine will supplement the company’s original grinding machine, which is more than 40 years old and will help to reduce lead times for process pipe, said CNES.

Wyman-Gordon manufactures a range of Class 1 rotating parts for military, civil and industrial gas turbines applications.

These products include gas turbine engine shafts, structural and landing gear forgings for military and civil aircraft, as well as manifolds, sphere tees, valve bodies and seamless pipes for the offshore oil and gas industries.

The Livingston plant employs around 275 staff and the plant covers 477,500ft2.

The new grinding machine is part of a significant capital investment expansion project at Wyman-Gordon’s Livingston site.

The site boasts one of the world’s largest ‘clam shell’ furnaces, which is used to heat treat the seamless pipes.

* Machine build - after visiting CNES’ workshop facilities in Scunthorpe, representatives from Wyman-Gordon were confident that CNES had the technical know-how and experience to manufacture the grinding machine.

In addition, CNES’ Scunthorpe machine shops are fully equipped with heavy duty cranes and lifting gear, plus excellent machining facilities.

Most of the pipe grinding machine’s weight is in the rails and travelling beam, which had to be lifted in one piece, and so heavy duty lifting gear was required.

Senior plant engineer at Wyman-Gordon, Chris Morris, said: “CNES handled the job extremely well and there were few problems during the project.

After visiting the Scunthorpe workshops, we were very confident that CNES could handle the work”.

He added: “The workshops had a very professional feel to it, was organised and clean, the approach and organisation were excellent and material was flowing through the workshop”.

Business development manager, Offshore and Energy at CNES, John Backhouse, said: “Our engineers had to manufacture the new grinding machine from the original drawings.

The existing grinding machine at Wyman-Gordon includes both metric and imperial components and so CNES also had to cope with a mixture of original imperial drawings and new metric ones in order to build the new machine”.

Wyman-Gordon awarded CNES a contract in May 2007 to build the new grinding machine.

The machine was built and ready to ship in November 2007.

Delivery and installation - also undertaken by CNES - took place in December 2007 at Wyman-Gordon’s factory in Livingston.

The grinding machine has since been placed inside an acoustic chamber at the plant and has just completed commissioning.

Morris continued: “The new grinding machine should cut lead times considerably for process pipe.

The working relationship between CNES and ourselves has been excellent.

So much so that off the back of this first job, we’ve given CNES additional work, which includes the manufacturing of new safety staircases and platforms for our works.

This job is totally unrelated to the grinding machine work but we felt we should give it to a supplier that we could trust.”.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

A grinder control platform from MRSE retrofits onto Cincinnati Milacron-Heald grinding machines to bring the machines up to date and minimise grinding cycle times.

Massachusetts Rebuild, Service and Export (MRSE) has introduced a grinder control platform package to be retrofitted to Cincinnati Milacron-Heald grinding machines.

The control platform uses an integrated digital servo system with a custom programmable automation controller to bring ‘new life’ to older Cincinnati Milacron-Heald machines.

The system is designed and manufactured to replicate, as close as possible, the Milacron 700/750 Series operating systems.

It also adds new capabilities that far surpass those of the older controls, said MRSE.

Capabilities include the following.

* A high speed, multi-tasking controller.

* Integrated motion control.

* A color touch screen operator interface.

* An intelligent motor control.

The result, said MRSE, is a control platform that is easy to install, easy to operate, and easy to maintain.

The systems powerful hardware, combined with MRSE’s custom grinding software, produces a state-of-the-art grinder control package.

MRSE told manufacturingtalk that the operator interface is simple and training for most first-time operators takes only a few minutes.

The aim is to minimise non-productive cycle time through the control’s quick set-up capabilities and features that allow grinding cycles to be optimised to save seconds in ID and OD applications.

MRSE can retrofit this control ‘in the field’ or incorporate it into the complete remanufacture of Heald grinding machines.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »

Jones and Shipman has developed the Ultramat CNC cylindrical grinding machine for the higher volume production environment, such as aerospace and automotive.

It can also be used for high-precision sub-contract machining for biomedical and motorsport engineering.

Built on a one-piece bed design, the Ultramat combines rigidity and precision.

The machine uses Jones and Shipman’s proprietary Windows-based spreadsheet style programming software, meaning operators don’t have to input code, although an ISO programming option is available.

Built around a GE-Fanuc Intelligent Terminal, the control system reduces the time needed for operator training while cutting set-up and changeover time.

Simplicity does not limit the Ultramat’s flexibility, however.

A full suite of dressing and grinding programs are available for the Ultramat CNC operator.

Easy to follow Windows set up pages allow the operator to digitise diamond and wheel positions and produce a finished program with a minimum of mouse or softkey/keyboard inputs.

Graphical images prompt the operator and spreadsheet-style programming ensures quick and simple input.

The machine offers 650mm or 1000mm between centres.

Options for this range include angle head, a programmable turret wheelhead with multiple wheels, full in-process gauging, probing and flagging, autoloading and articulating arm CNC form dressing.

A temperature controlled cabinet option is available.

Posted by admin under CNC Machines | No Comments »