AgieCharmilles
The Mikron HSM 500 from GF AgieCharmilles is a vertical machining centre that provides three axis high speed milling in a compact design. Capable of machining cubic workpieces up to 200 kg, the machine is equipped with an HSK-E40 tool interface and a vector-controlled motor spindle for short run-up and brake times and high torques at low speed. Ceramic hybrid ball bearings, a liquid cooled stator jacket and bearings ensure high speed spindle output of 13 kW at 42,000 rmp with more than 4.2 Nm torque.

The machine’s base is made of monobloc polymer concrete with high vibration dampening properties, providing strength and rigidity in high speed machining. The single casting construction also improves machining accuracy, producing better thermal stability for excellent workpiece surface quality and minimal tool wear. Additionally, the HSM 500 is fitted with absolute optical linear scales on the X, Y and Z axes that operate with a measuring step of .02 µm to guarantee positioning precision.

User-friendly features include Smart Machining Modules, which operate sensors that allow machinists to utilize the Advanced Process System (APS) for monitoring and recording spindle vibrations. The machine is equipped with an iTNC 530 Heidenhain control system.
www.gfac.com/us

DMG
The DMU 85 monoBlock is a new generation five axis milling machine with SK50/HSK-A-100 standard interfaces.

Similar to its sister machine, the DMU 65 monoBlock launched last year, the new generation machine features flexible expansion options, from three to five axis machines with a swivel rotary table, and covers all aspects of milling technology, from roughing to finishing.

Key to the machine is its small footprint, 11.6 m2  (124.9 sq ft) allowing the machine to be used in small shops. The three axis version can accommodate workpieces up to 1,200 mm (47 in.) long, weighing 2000 kg (4,409 lb). The five axis machine supports a 1,040 mm (41 in.) diameter and a workpiece weight of up to 1,500 kg (3,307 lb). Travel distances are 850 mm (33 in.) in X and Y axes, and 650 mm (26 in.) in Z axis.

In conjunction with its SK50/HSK-A100 toolholder, the DMU 85 monoBlock is the only machine in its class that supports heavy machining with 288 Nm/44 kW.

Other features include a fast swivel rotary table and a tool changer with 30, 60, or 90 tool positions, located at the front of the machine to enable the operator to work in a normal machining environment at all times.

The machine features a flexible design, which means it integrates turning and milling technology, allows for the option of using the company’s Ultrasonic for ultrasound-driven machining of hard/brittle materials, or for using DMG’s Lasertec Shape, for milling and laser processing in one machine.
www.dmg.com

Doosan Infracore
Doosan Infracore’s DNM 400A is vertical machining centre designed for high productivity with precision tolerances, and built to fit the most crowded shop floors, all at a price below US $70,000.

The one-piece casting is ribbed to prevent distortion during heavy or interrupted cuts. Fine grain Meehanite is seleced for its superior dampening characteristics and ability to dissipate heat. Widely spaced linear guideways give excellent support to the saddle in all locations, regardless of the table’s load distribution. Each guideway is induction hardened and precision ground. Rapid traverses are 1181 ipm along all three axes.

Powering the DNM 400A is a 15 hp spindle motor that drives ISO#40 taper tools at speeds up to 8,000 rpm, while delivering 52 ft. lb of torque. The cartridge-type spindle is supported by precision class, permanently-lubricated bearings. A heavy duty drive belt eliminates slippage, reduces vibration, and contributes to thermal stability.

A 20 station, double-arm ATC changes tools in a quick 1.3 seconds. The Big Plus dual-contact tooling system creates full contact along the spindle taper and the toolholder flange. This assures maximum rigidity for greater precision and longer tool life. Both Big Plus and standard toolholders can be mounted at any ATC station with no need for special adaptors.

The 86.7 in. (2,202 mm) x 87.2 in. (2215 mm) footprint is perfect for buildings with standard 8 ft ( m) x 8 ft ( m) doors. Maximum part size is 25.0 in. (635 mm) x 17.1 in. (434 mm) x 20.1 in. (510 mm) and 881 lb (400 kg).

Additional features of the DNM 400A include rigid tapping capability, an auger-type chip conveyor, cooling and lubrication systems, a program and data protection key switch, and a portable manual pulse generator with movement in increments of x1, x10, and x100 to make fixture or part alignments quick and easy. The colour controller is a Fanuc Oi-MD.
www.infracoreemt.com

Feeler
The Feeler HV series vertical machining centres available in North America from Methods Machine Tools Inc. are designed for high speed machining with circularity accuracy of 2.7 µm.

The machines use a finite element analyzed, honeycomb ribbed cast column, which Methods say offers superior torsional torque resistance and superior low frequency resonance stability. The Z axis is driven by a direct servo-motor and uses a no-counterbalance design, eliminating chain vibration for high quality surface finishes.

The machine is equipped with roller guideways on the X  and Y axes and has 1G x axis acceleration. A 15,000 rpm, 30 hp direct drive neo spindle provides speed and power required for high efficiency machining. Tool change time is 1.8 sec, tool to tool. The machines are equipped with a Fanuc 18i-MB control and AI Nano CC with 189 block look ahead.

The series includes the HV-800 with an X/Y/Z work cube of 31. 5 in. x 20.5 in. x 19.9 in. (800 mm x 520 mm x 505 mm) and the HV-1000, with an X/Y/Z work cube of 39.4 in. x 20.5 in. x 19.9 in. (1001 mm x 520 mm x 505 mm).
www.methodsmachine.com

Haas
Haas has redesigned its VF product line to create a new generation of vertical machining centres. Launched last year, the new machines use next generation digital servo motors and high resolution encoders on all axes. Software and motor control advancements result in higher accelerations and better surface finish performances.

Enclosures are redesigned to prevent chip and coolant egress during machining. Redesigned chip pans and coolant flow reduce chip buildup and flush chips more efficiently into the auger trough for removal.

For high volume production, the VF-1 through to the VF-6 models are available with optional chip removal systems that combine multiple side augers with either a front discharge auger or a belt type conveyor to move chips out of the machine faster and easier than in previous models.

Windows and doors on the machine are stiffer, move more smoothly and close tightly. And the new thin design control pendant mounts directly to the enclosure, providing what the company claims is a lighter, more stable operator interface than with previous models. There is also a storage compartment behind the pendant.
www.haascnc.com

Hardinge
Hardinge’s newest version of its Bridgeport GX-1000 40 in. x 21 in. (1,016 mm x 533 mm) vertical machining centre is equipped with the Okuma OSP-P200 control, drives, motors and encoders.

The OSP-200 is an open architecture Windows based CNC control enabling users to take advantage of industry standard and off-the-shelf plug and play devices by using the onboard Ethernet or USB slots. Its open architecture means almost any software can be installed.

This series VMCs include a stiff and thermally stable spindle, a rigid C-frame fixed column design, and fixed pre-tensioned double-nut ball screws on all axes. The unique Bridgeport designed linear guide and guide truck configuration provides added stiffness, damping and surface contact area.

The unit is configured with three guideways and five guide trucks on both the X and Y axis; two guideways and six guide trucks on the Z axis.

The VMCs are equipped with a powerful spindle motor for aggressive cutting capabilities. A 15kW (20-hp 1min) spindle drive is included on GX 480 and GX 710 machines; GX 600 and GX 1000 machines feature a 15-kW (20-hp) drive; GX 1300 and GX 1600 machines feature an 18.5-kW (25-hp) drive. The rigid spindle design includes four angular contact bearings at the front and one roller bearing at the rear for optimum performance and long life. The non-contact magnetic encoder design eliminates noise and vibration, while providing more accurate spindle orientation feedback.
www.hardingeus.com

Kitamura
Kitamura Machinery’s latest high speed seven axis simultaneous horizontal machining centre Mycube has the ability to machine multiple surfaces in one clamping, reducing part set-ups and cycle times. The clamping system allows for the machining of the back side of the part, offering the user single operation, complete six sided machining. The two sided clamp mechanism rotates and swings the part during machining, eliminating surface contact, stroke limitations, and the necessity for changes in set-up, increasing overall accuracy of the part.

By combining X,Y and Z linear axes and direct drive A,B,C rotary axes with a W axis (spindle movement in/out), the Mycube offers a high speed angled approach to small and medium sized parts, increasing flexibility while decreasing the necessity for special fixtures in changing set-ups. It comes standard with a #40 taper, 20,000 rpm, energy efficient built in spindle.

The solid box way construction combined with hand scraping techniques ensures True Geometric Accuracy and long-term reliability. It features 1969 ipm rapids on the X, Y, Z axis, 787 ipm on the W axis and 33.3 rpm on the B axis for six-sided machining of complex parts for the aerospace, medical and semiconductor markets. The Mycube comes standard with a Kitamura-Fanuc 300iMA control.
www.kitamura-machinery.com

Long Chang Machinery
The First LC-185VS-B vertical milling machine, distributed in Canada through Heinman Machinery Ltd., is an affordably priced machine designed for long lasting performance.

Long Chang Machinery has been manufacturing the First brand of milling machines in Taiwan for more than 50 years and received ISO 9001 certification in 2002. These milling machines already meet PHSR Pre-Start Health and Safety review requirements.

Features on the machine include a rigid head tilting system, a Z axis box way design for heavy duty work, rapid up and down, Meehanite casting structure and hardened and ground Turcite-B coated ways.

The R8 spindle unit is made from one piece of Ni-Cr alloy steel and is supported by two precision angular contacts and one ball bearing to ensure rigidity. The spindle is driven by a 3 hp motor. The inner taper has been hardened and precision grounded. An ISA40 spindle taper with a 5 hp motor is also available.

The X, Y and Z axes travels are: 31 in. (790 mm), 16.3 in. (415 mm) and 15.3 in. (390 mm). The machine offers a working surface of 50 in. x 10 in. (1270 mm x 254 mm) with a maximum table load of 440 lb (200 kg).

Standard components include one shot lubrication, variable speed head, a set of eight R8 German collets, and a Heidenhain two axis readout installed.
www.heinmanmachinery.com

MAG IAS
MAG’s new U5-3000 Universal Machining Centre combines massive platform capacity with long-reach three meter Z axis and five axis, five side contour machining for efficient processing of large aluminum and composite parts.

The newest addition to the U5 family of gantry mills, the U5-3000 is engineered to machine at extreme limits and into deep cavities of large prismatic parts. Combined with Y axis travel of over 6 m (20 ft), unlimited X axis travel, and high speed, 15,000-rpm, five axis spindle, the new machine brings never-before-possible machining efficiencies to extremely tall, wide and long parts.

A modular, heavy duty gantry design delivers the stiffness, range and performance to machine complex part geometries with exceptional accuracy. A rigid boxway roller bearing rail system and dual motor rack and pinion X axis drive provide smooth precise movement and high thrust levels on long travel cuts. Feedrates up to 20 m/min (787 ipm) optimize processing efficiencies on large part surfaces.

It comes standard with a 15,000 rpm, 30 kW (40.2 hp), HSK63A gimbal-style contouring spindle that delivers up to 57 Nm (42 lb-ft) torque for high speed, high throughput cutting performance. As options, 20,000 rpm and 24,000 rpm five axis spindles are available. The five axis head features continuous C axis to keep the spindle in-cut without running out of C axis travel or waiting for C axis to unwind. A rigid Z axis ram with 508 mm (20 in.) cross section provides high rigidity for superior precision and surface finish, especially with longer tools and extended Z axis reach. Flood and through-spindle coolant keep cutting zones clear, with automatic chip and coolant collection systems available.
www.mag-ias.com

Makino
Makino’s a81M horizontal machining centre is designed for machining tough and hard materials. It is ideally suited for large diameter boring and face milling on such challenging materials as stainless steel, titanium, titanium alloys, inconel, ductile iron, cast iron and CGI (compacted graphite iron).

The high torque and high thrust spindle provides unparalleled productivity and reliability for a machine of this type, which helps customers reduce costs from their manufacturing operations. It has a quick tool-to-tool time of only 1.7 seconds, with a similarly brisk chip-to-chip time of 4.2 seconds.

The integral drive spindle outperforms all other spindles on the market, claims the company, due to the nature of its efficient design, which provides significantly higher torque at a low rpm. Other high torque spindles utilize a geared-type head. Such a design causes a loss of significant power that further drops spindle efficiency, slows down the spindle performance and adversely affects cycle times. The built-in motor method provides an advantage against vibration as compared with the gear-type.

The spindle has no corresponding loss of acceleration and deceleration. The quick acc/dec ranges are from 4.4 seconds to 3.8 seconds at 8,000 rpm. To match that torque, the spindle employs 50 hp from 2,000 to 5,000 rpm.

The a81M has X, Y and Z axis of 35.4 x 31.5 x 40.1 in. (900 x 800 x 1,020 mm). It has a rapid feed rate and cutting feed rate of 1,420 ipm (36 m/min) in X and Z axis and a 1,182 ipm (30 m/min) in Y axis. It has a 25 in. pallet (630 mm) able to handle workloads of up to 10, 800 pounds (4,900 kg).

The thrust capacity has 25 per cent more axes thrust than the previous a81 machine. The centre trough hinged conveyor provides for fast and effective chip evacuation.
www.makino.com

Matsuura
Matsuura Machinery Corp., represented in Canada by Elliott Matsuura Canada, has developed a new five axis vertical machining centre with user friendly and safe concepts. The MX520 in its compact form assures high rigidity as well as a generous machining envelope with operability. The MX520 can hold workpieces with sizes up to 20.47 in. (520 mm) in diameter and 13.77 in. (350 mm) in height. A 12,000 rpm spindle speed is standard and a 20,000 rpm spindle is available as an option. The machine’s functions are controlled by a user friendly Fanuc GTech 31i CNC.
www.elliottmachinery.com

Mazak
Mazak’s j-400 represents the company’s commitment to providing a full range of multi-tasking solutions. The Integrex j-series contains multiple models and falls in the middle of the spectrum of Mazak’s multi-tasking machines.

It performs four axis simultaneous machining with five axis tool tip positioning, providing significant advantages in productivity, accuracy and flexibility.

Unlike multi-tasking machines with a drum turret type, this machine accommodates 20 tools in a tool magazine (36 and 72 tool optional) and increases versatility in part production. The machine’s main turning spindle offers a maximum speed of 3,300 rpm.

It also includes a powerful 30 hp, 12,000 rpm milling spindle that can be indexed in 5º (or optional 1º) increments from –30º to 210º (B axis control), making it possible to perform outer diameter machining, as well as turning, facing, grooving and threading with the same flash tool.

It also makes it possible to perform incline machining and all other conventional machining processes. Additionally, the milling spindle can be radially indexed and clamped, enabling the same tool to be used for turning in both forward and reverse directions.

While compact, the machine offers a maximum machining diameter and length of 19.7 in. (500 mm) with minimum tool interference for large workpieces. Its long axis strokes allow face milling, end milling and drilling to be performed above and below the centerline without C axis indexing. In addition, the true Y axis design allows
for a larger machine envelope and tool reach, reduced interference and excellent chip evacuation when compared to conventional machines.

With a high rigidity construction and new high response servo motors, the j-400 delivers a positioning repeatability of tool tips that is better than 0.00004 in. (0.001 mm), and Double Ball Bar testing that is within 0.0003 in. (0.0007 mm)

The new Mazak MX Hybrid Roller Guide System is integrated into the machine and increases vibration dampening to extend tool life, handle higher load capacities, accelerate and decelerate quicker to shorten cycle times, consume less oil for “greener” operations, and last longer with less required maintenance.

Programming of multiple surfaces is easy with Mazak’s Matrix Nexus CNC Control. The control allows for both conversational and EIA/ISO programming, and ensures easy programming for C axis, Y axis and angle machining.
www.mazakcanada.com

Mitsui Seiki
Mitsui Seiki’s new HU100 series is the first range of configurable machining centres aimed at a variety of manufacturing industries interested in versatile equipment for heavier applications. Configurable machines are those that are based on a set of standard modular components that can be arranged to suit specific customers’ needs easily and affordably.

Mitsui Seiki’s approach to providing customers with a technical solution has just become easier. For example, users can choose axis travels from 1300 mm to 2500 mm, four, five, or six axes of continuous motion with a choice of a rotary table, trunnion table, or table on table. There’s also a variety of spindle choices, including fixed spindles from 6000 rpm (50 hp, 2000 ft./lb torque) for heavy milling up to 25,000 rpm for high speed applications. Tilt or swivel spindle choices are available from 6000 rpm (800 ft./lb torque) for heavy milling up to 12,000 rpm for high speed machining. Mitsui Seiki also offers quill type spindles for precision boring with shorter tools.

The HU100 series is ideal for larger aerospace and power generation parts with a work zone capacity of up to 2500 mm dia. x 2000 mm height. The machines accommodate weights from 4400 lb (2000 kg) to 17,500 lb (8000 kg). These machines can be equipped with simple pallet changers to fully integrated FMS systems for work and raw material handling. Likewise, tool handling systems range from on-board magazines to central systems for more than 2500 tools.

Launched earlier this year, the HU100 line is already one of Mitsui Seiki’s most popular products, and has been sold to industries as diverse as aerospace, refrigeration compressor, mould and die, heavy equipment, and energy. All of these industries have fundamental common requirements: machine rigidity/stiffness and high accuracy.
www.mitsuiseiki.com

Mori Seiki
Mori Seiki’s NHX4000 is a new series
of next generation standard machines in the company’s new X-Class family of machine tools.

It features extended stroke and tool length (450 mm/17.7 in.) compared to conventional machines #40 taper spindles and also features increased feed rate (0-60,000 mm/min or 2,362 ipm),
accelerations and B axis speeds with reduced downtimes.

The newly designed machine features X, Y and Z travels of 560 mm (22 in.)/560 mm (22 in.)/660 mm (26 in.) respectively. The machine achieves high rigidity and stable machining by using a thick, high rigidity bed with the X and Z axis linear guides placed in a high position, and by incorporating a spindle with a large diameter bearing, as well as a table and pallets with powerful clamping forces.

The machine features an energy saving design. While a hydraulic unit pump used in the conventional model rotates all the time to maintain pressure, the pump used in the NHX series can be stopped during standby because an accumulator is attached to the hydraulic unit.

Also the number of motors in the machines has been reduced. The machine can achieve approximately 40 per cent reduction in total power consumption compared to the conventional model.
www.moriseiki.com

Okuma
Okuma’s Genos M460-VE CNC vertical machining centre features a powerful double column structure to deliver the most machining in the least floor space, according to the company.

A versatile, yet compact machining centre that is extremely rigid, in a ready-to-run package. Total travel measures 30 in. (762 mm) in X axis, 18.11 in. (460 mm) in Y axis and 18.11 in. ( 460 in) Z axis with a rapid traverse rate of 1574 ipm.

Standard features include a high power 40 taper 12,000 rpm spindle with a 30/25 hp VAC liquid cooled integral motor and a 32-position ATC. Thermal deformation is minimized with Okuma’s TAS-C/TAS-S compensation system.

The M460-VE features the operator-friendly THINC-OSP control, a true PC, Windows-based platform with open architecture, plug and work USB capability and 40GB of memory. This unique control makes it easy to connect to peripheral equipment and utilize other machine tool accessories, improving productivity and data gathering.
http://oac.okuma.com/m460ve

Stama
The new MC 833/MT Twin five axis milling-turning centre from Stama America is designed with the company’s “Stama PEPS (Performance Efficiency Per Square Meter) concept to delivery high performance on a minimal amount of space.

The machine is designed for complete machining of cast blanks, cut-offs, or semi-finished goods with diameters up to 350 mm and lengths of up to 250 mm.

The machine features integrated automation; the loading portal is equipped with a tool grabber integrated into the centre and no crane loading for workpiece handling is required. A large tool magazine has a short chip-to-chip time outside of the chip and coolant area.
Depending on the machining job, the 120° milling-turning centre integrates one or two turning spindles. All pivots have bearings on both sides, and a 4th axis with torque technology is designed for high precision and positioning security.
www.stama.com

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