Machinery at IMTS 2016: Milling, Boring, Lasers and More

New products from Absolute Machine Tools, FFG, Methods Machine Tools and SCHMIDT.

Absolute Machine Tools Bridge Mills

The Johnford DMC-31000SH bridge mill. (Image courtesy of Absolute Machining Tools.)

Johnford DMC Series double-column moving table bridge mills are created from a one-piece Meehanite cast iron bridge/column assembly that takes up 30 percent less floor space than comparable C-frame vertical machining centers.  IMTS 2016 visitors can see this machine in action in booth S-8536.

Available in both moving table and sliding column (fixed-table) versions—ranging from 36-in x 36-in x 30-in of travel up to 60-ft x 20-ft—these bridge mills have a long base casting with complete support of the table over the full 51-in in length of Y-axis travel, allowing heavy loads to be machined.

The Y and Z axes hold fixed loads while the X-axis carries the only dynamic load, allowing for tight machining and tight tolerances during high-speed machining operations. Because there is no table overhang, X-axis pitch and yaw are eliminated. The spindle centerline-to-column distance is minimized offering further rigidity. The machine’s heavily ribbed cast iron construction provides long tool life and part surface finish.  The combination of twin screw-type conveyors and a caterpillar conveyor ensures chip removal with little manual cleaning.  Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used to design each bridge mill, simulating the effects of real world conditions, including vibration, heat, fluid flow and other physical impacts.

The DMC900-1500H small-frame series bridge mills feature a fixed column with moving table, X-axis travel from 35.40-in. to 59.1-in., Y-axis travel of 35.4-in. and a Z-axis travel of 30-in., and table load capacities from 6,600 lbs. to 13,200 lbs.

The DMC-1600-3100H medium-frame series offers a fixed-column construction with moving table, X-axis travel from 63-in. to 161.4-in., Y-axis travel of 51.2-in., and Z-axis travel of 31.5-in. with a table load capacity of 13,200 lbs.

There are several DMC versions that offer multi-axis and five-face solutions. The 2100S-6100 SH Series offer a fixed-column moving table with X-axis travels from 82.7-in. to 240.2-in., Y-axis travel of 70-in. and Z-axis travel of 31.5-in. while the 3100P-6100PH Series feature the same fixed-column moving table with longer travels – X-axis ranges from 122-in. to 240.1in. Y-axis is 90.5-in. and Z-axis is 31.5-in. Table load capacities range from 22,000lbs. to 26,400 lbs. and 22,000 lbs. to 35,20 lbs., respectively.

The large DMC-4000x2800x800 – DMC-4000×2800+5-Face W-Axis Large Multi-Axis Series can handle 44,000-lbs. of table load with an X-axis travel of 118-in. through 236-in., Y-axis travel of 110.2-in. to 189-in., Z-axis travel of 31.5-in. to 42-in., and a W-axis travel of 39.4-in. to 78.7-in. on a fixed-column moving table.

Further, the SDMC Series custom-made unlimited size sliding double-column series multi-axis, five-face series features moving-column and fixed-table gantry mills with X-axis travels ranging from 157-in. to 720-in., Y-axis travels of 72-in. to 236-in., Z-axis travels from 31.5-in. to 42-in., and W-axis travels from 39.4-in. to 78.7-in. Table load capacity is 614-lb./ft.²

For more information, visit the Absolute Machine Tools website.

FFG Machining Centers

The NBH P 80 machining center. (Image courtesy of FFG.)

Hüller Hille is bringing a premiere to Chicago: The flexible standard machining center NBH P 80 is the first model of a series jointly developed within the Fair Friend Group.

The series combines Hüller Hille know-how, rigid design and practical configuration options. Customers can thus profit from the machines built in Mosbach-Diedesheim in a further extended application range.

The work area (X:800 mm/Y:800 mm/Z:900 mm) with extended Z-axis allows for use of long tools even with large fixture interferences. The machine has a footprint of 16.5 square meters and advanced dynamics with a rapid traverse rate of 60 m/min and acceleration of 7 m/sec².

A rigid, double nut ball screw drive (ø 50 mm) provides for reliable machining performance. A choice of spindles, dynamic rotary tables and CNC controls allow for flexible configuration.

The chain-type magazine with 60 locations can be loaded manually during machine uptime. The machine has a pallet changer with a 90-degree indexable setup station, and a service friendly drive unit on top of the machine.

For more information, visit the FFG website.

Methods Machine Tools Boring-Milling Machine

The YBM Vi40 vertical boring-milling machine. (Image courtesy of Methods Machine Tools.)

Methods Machine Tools will showcase the YASDA YBM Vi40 5-Axis Vertical CNC Jig Boring-Milling Machine at IMTS 2016 Booth# S-9119 at McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, September 12-17, 2016.

Designed for high-accuracy, hard milling applications of complex dies, molds and components in industries such as aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, electronic and more, the YBM Vi40 achieves high accuracy including simultaneous 5-Axis cone machining circularity of 2.32 µm, .89 µm positioning accuracy of the Y-Axis, and indexing accuracies of ± 0.50 sec on the B-Axis and ± 0.20 sec on the C-Axis.  A 24,000 RPM, 40-taper direct-drive spindle offers precision throughout the entire speed range.

“We are very pleased to offer a new YASDA 5-Axis solution for complicated part and mold geometries in extremely hard materials, where five axes are more productive than three,” said Mr. Steve Previti, YASDA product manager, Methods Machine Tools, Inc.  “The YASDA YBM Vi40 produces surface finishes which meet extremely tight tolerances and do not require secondary finishing operations.” The YBM Vi40 offers 5-sided machining in a single set-up. 

The number of operations is reduced by offering 3+2-Axis machining where 3-Axes are simultaneously machined by fixing the index angles of B/C-Axes, as well as 4+1 Axes machining where 4-Axes are simultaneously machined by fixing the index angle of the B-Axis.

Building on the YBM machine structure, the Vi40 features a symmetric bridge-type structure, resulting in high precision when making heavy cuts.  Single-piece high-grade cast iron construction, including the column and top beam, increases the rigidity.  A highly rigid feed drive system features large diameter ball screws and high-speed interpolation control.  Three bearings support a worm gear driven B-Axis, and a highly accurate direct-drive motor is included on the C-Axis.

To reduce thermal distortion, including over long production runs, the YBM Vi40 features a thermal distortion stabilizing system where the X-Y-Z axes and two rotational axes (B/C) are maintained to +/- .2 degrees C to shop ambient. Circulating temperature-controlled oil through the machine minimizes thermal displacement of each axis.  A rigid and accurate rotary B/C-Axis mounted on the Y-Axis machine bed controls movement and offers machining stability, even when adding up to 400 lbs. of weight including the fixture and part.

An exclusive spindle bearing preload self-adjusting technology provides preloading at the full range of spindle speeds. YASDA has developed a mechanism that applies a large preload at low-speed rotation, and the preload decreases according to the amount of heat generated by the spindle bearing at high-speed rotation. 

Accessibility between spindle and workpiece, and operator and the machining point, has been optimized to reduce distances.  Greater work piece access allows for shorter tool lengths, thus enabling higher feed rates.   A variety of features are offered for ease-of-use including high-speed, smooth TCP; a command for tilted working plane indexing; a rotation center calibrating function and more.  Also, standard on the Vi40, CAMplete TruePath software enables analysis, modification, optimization and simulation of 5-Axis tool paths in an integrated 3D environment.

The YASDA YBM Vi40 has a work envelope with X-Y-Z travels of 35.4-in x 19.7-in x 17.7-in (900 mm x 500 mm x 450 mm), respectively, a vertical rotation of 360 degrees and a horizontal rotation of +/- 100 degrees.  An Automatic Tool Changer holds up to 60 tools with an option to hold 100 tools.  The FANUC FS31i-B5 control is furnished standard.

For more information, visit the Methods Machine Tools website.

SCHMIDT Class IV Laser

The Class IV Laser. (Image courtesy of SCHMIDT.)

At IMTS 2016, SCHMIDT will be featuring its Class IV laser. This model is designed for larger part marking applications that make enclosing the laser impractical.

The Class IV also speeds up the marking process as there is no need to constantly open and close a cabinet door. The Class IV has applications in a variety of industries, ranging from aerospace and automotive to electronics and hand tools. The most popular configuration comes with the fiber laser in SCHMIDT’s standard wattages ranging from 10 -100 watts.

The Class IV laser features a compact baseplate of 30-in x 18-in, allowing for easy integration into a wide range of applications. As with all of SCHMIDT’s laser marking systems, the Class IV is run with a PC based software package.

To see the Class IV and other innovative SCHMIDT products, visit IMTS at Booth N-6159 or online at the SCHMIDT website.

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