A Starrag Heckert five-axis horizontal machining centre has joined a series of other multi-axis machines in a Starrag-dedicated machining area at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Factory of the Future. Previously applied to a dedicated machining project in another AMRC building in Rotherham, the Heckert X40 now complements Starrag STC 1250 and Ecospeed machining centres, as well as a multi-axis Bumotec s191 turn-mill/machining centre and an NB251 high-speed blisk machining centre in the Factory of the Future, ready to tackle various machining and manufacturing projects.

Established in 2008, the Factory of the Future houses an array of manufacturing equipment that enables partner companies and project sponsors to develop and trial new technologies and processes. The AMRC works closely with its customers and project sponsors to select the ideal machines and manufacturing technologies required to fulfil each project’s individual demands.

“The X40 will undoubtedly prove just as successful alongside the STC and Ecospeed,” says Phil Kirkland, head of the machining group at the AMRC. “And that will likely include extending its initial project work, which embraced the machining of aluminium housings.”

Kirkland adds: “Our partnership with Starrag has been built over a number of years and this addition to the Factory of the Future portfolio further cements our co-operation; we expect the strengths of the Heckert X40 to be fully utilised. Forthcoming projects for the machine will no doubt illustrate how a wide range of components can be produced effectively and efficiently, while the X40 technology will also enable our operators and engineers to upskill on a continuous basis.”

For further information
www.starrag.com

NSK says that its ball screws with nut cooling are setting new standards in the precision of machine tools with mechanical drive components. Confirmation comes not only from NSK’s own testing, but from machine tests conducted with machining centre manufacturer Chiron Group.

As a result of axial forces, acceleration and speed, the ball screw in a machine tool generates frictional heat that can cause the length of the screw to increase and lead to very slight but often critical positioning inaccuracies that may impair machining quality. To help avert this outcome, many machining centres use ball screws with hollow shafts. Coolant passes through the shaft to remove heat from the system. This method is quite costly however, because rotating screws require a rotary union in addition to the hollow bore.

A new approach is to cool the nut, which means there is no need for an expensive hollow bore and rotary union as cooling takes place directly at the point where heat generates. Another key benefit is that the heat generated in the ball screw no longer dissipates directly in the machine. This thermal decoupling between the machine and ball screw is important because any heat can impair dimensional stability.

NSK engineers designed the nut body so that changes to the ball screw caused by cooling have no negative influence on its performance profile, as confirmed by endurance tests at NSK’s Technology Centre.
Many years of co-operation with Chiron Group have also confirmed these results in practice. The use of NSK ball screws with cooled nuts means that machining centres of the Chiron 16 and 22 series operate with high precision, which not only applies to ease of positioning, but to machining accuracy and surface quality.

For further information
www.nskeurope.com

Japanese machine tool manufacturer Makino has introduced a new five-axis horizontal machining centre (HMC), which made its debut at the EMO exhibition in Milan last October. Productivity on a five-axis machine is sometimes lower than on a four-axis model, but not with the a800Z, according to sole UK and Ireland agent NCMT.

The jacket-cooled spindles provide the same power as on a Makino a81nx four-axis HMC. In addition, the standard 10,000 rpm BT50 (HSK-A100 optional) spindle takes just 2.7 seconds to reach maximum speed and is rated at 55 kW (25% DC), 27 kW (continuous), while torque is 721 Nm (10% DC), 305 Nm (continuous). An optional 8000 rpm spindle provides uprated power at 75/37 kW and higher torque at 1199/552 Nm.

By raising the rear X-axis guideway above the one at the front, the column travels over a slanted plane. This capability allows the efficient transfer of high cutting forces during heavy-duty machining, and maximises the rigidity of the machine structure. Furthermore, the design reduces the weight of the moving column, minimising jerk during acceleration and deceleration. The machining envelope is defined by axis travels of 1,280 × 1,200 × 1,325 mm, actuation being by cooled, large-diameter ballscrews.

Productivity and short idle times are ensured by up to 50 m/min cutting feed rate and 60 m/min rapids. Maximum weight of the fixtured workpiece on the 630 x 630 mm pallet is 1 tonne, excluding the weight of the pallet.

Makino’s a800Z has a high-capacity chip management system. The interior, near-vertical walls in the working area are stainless steel to minimise chip adherence and promote swarf evacuation via three channels in the machine base.

For further information
www.ncmt.co.uk

Steve Holmes, owner of subcontract machining company Pro-Cut Precision Engineering of Milton Keynes, founded his business in 2010 and bought a second-hand Hurco VMX30 three-axis vertical machining centre (VMC) to carry out prismatic machining operations.

Today, specialising in a mixture of prototyping and small batch work as well as longer production runs, he has on the shop floor seven modern machines from the same supplier. One of the most recent additions is the first full five-axis model on site, a trunnion-type VMX30Ui.

The VMX30Ui joined an existing VM30i three-axis machining centre in an adjacent unit that has benefitted from the addition of a Kitagawa rotary-tilt table with Lang work holding. The machine provides further five-axis capability while retaining the possibility of using the full 1270 mm X axis for processing larger components. When carrying out five-sided metal-cutting operations, the machine is often programmed using Hurco’s transform-plane software in the Max5 control.

Holmes advises that the move towards five-axis was a natural progression for the company and, having two different configurations of machine, allows him to produce a greater variety of workpiece sizes and shapes. He is impressed with the reliability and performance of the Hurco machines and says they produce components of high accuracy and surface finish.

“Compared with other models on the market, the VMX30Ui can handle surprisingly large sized components, considering the relatively small footprint of the VMC,” he states.

“We are happy to machine five-sided components in 3+2 axis mode or undertake fully simultaneous five-axis work, the more complex parts presently being required mainly for the motorsport sector.

“The flexibility to serve a variety of customers is key to our business success and the latest, larger capacity five-axis model will help us further in this respect.”

For further information
www.hurco.co.uk

Launched in October by Brother at the EMO exhibition in Milan, the new Speedio W1000Xd1 30-taper vertical machining centre has a 1 m X axis, like the S1000X1 model that it supersedes. However, there are profound differences between the two Japanese-built machines, according to sole sales and service agent in the UK and Ireland, Whitehouse Machine Tools.

For instance, the new machine has been fitted with low-inertia motors and incorporates CAE-optimised castings to minimise the weight of the main structure and improve rigidity. Additionally, the manufacturer’s fourth-generation D00 control increases acceleration, speed and responsiveness. The compact, 3.35-tonne machine sits in a nominally 2.4 sq m space.

The W1000Xd1 is the first machine from Brother to have an LCD touchscreen control (15-inch screen). Energy-efficient hybrid drive motors are in place, and the faster acceleration and deceleration of the low-inertia spindle motor, which harnesses interior permanent magnet technology, has cut tool-to-tool time by 25% to 0.6 seconds. In turn, cut-to-cut time is reduced from 1.4 to 1.2 seconds, shortening cycles by between 3% and 9% depending on workpiece size and complexity.

Four suites of support apps built into the control – Setup Tools, Adjust Tools, Production Tools and Recovery Tools – group relevant functions according to their purpose, leading to efficient operation. Production and operation status may be visualised more easily on the screen to speed and improve understanding of each machining process. Useful information like workpiece count, remaining tool life and power consumption is displayed during every production run.

As their name implies, Speedio machines are quick. Rapid traverse in X and Y is 50 m/min and even faster in the 300 mm Z axis at 56 m/min.

For further information
www.wmtcnc.com