Click Image to Enlarge

Minimizing setup time by combining machining operations is a priority for many manufacturers, and the technology to achieve this is part of what they’re looking for at the show. Heidenhain says one of the keys to this is the CNC. In Booth E-5224, the company is making the North American introduction of the TNC 640 control, its first milling-machine control with optional turning functions. On a machining center with a rotary axis able to spin the part, the control enables the operator to transition between milling and turning cycles in the same program. Turning operations can be programmed in plain text just like the milling, the company says.