March 2014 Product Spotlight: Machining Centers
This slideshow features the machining centers we cover in the Modern Equipment Review Spotlight section in our March issue.
GF Machining Solutions’ Mikron HEM 500U milling machine offers efficient five-axis capabilities in a compact footprint. The machine is designed to fit in tight areas with an accessible structure that enables workpieces to be loaded and unloaded with a forklift, rather than a crane.
Designed for aerospace applications, DMG Mori Seiki’s DMF 600 linear traveling-column machining center has X-, Y- and Z-axis travels measuring 6,000 × 1,100 × 900 mm. It can accommodate workpieces weighing as much as 10 tons.
Hurco’s VMX6030i vertical machining center is based on its VMX64, but with a smaller footprint. Intended for moldmaking applications, the VMC features a 66.14" × 30" worktable controlled by the company’s UltiMotion system.
The HC 400 horizontal machining center from Doosan features a telescopic cover inclined at a 30-degree angle to direct chips into a trough, keeping the area around the table clean. High-velocity air jets clear the chips while the machine’s APC changes the pallets.
Available from Methods Machine Tools, the FANUC D21 RoboDrill vertical machining center is equipped with the FANUC 31iB control for FSSB high-speed processing. The D21MiA, pictured, features a medium-sized bed and is one of four available variations.
This compact Self-Center H15B horizontal machining center from Sugino is designed for high-precision operations on small and medium workpieces, such as engine and transmission components. The HMC’s BT30 coolant-through spindle provides speeds ranging to 20,000 rpm.
Mazak’s Variaxis j-500 5X vertical machining center provides simultaneous five-axis and multitasking capabilities. It is said to enable efficient single-machine part processing for aerospace components and other applications.
Chiron’s 26 series horizontal machining centers accommodate large workpieces such as gear housings and structural components for the aerospace and automotive industries. Bridge dimensions range from 1,250 to 3,000 mm within the series, which is the company’s first range of HMCs.
The T1 five-axis horizontal machining center from Makino features an A/B-axis configuration that shifts A-axis motion to the spindle side. According to the company, this setup eliminates the need to tilt the workpiece and helps to ensure accuracy regardless of the rotary axis position.
DMC Machine Tools’ DM V series of vertical machining centers features a belt-type spindle providing speeds as fast as 8,000 rpm. The DM 52VL model, pictured here, accommodates workpieces ranging to 1,543 lbs on a 43.31" × 20.47" worktable.
Available from YMT, the KaoMing EP series Plano vertical machining center is capable of handling oversized, heavy workpieces for the aerospace and die/mold industries. The VMC features a moveable crossbeam W axis with clamping on both sides to ensure accuracy during heavy cutting.
The Modern Equipment Review Spotlight in our March issue features a range of machining centers—everything from compact HMCs to large traveling-column machines. Click through the slideshow below and check out this month’s issue for more on these machines, or visit the Machining Centers & Milling Machines Zone for related machining center content.
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