Expand Machinery's GenMill 5X-12 Eliminates Multiple Setups

Expand Machinery’s GenMill 5X-12 five-axis simultaneous milling machine centers rigidity and accuracy in its construction, while its powerful CNC enables simultaneous machining.

Expand Machinery’s GenMill 5X-12 is a high-performance five-axis simultaneous milling machine. Its Heidenhain glass scale feedback in all five axes adds what the company says is unparalleled accuracy. A precision worm-gear drives the 12.6”-diameter tilting rotary trunnion table, and has 150 degrees of tilt motion and a 0.001-degree indexing resolution. The 5X-12’s CNC eliminates setups by enabling full five-axis simultaneous machining and the machining of multiple sides of the workpiece in a single operation.

Standard features include a 12,000-rpm high-performance Big-Plus dual-contact precision ground #40-taper spindle for extra tool rigidity, accurate tool length repeatability and longer tool life. The coolant system provides 300-PSI through-the-tool and a separate coolant pump for chip washdown, and efficiently moves the chips into the belt-style chip conveyor. A 40-tool chain drive twin-arm tool changer delivers tools in 1.7-seconds (tool-to-tool), providing ample tooling availability for complex workpieces. Rapid traverse rates of 1,417 ipm reduce cycle time.

The 5X-12 is constructed entirely of certified, premium-grade, high-density Meehanite castings and weighs over 15,700 lbs. for further vibration dampening. The heavy-duty cross-roller way system in the three linear axes provides rigidity and enhanced cutting accuracy, helping extend tool life. This system provides over twice the rigidity standard ball-style linear ways offer. The ways’ wide spacing also offers what Expand calls the optimal guide ratio for the moving elements, further enhancing the rugged design of the machine for accurate and heavy-duty machining.

The rigidity of the high-strength cast iron frame provides a high-strength cutting platform with enhanced vibration dampening for improved surface finish and extended tool life. Expand says the 5X-12’s blend of strength and speed makes it ideal for materials like aluminum and steel, with its cross-roller ways providing the rigidity for efficient machining of Inconel and stainless steel.

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TCI Precision Metals Expands Machine-Ready Blank Offerings

TCI Precision Metals now offers both round and square precision machine-ready blanks, converting the blanks from raw round stock.

TCI Precision Metals has added capability for converting specialized round stock to squared, high-precision machine-ready blanks. This means that TCI now offers round and square precision machine-ready blanks, both of which start from round raw stock.

“Some customers prefer to start with round stock material even when the finished machine-ready material needs to be square, but most of the time it comes down to alloy selection and availability,” Ben Belzer, president and COO of TCI Precision Metals, says. "For example, 144 Cold Finished Carbon Steel and 465 Stainless Steel are both far more readily available in round stock. There tends to be more waste converting round materials to square machine-ready blanks, but if specifications or material availability dictate, TCI can now efficiently deliver on the request.”

TCI’s sawing, milling and grinding equipment are all designed for high-volume production and are configured to convert and prep materials to precision machine-ready specifications more efficiently than most shops can do in-house, with TCI saying it increases client throughput by up to 25 percent.

With a single purchase order, customers receive custom precision blanks ready to load directly into their CNC machining centers. Precision blanks eliminate the need for in-house sawing, grinding, flattening, squaring operations and outside processing. Each blank arrives deburred, clean and to customer specifications – guaranteed as close as 0.0005” dimensionally and as close as 0.002” in flatness, squareness and parallelism. Customers are able to use the time they previously spent in setup and prep for more productive use of CNC machining centers, adding to their bottom-line profitability.

TCI Precision Metals is a family-owned, one-stop materials source for precision machine-ready blanks from aluminum, stainless steel and other alloys. The company also welcomes customer supplied materials and can perform sawing, waterjet cutting, grinding, milling and finishing operations.

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Durable Exair Power Supply Eliminates Shock Hazards

EXAIR’s Gen4 Four-Outlet Selectable-Voltage Power Supply includes multiple design features to enhance durability and eliminate shock hazards.

EXAIR’s new Gen4 Four-Outlet Selectable-Voltage Power Supply allows operators to choose input voltages of 115 V AC or 230 V AC, and allows them to energize up to four static eliminators simultaneously through the four 5 kV stainless steel output connectors. Compatible products include EXAIR’s Gen4 Super Ion Air Knives, Ion Air Guns, Ion Air Cannons and Ionizing Bars. Like all EXAIR Gen4 products, the four-outlet power supplies are UL-component recognized and CE- and RoHS-compliant.

These power supplies also feature an electromagnetically shielded modular power supply cable that eases routing and connections. An integrated fuse on the primary protects against voltage spikes, while the lighted power switch indicates operation and is field-replaceable. A durable metal enclosure (6” x 4.0” x 4.4”) ideal for rugged, industrial environments houses the power supply. Gen4 static eliminators with bayonet-style connectors can insert these connectors into the power supply, where the depth of the electrical connection helps prevent shock hazards.

Gen4 static eliminator products using this power supply are all shockless and include armored high-voltage cables which resist abrasion and cuts.

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Romi's GL Horizontal Turning Centers Maximize Accuracy

Romi’s new generation of GL two-axis horizontal turning centers use built-in cooling technology and the latest CNC software to ensure increased accuracy and longer tool life.

Romi’s New Generation GL Series of two-axis horizontal turning centers are available in four models with maximum cutting diameters ranging from 11” (282 mm) to 19.3” (490 mm) and Z travel ranging from 23.6” (600 mm) to 47.2” (1,200 mm). Designed for medium- to high-production environments, the GL Series features high power, torque and feed force in addition to the “Romi-made” monoblock base’s rigidity and precision. 

Models include the GL250, GL300, GL350 and GL450. The durable roller ways on both axes produce high rigidity, and the built-in spindle motor with incorporated chiller and direct drive servo-motors results in high response speed, accuracy and stability while reducing maintenance requirements. Chilling the motor increases life expectancy and lessens thermal expansion. 

The all-new GL Series come standard with active thermal compensation to maintain consistent accuracy even as the machine temperature increases during extended use. The tailstock is programmable and servo-driven. The FANUC controller directly determines position, speed and force to reduce setup time.

Each model comes with a 12-station turret with a choice of fixed tools with a Romi disk, driven tools with a VDI or BMT disk, driven tools with Y-axis or dual-spindle with driven tools and Y-axis.

The CNC control features a FANUC Oi-TF with 15” LCD touchscreen (Fanuc 32iB with 19” LCD touchscreen for dual-spindle version machines) and the newest generation of FANUC’s Series iHMI. FANCU says the software features faster, more accurate performance for turning applications, with separate areas on the main screen for planning, machining, improvements and utilities. Users can access functions in only two clicks, and standard ethernet interface, compact flash card and USB ports improve usability.

Romi produces its GL Series turning centers in state-of-the-art facilities that maintain safety and quality certifications including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, IATF 16949, and CE.

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Fives Debuts New Machining Center With Five-Axis Tilt Head

Fives’ new Giddings & Lewis HMC 1250 with Liné Machines’ five-axis tilt head provides a flexible, modular horizontal machining center for metal and composite machining.

Fives says its new Giddings & Lewis HMC 1250 with Liné Machines’ five-axis tilt head provides the most flexible horizontal machining center solution on the market. This combination brings together Liné Machines’ high-speed tilt head technology used in its high-performance gantry machines and the consistency of the Giddings & Lewis Horizontal Machining Center.

Fives says this combination delivers adaptable configurations across a wide range of applications. The company provides options for both a 27,000 rpm HSK63 spindle for high-speed machining of aluminum and a 15,000 rpm HSK100 spindle for more general-purpose machining of hard and soft materials, while also providing options for machining titanium and composites.

The machine build offers x-axis travel of 2,100 mm (82.7"); z-axis column travel of 2,350 mm (92.5") on the tilt spindle; y-axis headstock travel of 1,800 mm (70.9") on the tilt spindle; a-axis spindle tilt travel of 120 degrees; and a built-in contouring rotary table with a programmable mechanical clamp, 360,000 index positions in .001-degree increments and a rotary b-axis feed of 0-6 rpm. Also included is an automatic chain-type tool changer with 120 tool pockets and a max tool weight of 25 kg (55.1 lbs), process monitoring, probing systems and a high-pressure coolant system with basic components such as dual-chip conveyors and a full-enclosure must collection.

Fives promises that almost every aspect of this machine is configurable to suit the application. The company offers numerous choices for spindles, head travels, tool changers, coolant systems, control options and other tools to suit usage needs.