With the addition of powerful B-axis milling spindles and automatic toolchangers, turn-mills combine the best of milling and turning worlds.
This video shows common operations a turn-mill can perform. In this case, an Integrex i-100ST machine with subspindle from Mazak demonstrates pinch turning as well as other simultaneous turning and milling operations on both the main and subspindle.
A static turning tool installed in a B-axis milling spindle enables a turn-mill to perform contoured turning work, too. Okuma offers a B-axis turning function for face turning operations on its Multus series machines. That, plus skiving capability for ID and OD splines as well as on-machine touch probing for measuring part features such as diameter, roundness and taper angle is shown in the video above.
Turn-mills also make sense to create big, shaft-like components that require milled features as shown in this video of a Weingärtner MPMC turn-mill machining a large crankshaft.
Platforms such as multi-spindles and rotary transfer machines remain well-suited for high-volume production, but are now more accommodating to smaller batch sizes.
Why are an increasing number of machine tool builders adding additive manufacturing to their equipment’s already versatile machining capabilities? Because additive and subtractive are complementary.
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