A Republic Lagun 4824 VMC provides accuracy and versatility to Aerospace Commercial Tooling, Ontario, Calif.
Aerospace Commercial Tooling (ACT), Ontario, Calif., machines hard and soft tools for the aerospace industry as well as for many other customers. "We machine just about anything and everything, from wood and plastic to titanium," says ACT's Oscar Borello. Because of this, the shop needs fast, accurate, versatile machines with proven reliability. After studying ACT's needs and the available machine tools, Borello turned to Republic Lagun's 4824 vertical machining center.
The 4824 features a base, column, and table with heavily ribbed castings to dampen vibration and ensure accuracy. The unit's spindle head is counterbalanced to reduce Z-axis motor and ballscrew pressure, adding to its accurate depth control. In addition, the counter-balanced spindle head provides chatter-free heavy milling. A two-speed geared head gives users power over a range of cutting speeds as well as precision.
"The geared head was something we really looked for," says Borello. "We needed the accuracy with no slippage for aerospace work."
Rectangular boxways with Turcite pads give the 4824 a 1,200-ipm rapid traverse in the X and Y axes while X, Y, and Z-axes travel is 40, 24, and 23 in., respectively. The cutting feedrate is 0 to 350 ipm, and a 21.5-hp motor provides spindle speeds of 60 to 10,000 rpm. The machine's repeatability, which Borello says was another key in his selection, is ±0.0001 in.
The 4824 also has a 18-tool changer that inserts a tool directly into the spindle. An auto air blasts chips from each tool during a change. An automatic high-pressure, metered-lube system is controlled by the CNC and features a pressure switch that detects and prevents lubrication failures.
"We've had the machine for four years, and it's handled everything we've put on it," says Borello of the machine's versatility. He adds the machine has been key to ACT's success.
Republic Lagun
Carson, Calif.
www.republiclaguncnc.com
