This year's IMTS will spotlight technology advances in a wide range of metalworking machines.
MACHINING CENTERS, MILLING & CELL PRODUCTS
Deckel Maho Gildemeister (DMG America) will feature the GM 35-8AC series of eight-spindle automatic bar machines. Also, two additional turning models that include programming software that simulates the work area and cutter path to simplify programming of dual spindle CNC lathes will be featured. DMG America, Schaumburg, Ill.
This speed is made possible by a thin—3 µm— pulse-pressurized film of lubricant on the full length Ruloncoated ways. Toyoda Machinery USA, Arlington Heights, Ill.
Vertical machining centerBridgeport's VMC 1500 portal style vertical machining center is designed for maximum stiffness, heat dissipation, and ease of maintenance. Hardened and ground square ways on the Z axis with linear recirculating ball bearings allow positioning accuracy within ±0.0002 and repeatability within ±0.00008, with traverse speeds up to 1,100 ipm on the X and Y axes and 787 ipm on the Z axis. Bridgeport Machines Inc., Bridgeport, Conn.
Tilting head
The M8A is a horizontal machining center from Mandelli featuring a tilting spindle head along with CNC controlled spindle orientation. Torque performance of 768 ft/lb together with the 4,000-rpm spindle speed can be used for a wide range of applications from the aerospace sector on high-tech materials to the energy field on tough materials. The machine also has axis travels of: X = 63 in., Y = 49.3 in., and Z = 55.1 in. Mandelli USA Service, Rockford, Ill.
Double-column VMC delivers ultra-high speedAn FJV-250UHS double-column vertical machining center cuts at rates up to 1,968 ipm with 0.7 g acceleration. The machine's 40-hp motor accelerates the spindle from 0 to 25,000 rpm in just 2.2 sec. Positioning accuracy of ±0.000098 in. and repeatability of ±0.000027 in., combined with responsive high-gain servo drives and MAZACC-3D contouring software, provide the accuracy for mold and pattern applications.The double-column construction reduces vibration, and Y-axis table travel provides increased accessibility as compared to a C-frame type. Mazak Corp., Florence, Ky.
HMC series caters to high-speed and heavy duty cutting
M-HE horizontal machining centers feature rapid traverse rates of 1,575 ipm, a 7-sec chip-to-chip time, and quick spindle startup time. Two machines in the series, a M-H60E and an M-H80E, house AC 40-hp, built-in spindle motors and standard MP linear scale feedback that provides ±0.00006 in. positioning accuracy and ± 0.00003 in. repeatability. MHI Machine Tool U.S.A. Inc., Itasca, Ill.
Two spindles, one lathe
Operators can machine two identical parts on a TTC-10 twin-spindle, 4-horizontal-axis CNC lathe. Independent programs run the right and left spindles separately, or background editing permits programming of one spindle while the other is running. Spindle speeds are 20-2,000 rpm (with an optional 35-3,500 rpm), and rapid traverse in the X and Z axes is 1,181 in./min. Hwacheon Machinery America Inc., Vernon Hills, Ill.
Modular machines are fast and productiveTranscenters are machine tools that combine the versatility of a CNC machining center with the speed and productivity of a transfer machine. A modular design makes changeover simple and inexpensive, while multiple machining stations increase throughput. Built on a standard base and to customer specifications, the machines can carry as many as eight stations with tools mounted horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Stations are primarily for metalcutting, but one or more stations can be designed for parts assembly, metalforming, or in-process gaging. Giuliani USA, Congers, N.Y.
Vertical chuckers line welcomes new additionAn MVC-18 single-spindle machine joins an existing line of CNC vertical chuckers. Its standard features include an absolute position encoder, AC slide drives, automatic door operation, and a 25-in-diameter maximum swing. The machines are also either left or right-hand configured. Motch Corp., Cleveland.
A VMC midsize modelA large work envelope equips a Max-6 VMC for midsize machining. Measuring 47 3 23 in., the worktable travels 43 in. in X, 23 in. in Y, and 24 in. in Z. Over 20 hp and 500 ft/lb torque at 209 rpm handle the tough cuts, while two chip augurs, a chip-disposal system, and a 24-tool dual-arm-type ATC all complete the machining package. YCI Inc., Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
The machine comes standard with linear-motor drives. Maximum traverse rates of 120 m/min and axis accelerations up to 1.4 g let the unit dramatically reduce chip-to-chippositioning time, as well as cutting time. Gage accuracies are 65 microns at a distance of 15.7 in., as well as surface finishes finer than 2 microns. EXCELL-O Machine Tools Inc., Sterling Heights, Mich.
Company uses two booths
Machining centers will be shown separately from the bed mills, lathes, and knee mills at Milltronics Mfg. Among several new models of mills being introduced in booth 2219, will be a 50 324 in. travel-bed mill and a low-cost, 16-in.-swing teach lathe.
Toolroom products and the machining center line will be in booth 8490. New products include a carbon-cutting milling machine, heavy-duty 50 3 25 in. travel machining center, extensive redesigned enclosures which incorporate chip removal systems, color LED screens, and a new Centurion 6 CNC with high-speed 3D contouring. Milltronics Manufacturing Co., Waconia, Minn.
Twin-spindle machining centerTwo 15-hp, 8,000 or 12,000-rpm CAT 40 taper spindles, each with its own 20-station toolchanger, deliver the speed and power for the toughest jobs. Standard centerline distance is 15.75 in. with other distances available as an option. Optional spindles include 20-hp, 8,000, 12,000, or 15,000-rpm spindles as well as motorized spindles to 60,000 rpm. Axis travels are X = 40 in., Y = 22 in., and Z = 22 in. The table has a load capacity of 2,200 lb and easily accommodates a wide range of fourth axes, trunnion tables, and live or driven tailstocks. Boston Digital Corp., Milford, Mass.
Heavy duty Viper VMC
The Viper line of vertical machining centers feature 10 to 30-hp spindle motors and Meehanite castings for heavy duty machining for aircraft profile machining, die-mold contouring, or any other tough machining requirements.
The column, bed, and saddle are oversized, fully-ribbed, and can easily support heavy loads without table deflection. Featuring large induction hardened with Turcite B and precision ground boxways, all axes are reinforced to provide the highest degree of rigidity and stability. Mighty U.S.A. Inc., Torrance, Calif.
New lathe and VMC
The VMC-4024 and the Journeyman T-20/60 lathe will both be introduced at IMTS 98. The vertical machining center is a 39.37 3 23.62 3 25.98 in. machine featuring a 30-hp, CAT 40 spindle. It has a 20-tool ATC and a rapid feedrate of 800 ipm.
The lathe is a 15-hp machine with a three-range, 20-2,400 rpm, gear-driven spindle. The unit has a 19.68-in. swing-over bed, 13.77-in. swing-over cross slide, and a 59-in. distance between centers. It features a Fagor control. Tree Machine Tool Co. Inc., Franklin, Wis.
Multiside machining of small parts
The NAD 4 flexible transfer machine is built to machine extremely accurate, small parts requiring intricate multiside machining out of bar or coil stock. The system is a four-station CNC transfer machine that offers five machining platforms. Each platform can accommodate standard multiple machining unit cassettes for drilling, milling, tapping, and turning.
The platform design allows the user to accommodate 36 working spindles on one machine. Each platform is mounted on multiaxis CNC slides. TPS Inc., Sussex, Wis.
Variety of machine configurations in one place
Doosan Machinery USA is showing a wide variety of systems. Included will be a horizontal machining center, the Doomac 45H, and multiple turning systems— among which will be the Dooturn QL-30H dual side-by-side spindle lathe with gantry loader, the Dooturn 3XTM dual-opposed spindle turning center with driven tool capacity, the Dooturn 2SP-V5 dual-spindle vertical system, and the Dooturn 310 single-spindle slant-bed CNC lathe.
The Doomac 45H horizontal machining center features an AC 30/25 hp spindle motor with a speed range from 120 to 12,000 rpm. Pallets, 17.72 in. in size, can be changed in 6 sec, while any of the 40 tools in the magazine are changed in 1.6 sec. The 45H provides ±0.0002 in. positioning and ±0.00008 in. repeatability. Doosan Machinery USA Inc., Sterling Heights, Mich.
TURNING PRODUCTS
Lynx turning center
Daewoo's Lynx turning center is a compact 64 3 63 in. machine that combines speed and precision. The machine's cartridge spindle is supported by duplex angular thrust bearings with a double row of cylindrical roller bearings at each end. The roller bearings' large contact surface permits heavy cuts and mirror finishes. A high-torque Fanuc 10 or 12-hp AC-spindle motor provides fast spindle acceleration and up to 126.9 ft/lb of lowend torque with spindle speeds up to 6,000 rpm. Daewoo Machinery Corp., Carlstadt, N.J.
Enclosed bar machine
Omniturn will display a GT-75 enclosed bar machine. The machine will be shown in 2 and 3-axis versions. The 2-axis type is used for typical screw machine work and the 3-axis version includes live tooling for spindle positioning, indexing, and combined X, Z, and C-axis moves. C-axis positioning of 0.02° is standard with live-tool options such as cross drills, end drilling, milling, and slotting. Omniturn, Farmington, N.Y.
Automatic CNC multispindle
Schütte MSA will exhibit a multispindle automatic lathe, the S-32PC. The lathe features independent end slides, a three-part Hirth coupling and locking mechanism on the spindle-drum, and a cast-mineral compound base. Schütte MSA, Jackson, Mich.
EDM, LASER PRODUCTS
Robotic welding/cutting workcell
Genesis Systems Group features the Vera-System 2G, a flexible two-station robotic welding/ cutting workcell. The 2G is flexible enough to accommodate various part designs without increasing system costs. The two-station design is ideal for welding multiple part numbers simultaneously, making it suited to the jobshop environment. The Versa-System will feature a Fanuc 100I robot. Genesis Systems Group, Davenport, Iowa.
Rotary indexers
Rotary Indexers are the newest in a series of fixtures in the Gaiser line of wire EDM tooling products. These fixtures allow the rotating of round parts to 24 set positions at 15° increments. They also can be set to any angle and locked in place. The two new indexers are made of stainless steel, which allows the fixture to be put in the EDM tank. The high-precision Indexer (less than 0.0001-in. TIR) comes with a set of nickel-plated collets that range in size to accommodate shanks from 1 /16 in. up to 1 /2 in.-diameter. The Economy Rotary Indexer (0.0005 in. TIR) holds any standard 5C collet and comes with a 20-mm collet. Gaiser Tool Co., Ventura, Calif.
Machining large workpieces
The Roboform 50/51 die-sinker series, with a large 2-ft X travel, has increased EDM versatility when machining large workpieces. Expanded XYZ travels of 25.0 X 15.7 X 17.7 in. give this die-sinker series 16% larger travels. In addition, the series has a large table (29.5 X 19.7 in.) and is able to accommodate workpieces up to 1.6 tons — all within a compact footprint of 61.4 X 78.7 X 14.2 in. Charmilles Technologies Corp., Lincolnshire, Ill.
Automated EDM
Combining a VX10 diesinking EDM with a Workman Robot from System 3R can provide up to 125 hours or more of burntime per week. The robot can change as many as 72 workpieces and 72 electrodes completely unattended while the EDM's FuzzyPro fuzzy logic, a 32-bit microprocessor, analyzes sensor data and adjusts the machinery automatically. The internal dimensions of the VX10 worktank are 30.32 X 24.02 3 12.21 in. Its table is 27.56 X 19.69 in., and it can handle workpieces weighing as much as 1,325 lb and electrodes weighing as much as 166 lb. The machining range on the X, Y, Z-axes is 13.78 X 9.84 X 13.78 in. MC Machinery Systems Inc./Mitsubishi EDM, Wood Dale, Ill.
Low-maintenance CO2 laser
Rofin-Sinar exhibits its RS 880 HF high-frequency, low-maintenance CO2 laser; the diffusion-cooled DC 025 CO2 laser rated to 2.5-kW output; the 2.0-kW ultra-compact DL 020 diode laser; and the sealed-tube Scx20 200-W CO2 laser. RS 880 is designed to weld and surface-treat—its dielectric-coated electrodes and high-frequency power source minimize maintenance requirements. The controller is PC-compatible with a Windows-based operating system. DC 025 cuts and welds—resonator design features correcting optics and a waveguide structure to generate the optimum Gaussian beam for these applications. Its diffusion-cooled design eliminates the need for complex gascirculation and cooling systems, resulting in a very compact laser head and reduced maintenance. Rofin Sinar Inc., Plymouth, Mich.
Cut flat and preformed parts
Mazak has added 3D capability to its 2D laser-cutting system, the Space Gear 48, to cut flat and preformed parts. It has a pivot-beam machine design and 64-bit NC. Simultaneous control of six axes, requiring only three program lines, enables easy programming to cut draft angles for mating pipes. Laser power to 2,000 W handles workpieces to 5/8 in. thick. The cutting table is 4 3 8 feet, with a Z axis of 11.8 in.
Also on display: Sheetmetal Laser FMS material storage, retrieval, and unloading setup; and the Supercharged cutting machine equipped with a new 2.5-kW resonator that Mazak promises can do the work of a 3-kW laser— cuts up to 3/4-inch mild steel. Mazak Laser, Florence, Ky.
Nd-YAG fiberoptic system
Pulsed Nd:YAG laser beams readily travel through flexible fiberoptic cable to precisely cut, drill, and weld. Lasag introduces its SLS 200 pulsed Nd-YAG fiberoptic system rated 50-250 W. Outfit it with up to four fiber outputs for time sharing. Lasag Corp., Arlington Heights, Ill.
Fast and precise hole piercing
Mitsubishi Laser Division introduces Model 3015LXP, a high-speed automatic-shuttle production laser-beam-cutting setup that simultaneously holds two 5310-foot workpieces, each weighing up to 1,250 lb. CO2 laser rated 3,000 W; speed to 3,340 in./min. Digital power control results in fast and precise hole piercing. Rectangular pulsing enables cutting of sharp corners and small holes with uniform geometry.
Also on display: Model MSC automated material-handling system for sheetmetal loading and unloading, with six-station material-storage tower, vacuum sheet loader, and fork unloader, retrofittable on all LXP Series machines. MC Machinery Systems Inc., Mitsubishi Laser Division, Wood Dale, Ill.
Laser workstation
Offered as a low-cost alternative for laser processing, the SL6200 workstation from Laser Machining features user-friendly PC Windows software and on-board laser-processing database for steel, aluminum, other materials. Table size is 50 3 50 in. Laser Machining Inc., Somerset, Wis.
GRINDING PRODUCTS
Tool grinding machines and software
A range of tool grinding machines and software, called X-Class, includes the TGX tool manufacturing center, the RGX grinding and regrinding machine, and the PGX punch grinder. The TGX runs unmanned and manufactures and resharpens tools ranging from 0.08 to 13.8 in. in diameter. It features the Anca 3DX CNC, a digital drive system, and automatic wheel dressing. Anca Inc., Farmington Hills, Mich.
CO2 laser sources
PRC Laser has developed CO2 laser sources that pack a punch but don't take up much floor-space. For example, its new 1,000-W laser boasts a footprint of a slight 14 ft 2 . Also on display: a mid-range STS 3,500-W laser and a brand new 6,000-W model. Fabricators can take the beams from these sources and cut, weld, and clad. PRC Laser, Landing, N.J.
CNC grinding machine
A 2020 UGG Universal grinder features grinding spindles mounted vertically in the machine base, improving rigidity and support for accurate tool grinding. For heavy cuts, spindles measure up to 120 mm in diameter. This lets operators grind tools with a minimum number of cuts to dramatically reduce cycle times. An automatic cassette-loading system can be added for production runs, and an in-process CNC dresser provides hours of uninterrupted, unattended operation. International Tool Machines of Florida Inc., Palm Coast, Fla.
The control provides automatic grinding of tapers and radii, as well as canned cycles for wheel dressing and grinding operations, to increase productivity, simplify operations, and reduce human error and scrap. Traverse rates are 100 ipm on the Y axis and cross feed Z axis. Axis travels are ballscrew-driven by dc digital servo drives. Bridgeport Machines Inc., Bridgeport, Conn.
The wheelhead slide system provides a linear accuracy of 0.3 microns. Slide system features include anti-friction needle bearings and flat roller bearings with M and V ways with a flat-cage guidance system. GTI Technologies Inc., Shelton, Conn.
DRILLING, BORING, & THREADING PRODUCTS
Microhole drilling machine
Raycon, a TransTec Advanced Machines Company and part of TransTec plc, is featuring the Novagen EDM 4-head drilling center. The latest in the Raycon family of microhole drilling machines, it is capable of precision drilling microholes in a wide variety of injectors. It offers up to 25% faster drilling than previous machines and is capable of machining holes of 0.1-mm diameter up to 1-mm deep. TransTec, Ann Arbor, Mich.
WELDING & ASSEMBLY PRODUCTS
Tin-zinc alloy
Esab Welding & Cutting Products will feature an All-State 390 Solder, a tin-zinc alloy for joining aluminum to aluminum or aluminum to copper. This alloy is used in torch, furnace, and induction applications and is corrosion resistant. This product has a tensile strength of up to 8,000 psi and solidus and liquidus of 390 F°. It matches the color of aluminum.
The alloy is sold in a1 /16 in. X 1 lb spool or 1 /8 X 18 in. cut length. Esab Welding & Cutting Products, Florence, S.C.
Enhanced arc control
Miller Electric Mfg. Co. and ITW Welding Automation will exhibit welding products that feature an enhanced arc control for increased manufacturing efficiency and ease-of-use. The RDS-1400 Robotic Docking System is powered by the Autovision Invision DC inverter power source. It comes with an ITW Welding Automation robot, mounting skid, welding interface, wirefeeder, and a cooling system. Stationary and index tables can be added through a docking port on three sides of the station. The power source features Sharp Start, which controls the shape of the wire at the arc stop. This provides a consistent condition for starting the arc on every weld. Miller Electric Mfg. Co., Appleton, Wis.
Robotic welding system
Lincoln Electric Co. will showcase the PowerWave 450 waveform controlled power source featuring direct seamless integration with a robotic controller. The power source has the ability to select or program the optimum output waveform and then modify the waveform to adapt to weld puddle dynamics. All this is done within one millionth of a second, reducing spatter, designing weld bead profiles, controlling heat input, and maximizing travel speeds. Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, Ohio.
FORMING & FABRICATING PRODUCTS
Expensive lamination dies last longer in a PM3 because its massive frame, full eccentric shaft with six main bearings, along with heavy steel connections and wrist pins, combine to provide a machine that is more stable at high lamination speeds. Accuracy is further enhanced by an exclusive hydrostatic/hydrodynamic bearing design. The press features an 84-in. bed width to facilitate the longer tooling required for in-die lamination staking operations.
Other features include motorized slide adjustment, hydraulic supported screw threads, a deep slide with long gib guiding, quick lift, and consistent bottom-dead-center repeatability. The Minster Machine Co., Minster, Ohio.
A capability of the Astro 100 not previously seen in automated bending systems is its ability to robotically process parts that have undergone previous bending or insertions (3D parts). Until now, press-brake automation systems could only handle flat, 2D material. Amada America Inc., Buena Park, Calif.
Punching/forming presses
MC machines have the radial layout of existing RM/GRM machines and will accept tools built for RM/GRM machines without modification. They also have a second tool face that is laid out in a linear style. Between these two faces is a large aperture through which central mandrills on extra strips can be fed.
The range of press stations is from seven to 70 tons, and slides range from four to 12 tons depending on the size of the machine. Each machine has up to five material feeds mounted, plus various presses and slides, with add-on units such as welding, tapping, screw, or rivet insertion and assembly. Bihler of America Inc., North Branch, N.J.