The newest option for 5-axis aerospace machining is Makino’s D300 vertical machining center, designed specifically for small, complex, 3-D contouring of high-quality part production — the sorts of projects that are typical in aerospace machining, medical manufacturing, high-end job shops and die/mold applications.
The D300 worktable offers a work area diameter of 300 mm, accommodating workpiece sizes up to 450×270mm and 120 kg. The machine provides X-, Y-, and Z-axis travels of 300, 500, and 350 mm, respectively, at feed rates of up to 60,000 mm per minute. Rotary table axes offer rotational motion of 240 degrees (± 120 degrees) on the A-axis and a full 360-degree (continuous rotation) on the C-axis.
The machine is equipped with a 15,000-rpm HSK-A63 spindle as a standard, with 120 Nm (42 Nm continuous) of torque for flexible, high-speed machining of workpieces in various materials, including steel, aluminum and titanium. Optional spindle configurations include a 20,000-rpm HSK-A63 spindle, and 30,000-rpm HSK-F63 spindle.
Direct-drive rotary table — Makino uses direct-drive motor technology in the D300’s C-axis rotary table and A-axis trunnion for outstanding positioning accuracy and repeatability. The ultra-high-torque direct-drive motors also provide superior acceleration and rotary speed characteristics that can reduce cycle times of complex 5-axis simultaneous machining applications by up to 60 percent.
The D300 axis configuration delivers precision performance, according to the developer. The length of the trunnion assembly runs parallel to the X-axis motion only, making the trunnion assembly deflection-free during quick axis motion for greater accuracy than traditional 5-axis configurations.
The machine features roller linear guides across all linear axes for exceptional rigidity and stiffness while maintaining very productive rapid and feedrates. Y- and Z-axes are located above the worktable, with the X-axis located under the table to ensure a cantilever-free design and highest positioning accuracies.
Professional 5 CNC control — The D300 uses the Makino Professional 5 Control, which provides a Windows CE graphical user interface (GUI) with touch-screen access, and the networking and storage capabilities of a data center. This data center features a flexible, user-friendly program and data management for quick, seamless changes from one setup to the next. Its built-in Ethernet networking capability offers ready integration to off-machine program storage.
Also featured in the D300 is Makino’s proprietary, next-generation Super Geometric Intelligence (SGI.4) software developed specifically for high-feedrate, tight-tolerance machining of complex, 3-D contoured shapes involving continuous tiny blocks of NC data that ensures production rates faster than standard CNC systems while maintaining high accuracy. SGI.4 helps deliver the lowest cycle times and costs achievable by reducing machining cycle times on dies, complex cavities, and cores and medical parts by as much as 40 percent when compared to most other control technologies.
The D300 incorporates control enhancements that improve 5-axis machining performance and operability. The tool center point (TCP) control allows programming based on the tool tip so that tool-compensation features can be applied.
Also, TCP developments improve the cutter path to achieve greater surface quality. Dedicated user-friendly screens simplify the overall application of 5-axis machining, and easy-to-apply functions prevent interference between the spindle and trunnion during automatic operation to improve risk-free production.
The machine can be easily upgraded for automation at any time with an automatic pallet changer.