Starrag meets Metalex’s big machining plans

In a significant investment for the future, Metalex Manufacturing located in Cincinnati, Ohio, has selected Starrag to supply a large-capacity, multi-axis Droop+Rein portal-type machining centre for its newly created Center for Advanced Large Manufacturing.

The machine – the largest ever installed by the contract manufacturer – will provide it with flexible production capacity to meet all foreseeable demands in terms of producing precision milled and turned workpieces in a single set-up. Indeed, the six-axis Droop+Rein T series machine – with its machining envelope of up to 19 m table length, 9.5 m between the columns and 7 m under the spindle – will also help attract new work.
Established in 1971, Metalex specialises in producing complex workpieces for a range of customers in the aerospace, energy, marine and consumer goods industries.
Metalex’s desire to source a machine that would not only satisfy current production needs but also meet all projected demands in the years ahead saw it make contact with a number of machine builders, including Starrag, which in the past has supplied it with a number of machines (a Dörries vertical turning lathe and two Starrag STC horizontal five-axis machining centres).
To help meet application demands at Metalex, Starrag added the two rotary tables and turning tool holders for in-cycle turning operations, and expanded the horizontal and vertical clearances of the Droop+Rein T series machine. Also included was Balluff tool identification, Renishaw probing, Blum laser tool measuring, video monitoring of the work area using four cameras, ARTIS tool and process monitoring, and Brankamp collision monitoring – all integrated via the machine’s Siemens 840 D SL CNC.
The machine is due for delivery in 2020 and production is scheduled to commence in 2021.
For further information www.starrag.com

High-speed five-axis machining cell

At the Gosport factory of Norjon Precision Engineering, a high-speed DA300 vertical machining centre from Makino, the first of its type in the UK, has been supplied as a turnkey package by sole agent NCMT complete with an Erowa storage and handling system for 24 pallets.

It is the subcontractor’s ninth trunnion-type, five-axis machine and is intended primarily for the milling and drilling of aluminium components, but is equally capable of machining stainless steel for long periods.
Kevin Fox, Norjon’s managing director says: “Makino has a reputation for being at the top end of machine tool suppliers in terms of accuracy and reliability, and this particular model is very fast, with 60 m/min rapids and a 20,000 rpm spindle.
Fox adds that the DA300 is built with automation in mind as it is prepared with pneumatic ports in the table, so interfacing the Erowa Robot Compact 80 was seamless.
At present, a family of aluminium prismatic components is being produced in the Makino/Erowa cell.
“We initially set the job up on a Friday evening and inspected the first-off component,” says Fox. “The cell ran continuously over the weekend and the following Monday we measured the first component produced that morning. All of the dimensions were exactly the same, so the accuracy we are achieving in the cell is excellent.”
The Makino DA300 is capable of the fully interpolative five-axis production of complex components. Equipped with integral, direct-drive motors for the swivelling +30° to -120° A-axis trunnion – and for C-axis rotation of the 340 x 300 mm table – the machine deploys a 20,000 rpm, 22 kW, HSK-A63 spindle capable of milling, drilling and tapping.
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

CNC mill helps control tool-room work

Aylesbury-based motorsport specialist Goodfabs has invested in an XYZ SMX SLV turret mill to help it produce fabrication jigs.

“Because the exhaust systems we produce are bespoke, we either need the car here to fit the exhaust, which is impractical, or need a jig made to replicate the actual mounting points on the car,” says Paul Watson, process manager. “Prior to getting the XYZ SMX SLV we could only machine the smaller parts of jigs, with the rest being outsourced. And, while our subcontractor produced the quality and accuracy required, we suffered some loss of control. With lead times being short, control of production is vital to us.”
The XYZ SMX SLV is the largest turret mill available from XYZ Machine Tools (larger bed mills are available), with a table measuring 1473 x 305 mm that is capable of carrying components weighing up to 580 kg. This capacity is enhanced by axis travels of 1000 x 410 x 400 mm (X, Y, Z). The head can be tilted front to back by +45° to -45° and from left to right by +90° to -90°, with full 360° rotation of the turret possible. Customers have the option of a three-axis DRO (4th axis optional) or, can opt for the ProtoTrak control in either its two- or three-axis configuration. The latter being the choice
for Goodfabs.
“While we already have three- and five-axis machining capability to produce fittings for our exhaust systems, the addition of the XYZ turret mill has introduced an extra dimension to our machining capability,” says Watson.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Competitively priced five-axis machine

Stand CM40 will be the location for XYZ Machine Tools to showcase its UMC-5X simultaneous five-axis gantry-style machining centre.

XYZ says the machine is available at a very competitive price point, yet comes with technology such as traori (transformation orientation)/kinematic functions for five-axis simultaneous machining, as well as integrated smart machining technology and thermal growth compensation.
Of interest is that due to the table configuration and machine design, when the table is tilted 90° towards the rear (component facing forward), there remains 500 mm of Y-axis travel forward of the table surface. According to XYZ, this distance is much greater than many competitor machines, including those that quote the same axis travels as the UMC-5X, allowing larger workpieces to be machined.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Maximum machining performance

Open Mind Technologies will present the latest version of its hyperMILL CAD/CAM suite on Stand F20.

The key focus will be the hyperMILL MAXX Machining performance package. MAXX Machining incorporates novel strategies for roughing, finishing and drilling. Open Mind has also been instrumental in developing the next generation of conical barrel cutting tools for the five-axis tangent plane machining strategy within MAXX Machining. The conical barrel cutter has a large radius that enables correspondingly wide step-overs between tool paths.
In addition, Advanced Engineering will give the UK marketplace a first glance at some of the newly developed innovations launched at the recent AMB exhibition in Stuttgart. For instance, in the future, hyperMILL MAXX Machining will be available for 3D-optimised roughing, as well as for turning. Meanwhile, five-axis tangent machining is available for corner filleting, a function that is said to guarantee simple radius programming at surface boundaries.
For further information www.openmind-tech.com