FEATURE ON CNC MILLS & MACHINING CENTRES

New Machine Dimension for HACO

Haco A/S, has taken delivery of a huge Droop+Rein portal milling machine from Starrag to meet the needs of next-generation offshore turbines with rotor diameters that exceed 220 m. The special features of this 870 T colossus include its XXL size and unusually large basement section across two storeys.

“Never before have we built such an extensive tunnel system for a production plant; it’s reminiscent of ancient catacombs and even I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere else,” explains Starrag’s senior consultant sales/renewables Hubert Erz. “This expensive and elaborate investment for our customer facilitates service access and day-to-day collaboration.”

Laying the foundation involved processing 850 m³ of concrete and 100 T of steel.

“The foundation forms the base for the machine tool, and its stability and design help determine the level of precision that’s achievable with the machine,” says

Henning Albrechtsen, owner of Danish family-owned company. “In addition, the tunnel system within the foundation provides good access to all relevant machine assemblies and thereby ensures optimal ease of servicing.”

The company already owns five Dörries vertical turning lathes, helping it grow to become one of the leading Danish manufacturers of large components for the wind power and offshore industry. With the new machine, Haco and a Danish partner will machine front and stator sheets, and brake discs for wind turbines. The companies will also produce other, primarily welded, components and multiple steel rotor housings with weights of between 50 and 90 T and diameters of almost 11 m.

The machine has a clearance of 12.6 m between stands, while the gantry axis travels over a distance of 14 m and the tool slide allows a maximum stroke of 3.5 m.

For further information www.starrag.com

Five-axis productivity flows For Rivercircle

As a manufacturer of purpose-built leak testing machines, process automation and special purpose machines, and multi-cavity mould tools, Rivercircle Ltd produces and appreciates high-quality machines. That is why the Peterborough-based company says it now has two Axile G8 five-axis machining centres from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG). Specifically, it is the machining of pre-hardened tool steel and larger tool components that led to the addition of the Axile machines.

Jonathan Theobalds from Rivercircle says: “The important thing for our business regarding the selection of the G8 was the need for something with power, strength and rigidity. We’re machining hardened and pre-hardened tool steel, so we require that capability to remove a lot of metal quickly at the beginning and then move into the fine cavity work.”

Discussing one of the big advantages of investing in Axile G8 machines, he says: “With a five-axis machine we’re not doing multiple set-ups, so if we can strap the billet to the machine once and do all the heavy-duty coring-out before using the same machine for delicate finishing, there’s a huge efficiency advantage.”

The ability to hold 1350 kg on the moving bed of the five-axis Axil G8 is very important for Rivercircle.

“As machine builders ourselves, we really appreciate how the Axile machines are built,” says Theobalds. “The Y axis has twin spindles and twin drives, while the tilting B axis features a motor on each side. This design gives the machine excellent rigidity and accuracy. Furthermore, the Axile has a 20,000 rpm spindle and high-pressure through-spindle coolant for both heavy-duty roughing and high-speed finishing.”

For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Soraluce launches high-rail gantry machines

Soraluce, a manufacturer of milling, boring, multi-tasking and automated solutions, is launching its Dynamic Line, featuring the company’s new high-rail gantry machines. The Dynamic Line comprises three machine models tailored to applications in sectors such as aerospace, mould and die, and mechanical engineering, with solutions designed for specific materials like composites, light alloys and steel. The machines are available in the UK from TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC).

Dynamic Line machines can feature either five-axis contouring fork-type or high-torque milling heads. This versatility ensures the handling of intricate and complex shapes. The machines also come with a splash guarding system to uphold cleanliness and safety standards. Moreover, diverse dust extraction systems, both within the enclosure and integrated into the heads, facilitate the removal of dust and debris generated during machining.

A key feature of the high-rail gantry machines is axis speeds up to 60,000 mm/min and acceleration up to 4 m/s². The five-axis contouring heads offers speeds up to 30,000 rpm.

From a precision perspective, thermal stability ensures that performance remains consistent even in the face of fluctuating temperatures and rigorous machining tasks. Highly calibrated kinematics further support accuracy.

Heavy-duty mechanical heads deliver power up to 73 kW for challenging cutting tasks. Moreover, Soraluce’s new offer delivers a diverse range of mechanical five-axis contouring heads with torque up to 2000 Nm.

Integrated intelligent damping solutions such as DAS+ and DWS, complemented by a full cast-iron structure, augment stability and performance. These features work in tandem to minimise vibration under demanding cutting conditions.

Soraluce’s global business development director Oier Elguezabal says: “These machines embody our commitment to innovation and excellence, empowering manufacturers to achieve unparalleled levels of productivity and quality in their operations.”

For further information www.wardcnc.com

Subcontractor takes up five-axis machining

Based in County Cork, Maas Precision Engineering performs its CNC milling on seven Hurco vertical machining centres. The first arrived more than 20 years ago and is still running today. Mass Precision caters for all quantities, with the company manufacturing anything from one-offs and small batches up to 20,000 or more.

Managing director Tadhg Hurley says: “We owe our business success to Hurco and are confident in the machines. I know we can turn parts around quickly, making prototypes in one day or a maximum of two days. Every person here can program every machine. Whether it be a 20-year-old machine or a new five-axis model, we usually program directly at the machines and can process orders quickly because we know they’re going to be right.”

The machines play their part, but Maas Precision sets out to make the right investment at the right time. In 2018 the company purchased its first five-axis VMC, a Hurco VMX42SRTi with swivelling B axis and rotary C axis set in the table. The main benefit was the ability to complete more operations in a single set-up.

The transition to five-axis machining was clearly a success as a second five-axis model is now in place: a Hurco VMX30Ui of more compact design with a swivelling trunnion carrying a rotary table. Mass Precision can easily transfer programs between the Hurco machines, new and old, to balance capacity utilisation. The company must respond quickly to changing customer demands, so being able to swap production runs between machines helps to build confidence in attaining challenging targets.

For further information www.hurco.co.uk

Autonomous machine optimisation software

Productive Machines, a provider of autonomous machine tool optimisation technology, is making its core technology available in a fully automated software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering. The company says that its SenseNC Finesse software is the world’s first to provide automated optimisation of all milling operations, enabling manufacturers to set up each machine tool and run production without chatter at every cutter location across the tool path.

The software uses an artificial intelligence (AI) model to optimise machine processes and is deployed at more than 10 major manufacturers already, including Renault and MASA Aerospace. By making it available as an automated SaaS product, Productive Machines aims to help many more manufacturers eliminate trial and error iterations on machine tools, reduce waste, and deliver better and faster products.

According to the company, machines configured with the technology not only demonstrate the ability to produce parts in half the original time, but also to improve surface quality significantly and reduce waste by up to 25%. In addition, users report a substantial decrease in tooling costs, up to 20%, on optimised machines.

SenseNC Finesse is now available to manufacturers using Siemens NX CAM software via a software plug-in, enabling them to improve the performance of existing machines within their chosen CAM environment. Productive Machines will launch a plug-in for Mastercam users this summer and make its software available to users of CAM software from other vendors in the coming months. 

Dr Erdem Ozturk, CEO at Productive Machines, says: “Since the beginning of our journey, manufacturers have told us they needed an optimisation solution that doesn’t require extensive experience to use. We’ve poured more than 100 years of our cumulative machining dynamics and software engineering expertise into creating our autonomous, easy-to-use solution for users of all levels.”

For further information www.productivemachines.co.uk