Starrag has announced the second – and larger capacity – member of its new Heckert range with the launch of the T55 five-axis horizontal machining centre for the multi-tasking and complete machining of workpieces weighing up to 700 kg.The machine can perform single set-up milling, turning, drilling, gear-cutting/skiving and pointing to accuracies down to 3 µmdue to the interaction between its temperature- and vibration-stable mineral cast machine bed and the double symmetrically-mounted rotary drive unit.

Drive elements such as planet carriers and wheel hub drives for commercial vehicles, agricultural machinery and industrial applications are typical applications.With pallets of 500 x 630 mm and X, Y and Z-axis travels of 850, 1020 and 1000 mm respectively, the T55 is of compact, robust design and has a low-vibration rotary drive unit specially designed for turning operations – plus a dynamic main 72 kW spindle rated at 15,000 rpm and 292 Nm. Acceleration rates are up to 10 m/sec², while rapid traverse is 80 m/min. The NC rotating table carries a rating of 900 rpm and the HSK-T100 toolholder also encourages high chip removal rates.

Although the T55 can machine components with a workpiece contour of 900 mm, chip-to-chip time is only 4.3 seconds and pallet change time is 14.5 seconds. Like its smaller stablemate (the T45), the new T55 is ergonomic, and easy and reliable to operate, while workpiece loading is easily automated by pallet storage units or robots.

Indeed, the success of a two-T45 machine cell with robot load/unload saw a drive manufacturer double productivity, halve overall machine footprint and reduce tool and handling costs by 40%. The T55 could easily mirror this performance on larger workpieces.
For further information www.starrag.com

At the recent DMG Mori open house held at the machine tool manufacturer’s Pfronten factory in Germany, a new five-axis machining centre was launched aimed at the entry-level market. Less than 2 m wide, the compact, competitively priced DMU 40 is capable of fully interpolative five-axis machining to within microns inside a 550 x 450 x 420 mm working volume.

Of trunnion-mounted rotary table design, the machine is based on the DMU 50 3rd Generation, of which more than 10,000 have been sold worldwide.The one-piece machine bed is made from grey cast iron, while the optimised geometry of the Y- and Z-axis slideways and the inline spindle with hydraulic clamping further ensure high rigidity. In addition, direct-drive ballscrews in the X and Y axes improve surface quality. For machining flexibility, the swivel range of the B axis extends from -35° to 110°.

The ergonomic design of the DMU 40 offers optimal accessibility to the work area. Table loading height is 800 mm and the distance from the operator to the table centre is short, while it is also possible to load components by crane. A large window and improved lighting provide good visibility. Optionally, the tool magazine may be loaded from the front.

There are three machine options with different equipment packages to meet individual requirements. The standard DMU 40 has a 12,000 rpm spindle and 24-position tool magazine, while the DMU 40 PLUS features a 15,000 rpm spindle and a tool magazine with 30 pockets, linear scales and passive cooling of all main components. Finally, the DMU 40 PRO is the most accurate and productive model, with active cooling and a 20,000 rpm spindle.
For further information www.dmgmori.com

30-taper vertical machining centre (VMC) manufacturer, Brother, has introduced a new five-axis model with a swivelling rotary table. Despite having a nominal footprint of just 1.5 x 2 m, the Brother Speedio U500Xd1 is capable of multi-face machining of components up to 500 mm diameter by 270 mm high, and weighing up to 100 kg.

Combined with a 28-position magazine for tools weighing up to 4 kg and either a 10,000 rpm/18.9 kW or 16,000 rpm/15 kW spindle with a face-and-taper interface option, Brother says that the production centre redefines machines in this class and is aimedsquarely at competing with 40-taper machining centres.

Sole sales and service agent in the UK, Whitehouse Machine Tools, points out that there is little competition to the machine on the market in terms of its operating speed. Rapid traverse is 50 m/min in X and Y, and even faster in Z, which accelerates at 2.2 g up to 56 m/min. Chip-to-chip time is 1.3 seconds, or faster still if a 14- or 21-tool magazine is fitted. Cutter exchange and axis motions take place simultaneously to minimise cycle times.

Trunnion swivel (A-axis) at 50 rpm is a -30/+120°and the table (C axis) rotates at 75 rpm. Roller gear cam mechanisms drive both rotary axes and 0-90° indexing times are 0.9 and 1.2 seconds respectively. Clamping torques are high at 610 and 500 Nm.

Lowering the power consumption of its machines has long been Brother’s aim. For a start, the electricity and air used by a 30-taper machine is only about 20% of that required by a 40-taper machine. The U500Xd1 is also equipped with a power regeneration system that reuses energy generated when the spindle motor decelerates.
For further information www.wmtcnc.com