A 150 mm diameter quill that extends up to 750 mm from the Heckert HEC 1800 machining centre’s Z-axis spindle enables the use of ‘conventional’ rigid tooling for deep internal machining tasks without fear of compromising the accuracy or quality of workpiece finishes, says Starrag UK.

The extendable spindle is just one of the technology options on the multi-axis HEC 1800 which, with its 1.8 x 1.25 m table capable of accommodating 13-tonne workpieces up to 2700 mm tall, is the largest in Heckert’s HEC range of four-/five-axis horizontal machining centres. In fact, the quill option is available on machines from 800 mm table size upwards.

As well as several standard horizontal spindle options, a range of horizontal and vertical four- and five-axis heads, for example, can also be specified to suit user needs, as well as chain or tower tool storage for up to 450 tools. In addition, a 400 rpm NC rotary table is an option for in-process turning on the larger machines.

The Heckert HEC 1800 has X, Y and Z-axis travel of 3400 x 2800 x 2335 mm, while the 84 kW spindle produces up to 12,500 rpm and 1500 Nm torque.

One of eight Starrag machines installed progressively since 2003 at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and at sister centre Nuclear AMRC by Starrag as part of its membership of both facilities, a Heckert HEC 1800 P150 is available at the Nuclear AMRC to help UK manufacturers optimise their machining.

For further information
www.starrag.com