THIS WEEK IN MACHINERY: Controls, Routers, Skiving Heads & More

New Freedom Machine Tool CNC Router Design

(Image courtesy of DMS.)

Diversified Machine Systems (DMS) recently created a new design in its Freedom Machine Tool (FMT) product line. This new machine, the FMT Plus, is intended to provide a greater degree of versatility without sacrificing rigidity.

This FMT Plus machine offers a Z axis of up to 15 inches, an increase from its previous top-line FMT router by eight inches. This enables customers to route materials having greater levels of height and thicknesses such as plastic, dense wood and foam composites.

The FMT Plus is comprised of a fully stress-relieved, laser-calibrated steel frame. The frame is outfitted with 30mm motion rails on both the X and Y axes. These are driven by 30mm and 40mm ball-screw assemblies, respectively.

“Designing this machine was more than simply adding more Z axis height to an existing FMT machine,” said FMT sales and marketing manager, Andrew Townsend. “To ensure we maintained the quality FMT is known for, our engineers redesigned the machine to fully-incorporate the additional Z axis height into a completely new machine.”

For more information, visit the Freedom Machine Tool website.

EXSYS Skiving Head

(Image courtesy of EXSYS Tool, Inc.)

EXSYS Tool’s new 90-degree skiving drilling and milling head not only provides angled drilling and milling capabilities on turning centers, but also enables the machines to perform gear skiving operations. According to the company, the new head cuts gear patterns faster than conventional gear shaping or broaching methods and generates both internal and external gears with helical profiles as well as gears close to part shoulders without interference.

With conventional live tooling, cutting tools on turning centers can machine parts only from a horizontal position. Thus, the gear skiving operation would require either a dedicated gear skiving machine or a full 5-axis milling and turning machine. EXSYS’s drilling and milling head is designed to enable shops to achieve the angled positions necessary for gear skiving and for the creation of integral splines.

The new drilling and milling head operates at spindle speeds of 3,000 rpm and delivers a torque output of 40 Nm. It is also compatible with external coolant supplies.

On the skiving drilling and milling head, set screws adjust head position 45 degrees up or down for the system’s full 90-degree range of motion. An operator loosens the set screws, manually sets the position of the head and tightens the screws.

The adjustable head is a stand-alone tooling solution and is also PRECI-FLEX ready. The PRECI-FLEX modular tooling system is intended to offer fast, accurate turning machine turret tooling changeovers. The system features a single-base holder and multiple tooling adapters.

The short, compact design of the PRECI-FLEX aims to ensure maximum torque transmission and rigidity, while its conical and flat-face planar interface can provide accuracy and rigidity when using an adapter or a standard ER collet. The interface also makes it easy to mount collets, end mill holders, expanding collet chucks and shrink-fit tooling to the single-base holder.

For more information, visit the EXSYS Tool website.

HEIDENHAIN Control Adds Probing Cycle Option

(Image courtesy of HEIDENHAIN.)

HEIDENHAIN’s TNC 640 mill-turn control is now available with an optional 3D probing cycle called Cycle 444. Already equipped with both manual and automatic probing cycles for datum setting, workpiece alignment and inspection, the TNC 640 offers this additional 3D probing cycle to meet manufacturers’ increased requirements for automation and advanced probing routines that inspect free form surfaces where measurement positions are often difficult to capture.

Cycle 444 checks one specific point on the surface of each workpiece. The contact point is determined by a vector that is normal to the 3D surface. The measurement cycle enables the measurement of 3D shapes such as free form surfaces of a mold part. Based on a defined tolerance range along the vector, it checks the determined measured values. It is advisable to determine the normal vector with the help of a CAD/CAM system.

As with all HEIDENHAIN control cycles for automatic probing, a parameter is given for classifying a part as Good/Rework/Scrap. Additionally, the TNC outputs a log file with documented positions and deviations.

If option 92 "3D-ToolComp" is active on the TNC 640, a touch probe can be recalibrated using a calibration ball, improving system accuracy for measurements. The key here is that the touch probe is re-calibrated for various contact points along the ball-tip of the touch probe styli. As a result, repeatability is increased for the vectors formed by the contacts points and the spheres’ centers.

For more information, visit the HEIDENHAIN website.

UNISIG Compact Rifling Technology

(Image courtesy of UNISIG.)

Designed as a reliable, high-precision solution for gun manufacturers, UNISIG’s dedicated R-2A rifling equipment performs the most critical final steps of firearm manufacturing: finishing barrel blanks.

A storage capacity of up to 300 part programs makes it possible to complete many different part setups quickly with less input from the operator. The machine’s programs suit a broad range of calibers and profiles. The R-2A is designed to fit equally well within either a job shop’s CNC cell or a high-volume production environment. R-2A machines are also automation ready for lights-out operation.

For more information, visit the UNISIG website.

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