MACH 2024: Top machining technology from NCMT

Celebrating its 60^th anniversary this year, NCMT has represented premium Japanese machine tool manufacturers Okuma and Makino in the UK for many years.

This year’s MACH show will see NCMT’s stand adorned with new machining technology from both companies.

Machining centres: Okuma

Machining centre gains robotic loading of workpieces

Rigid, thermally-stable construction protects the Okuma Genos M560-V-e vertical machining centre (VMC) from thermal deformation, resulting in high machining performance for an entry-level machine. The 3-axis machine is able to process a variety of materials from titanium to aluminium and does so without sacrificing dimensional accuracy, finish quality or productivity. At the show, the machine will be equipped with a Cellro X20 robotic system for component load/unload and storage.

The M560-V-e has a 1,050 x 560 x 460mm working envelope and a maximum table load of 900kg. The 15,000 rpm BT40 spindle moves in the X- and Z-axes, with the table moving in Y. A 32-position tool magazine is provided. Software can be added, including Machining Navi to minimise chatter by finding the best cutting conditions. It employs a microphone to detect the onset of vibration and feeds information back to the control. A change in spindle speed is then recommended so that an adjustment can be made to suppress the chatter.

Small 5-axis machining centre in the Genos range

The popular Genos M460-5AX VMC with a working volume of 762 x 460 x 460mm will be at MACH and will be one of the first Okuma machines to be exhibited in the UK with the manufacturer's new OSP 500 control.

It was the original 5-axis machine in Okuma's economical, series-built Genos range. The trunnion with rotary table and 5-axis simultaneous control give the machine the ability to produce highly complex components. The BT40 spindle is rated at 15,000rpm/22kW, which is served from a 48-position tool magazine.

Okuma's Thermo-Friendly Concept is included in the specification, based on feedback from temperature sensors around the machine structure and spindle. It delivers remarkably high accuracy machining in a normal shopfloor environment. Tests have shown thermal deviation to be less than 10µm over a 24-hour period, despite a variation in ambient temperature of as much as 8° C.

Controls: Okuma

Next-generation Okuma control

The OSP-P500 CNC system, manufactured in-house by Okuma along with virtually everything else on its machines, will be on show for the first time in the UK.

It combines highly productive and precise machining with ease of use, energy efficiency and safety features to protect against cyberattacks. Particularly well suited to high-speed machining applications and achieving top quality surface finishes, the CNC has twice the computing power of a conventional machine control, shortening cycle times by up to 15%.

An on-machine digital twin facilitates high-precision simulation of machining processes, reducing set-up times and speeding production. By performing these simulations on the machine itself, production can start immediately afterwards. Alternatively, with digital twin on a PC, simulation can be carried out offline while production is in progress on the machine.

Even inexperienced users benefit from the advantages of the control due to its user-friendly interface.

Machining centres: Makino

Ultra-fast, compact, 5-axis VMC

In a space on the shopfloor of less than 3.3m², the N2-5XA horizontal machining centre from Makino is capable of very high-speed machining of components up to 300mm diameter by 270mm high and weighing a maximum of 30kg, including fixture. The machine is ideal for fully interpolative, 5-axis machining of complex components made from difficult-to-cut materials like stainless steel, cobalt-chrome and zirconium, as well as titanium- and nickel-based alloys.

Typical applications include the production of dental bridges and medical parts such as femoral knee implants. High surface quality is achieved without the need to use coolant. However, the N2-5XA is equally well-suited to machining a range of other parts within its working volume of 300 x 300 x 230mm, for example impellers and compressor blades for the aerospace industry.

The horizontal-spindle design ensures that gravity assists swarf removal, prolonging tool life by avoiding recutting of chips that are frequently harder than the parent material.

The N2-5XA has direct drive motors powering both the -120 +40° swivelling trunnion and the 200mm diameter rotary table. A robust, single-piece bed casting provides sufficient rigidity to enable rapid linear acceleration/deceleration of 1g in X and 1.5g in Z, without compromising accuracy. A notable feature of the machine is the moving-column Y-axis driven by twin ballscrews.

Automated VMC cell to be launched

The show will also mark the first UK appearance of the Makino DA300 5-axis, trunnion-type VMC configured as a production cell with 40 pallet positions on five levels for extended periods of lights-out running.

Maximum workpiece size is 360mm diameter by 300mm tall for the eight positions on the top row of the store and 280mm tall on all other levels. Maximum payload per position is 60kg.

The automation package includes integrated chuck, pallet interface and Single Pro6 graphically-driven cell controller, via which it is easy to manage the machine and pallet system. The cell is ideal for five-sided and fully-interpolative, 5-axis production of complex components in one clamping. A rigid structure combines with high dynamic motion control to reduce cycle times significantly while maintaining accurate performance.

Equipped with integral, direct-drive motors for the swivelling +30 to -120° A-axis trunnion and also for C-axis rotation of the 340mm by 300mm table, the machine deploys a 20,000rpm, 22 kW, HSK-A63 spindle capable of rigorous milling, drilling and tapping.

NCMT
www.ncmt.co.uk
Hall 19, Stand 130