Product category:
Pick-up spindle turning, multi-tasking, turning and machining centres
News Release from: Emag UK | Subject: VTC series shaft turning machine
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 29 October 2003
Turrets feed vertical shaft turning
centre
Following on from its earlier horizontal shaft turning machine, Emag has developed a vertical shaft turning machine using two turrets to exchange workpieces as well as perform machining.
Emag has now also turned 4-axis shaft machining on its head, offering a great many advantages for the user With its VTC series, the Vertical Turret-Loaded Center, Emag now also turns shaft machining on its head
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 12 Nov 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Pick-up spindle machines - does the UK lag behind?
Are UK suppliers - particularly automotive sub-contractors - lagging behind Germany and the US in the take-up of pick-up spindle machining and turning centres? The question is put by EMAG UK.
EMAG is a market leader in vertical machining
EMAG has literally turned machining on its head.
The pick-up-principle simplifies automatic loading and unloading of workpieces at almost no extra cost.
This innovation followed the same fundamental principle that led to the success of the vertical turning machines for chucked components.
The cornerstone of the new VTC series, like that of all turning machines and production centers from Emag since the end of the 70s, is an exceptionally sturdy machine base in high-grade polymer granite Mineralit.
The superior vibration dampening properties of this material compared to conventional materials, result in a better surface finish and a longer tool life.
Further reading
EMAG UK - a company profile
Since its foundation in 1984, EMAG UK has established a strong position in the UK automotive market supplying CNC multi-functional production centres.
Grinding and automation expertise extended
With the integration of Ingersoll Naxos crankshaft grinding machine company into the Emag Group, systems can be developed in conjunction with Karstens, Reinecker, Kopp and Heilig Automation.
Compact centre combines hard turn and grind
For the vertical high-speed machining of medium size and also very small workpieces a compact produ ction centre combines hard turning and finish grinding or various grinding processes.
Spindle motor, main spindle, turret and electrical cabinet are all fluid-cooled.
Its high power rating (29/38kW) and high spindle speeds and the very sturdy Emag turrets for 40mm tool shanks make the VTC 250 a highly efficient turning centre for 4-axis machining.
Tailstock and steadies are CNC-controlled.
For complete machining, all 11 positions of each turret, in addition to the workpiece gripper, can be equipped with stationary turning or live-tools for drilling, milling etc.
Workpiece handling - uncomplicated, safe, fast and very cost-effective - the two turrets carry out the simultaneous loading and unloading of raw-parts and finish machined components in the simplest way possible: * The gripper in turret no.
1 picks up the raw-part from its storage section and transports it to the clamping position, whilst the gripper in turret no.
2 simultaneously picks up the finish machined component from the clamping position and removes it from the machining area and deposits it on the storage conveyor for finished components.
Cost reductions across the board: * 4-axis machining reduces cycle times.
* Simultaneous loading and unloading of components reduces idle times.
* Vertically mounted main spindle and tailstock, and vertical loading/unloading of the components make the VTC a compact machine and drastically reduce floor space requirements.
* Integrated load/unload using Emag turrets reduces the capital outlay for automation and peripheral equipment.
* Raw-part and finished component storage systems form an integral part of the machine and reduce the need for monitoring and manual intervention.
Tailstock and steadies are CNC-controlled, and the turrets provide easy operator access.
This reduces set-up and changeover times.
* Direct-drive machine axes and the latest in control system technology reduce the capital outlay for expensive monitoring and sensory equipment.
Complete machining reduces the number of set-ups and improves workpiece quality.
Operating principles- the fundamental principle in the development of vertical pick-up machines a decade ago was to design a product that would be of noticeably greater benefit to the customer than existing metal cutting machines: * 1/3 less capital outlay.
* 1/3 less footprint.
called it the "Machine of the Decade".
Not without good reason: The value of the 2002 order intake for vertical pick-up machines of German manufacture already reached over 60% of that for horizontal CNC turning machines.
Machine development - in 1992, Emag was the first in the world to build a revolutionary vertical turning machine with a main spindle designed as a pick-up work spindle and traversing the main axes.
This allows the machine to load itself.
The work spindle chuck collects the workpiece at the pick-up station and conveys it into the machining area, where it is machined.
On completion of the machining process the spindle returns to the pick-up area with the component and deposits it on the outlet conveyor.
With this innovation Emag stood the conventional design on its head that was first outlined by Leonardo da Vinci in about 1490, and that formed the basis of 500 years of horizontal turning machine manufacture.
The driving force behind growth: the mastery of all batch production technologies for round and "not so round" metal components.
With about 4,500 pick-up machines in the field, Emag is the market leader in this new generation of highly efficient, multifunctional production centers that do not only turn but also drill, mill, grind, gear cut and allow for the application of laser and other interesting process technologies.
EMAG machines are designed for soft, hard, wet, dry and complete machining.
Complete machining, and in particular hard finish machining, increasingly sees the application of a number of technologies on a single machine, frequently as a combined turning and grinding centre.
Emag - partner of the manufacturing industry - the company's multifunctional production centers made Emag the trendsetter and partner of the manufacturing industry in the implementation of modern production techniques.
The main objective was to cut component manufacturing costs and throughput times, as well as to increase process capability and workpiece quality by process sequence reduction through process integration, i.e the application of combined processes.
Endorsing these benefits, Emag pick-up machines are used widely, in particular by the automotive industries and their sub-contractors in all industrialised countries, having become irreplaceable in the production of modern, durable, economical motor cars.
Today, the Emag Group also includes the prominent grinding specialists Reinecker (internal precision grinding), Karstens (external cylindrical production grinding), Kopp (out-of-round and camshaft grinding) and Naxos-Union (crankshaft grinding).
Emag is a partner in the supply of complete, single-source production systems that offer the complete process resource: "Production Planning - Technology - Machine - Training - After-Sales Service".
In fact, Emag is the leading specialist in the machining of many parts of the power train, especially engine and gearbox parts, as well as components for steering systems. Request a free brochure from Emag UK ...
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