Product category:
Vertical machining centres (VMC)
News Release from: Hurco Europe | Subject: Vertical machining centres
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 26 March 2002
Five VMCs - four upgrades and a high
speed version
Five VMCs, which include four with considerably upgraded specifications in terms of speed and working envelope, include a high speed version offering improved surface finish on moulds.
Five vertical machining centres carrying the prefix VMX will be exhibited by Hurco, four of which have considerably upgraded specifications particularly in terms of speed and working envelope compared with their predecessors The other machine - VMX50 - is a recent addition to the range
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 2 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Swarf management improved on Hurco's VMX M-Cs
Five vertical machining centres carrying the prefix VMX have been introduced by Hurco, four of which have considerably upgraded specifications in terms of speed and working envelope.
Small footprint VMC has good price:performance
A vertical machining centre that offers high productivity in a small footprint and with a good price-to-performance ratio will be shown machining components and served by a manual pallet changer.
At MACH 2002, it will be fitted with the new option of a 15,000 rpm spindle, offering higher component productivity and better surface finish on moulds and dies.
Of particular note is the greatly improved swarf management which is now standard on most VMX models.
Chips are effectively removed by flooding coolant not only over the component and table from a ring of built-in coolant jets around the spindle nose, but also down troughs alongside the Y-axis slideway covers towards a spiral chip auger positioned parallel to the X axis in the base of the machine at the front.
Further reading
HSC increases toolmaking productivity and quality
Director of a toolmaking company says he has seen some jobs go through the toolmaking shop five times quicker since high-speed vertical machining centres were installed.
High speed machining halves toolmaking lead times
A fire gave a mould and tool maker the opportunity to upgrade its plant by investing in two high speed VMCs that have typically halved the turnaround time for producing complex tooling.
Added capacity after relocation
The purchase by Brierley of two Hurco VMX64 vertical machining centres during 2004 has increased the press tool maker's milling capacity by two thirds in terms of throughput.
From here the chips are fed into an easily removable swarf bucket at the side.
Rather than having a flat surface, the way covers on all machines have been designed with a double sloping 'tent' cross section to encourage chips to fall away.
Supporting the goal of fast washdown of swarf from the working area is easy installation of through-spindle coolant.
The VMX50 is a 3-, 4- or 5-axis machining centre that is particularly suited to mould and die manufacture, profiling of aerospace components, job shop applications and short-run production.
It has an impressive specification for its class including a 1270 x 660 x 610mm working envelope and a high torque, 11kW (18.75kW peak), 10,000 rpm standard (15,000 rpm optional) spindle motor with fast acceleration and deceleration.
Contributing to high productivity are the fast rapid traverse rates of 30m/min in X and Y, 20m/min in Z, assisted by heavy duty linear guideways and pre-tensioned, double-nut ballscrews.
Cutting feed is also high at 7.6m/min in all axes, promoting the superior quality machined finish so important in mould manufacture in particular to minimise hand finishing.
VMX24 is the smallest Hurco machining centre.
It offers a number of enhancements, notably a 25 per cent increase in Y-axis travel to 508mm, whilst Z-axis travel is up 20 per cent to 610 mm.
Maximum spindle speed is up from 8,000 to 10,000 rpm, delivered by a new, lightweight motor that does not need counterbalancing.
At MACH 2002, a small aluminium demonstration part will show the simplicity of programming either at the control or directly from a DXF file.
The same increases in Y-axis travel to 508 mm, spindle speed to 10,000 rpm and rapids to 30m/min hold true for the VMX30, which will be shown taking very heavy cuts on a mild steel component.
The VMX40 has the same speed enhancements whilst working envelope remains the same at 1020 x 510 x 610mm.
This machine will illustrate 3-axis machining of a plastic injection mould, programmed from a CAD model via Open Mind's hyperFORM CAM software, which is dedicated to mould / die work.
The VMX64 size of machine was launched in 1999 as the BMC6434M, indicating that Hurco's entry into the larger machining centre arena has been relatively recent.
Axis travels remain the same at 1625 x 860 x 760mm but there is now the choice of 6,000, 8,000 or 10,000 rpm spindle speeds to suit high-torque and high-speed applications.
The 50 taper version of the VMX64 is available with 32 tool stations, compared with 24 stations maximum on the others.
ATC time is down to four seconds for tools of 6.8kg or less, this being the standard specification.
The machine is capable of a massive 23kW (30HP), ideal for heavy cutting applications.
All Hurco VMX vertical machining centres are equipped with Ultimax 4, a patented, twin-screen, shop floor programming and control system.
It combines a simple question-and-answer format with calculation-assist for programming 2D contours, whilst maintaining full NC capability for working off-line.
An array of optional software tools include UltiDraw for direct DXF (AutoCAD) file translation; and UltiOpen that turns the second screen into a high-speed gateway to the Internet, enabling file downloads, e-mail access and networking capabilities.
Completing Hurco's exhibits at MACH will be the smallest vertical machining centre in the range, the VSX24, featuring an improved design around a more robust frame, base and column that are manufactured to tighter tolerances.
The machine has most of the benefits of the corresponding VMX24, except that the twin-screen control system is replaced by the simpler Ultimax SSM CNC.
The demonstration will be machining of a complex part fixtured on a Kitagawa rotary 4th axis, the program for which will have been prepared off-line using Hurco's new WinMax Desktop software (see below).
Hurco's Hawk 30 and Hawk 40 bed mills will also be in evidence.
The former will have the SSX control and a 4th axis provided by a Nikken rotary table, while the latter will be fitted with the Ultimax 4 control and will be cycling through a job created from a DXF file to show machining of complex pockets and islands.
It will be clear from these demonstrations that a Hurco bed mill user who wants to progress to a VMX machining centre may do so seamlessly.
MACH 2002 will mark the launch by Hurco of WinMax Desktop, the company's latest generation of off-line programming system that is ideally suited to the Ultimax controls.
Unlike the old DOS-based system, the new software runs on a PC under Windows, making available full-colour rendered graphics plus a number of additional enhanced features.
These include engraving with true-type font, wrap / unwrap contour about the 4th axis, and 10 additional DXF enhancements including re-exporting of edited drawing.
Hurco sees WinMax as a useful tool for users who need to be able to program their Ultimax control while working at a desk.
The software continues the Hurco tradition of simple, easy-to-use programming in a straightforward question and answer format and is able to produce conversational programs for all previous generations of Ultimax control. Request a free brochure from Hurco Europe ...
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