Product category:
Machining centres - all types
News Release from: Hurco Europe | Subject: VMX24HS and VMX42HS vertical machining centres
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 June 2004
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.
A fire at Haverhill Mould and Tooling in September 2003 gave the 15-year-old Suffolk manufacturer of plastic injection moulds, press tools, die casting tools, jigs and fixtures the opportunity to upgrade its plant So proprietor, Nigel Farenden, invested in two high-speed vertical machining centres from Hurco Europe to replace the slower machines that had been destroyed
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 5 Feb 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Hurco increases machining centre size
Hurco has introduced a larger vertical-spindle, 3- to 5-axis machining centre suited in particular to mould and die manufacture, aerospace components, job shop applications and short-run production.
One-stop EDM toolmaker buys CNC milling
An EDM toolmaker-come-general subcontractor wanting to expand into prismatic metalcutting has bought a Hurco machining centre to offer a one-stop service
Benefits were immediately apparent, as the typical four-week turnaround time for a fairly complex tool has been halved and operator involvement reduced.
One element of the time saving is faster metal removal made possible by the 15,000 rpm spindle and high-speed profiling software with data smoothing that triples the programmable feed rates of Hurco's VMX24HS and VMX42HS machining centres compared with standard models.
Another factor is that electric discharge machining (EDM) of sharp corners and other fine detail is often not needed now, as the higher spindle speed allows 1mm diameter ball-nose milling cutters to be used without fear of it breaking.
Further reading
Toolmaker adds on machining centres
In answer to demands for prismatic machining as well as EDM, toolmaker Forum Services purchased a Hurco 4020 HTM machining centre
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.
Subby diversifies to beat the telecomms downturn
The current uncertainty in the telecommunications industry has prompted many subcontractors to diversify their customer base to compensate for a reduction in high volume production contracts.
It eliminates the time-consuming job of making electrodes and then sinking the features.
Only deep ribs with square corners need to be sparked, as access for cutting tools is restricted.
Higher spindle speed, more rigid machine construction, and increased NC block processing speed and look-ahead of the Hurco Ultimax 4 control, together with the latest Edgecam surfacing software from Pathtrace, all combine to produce a much better surface finish than was previously possible.
Herein lies a further time saving for Haverhill, as the amount of hand finishing needed has fallen dramatically.
A mould that previously took three to four days for polishing out the milling and sparking marks, starting with a stone and moving on to paper abrasives, now takes a maximum of one day using just fine-grit paper.
Commented Farenden, "The accuracy from Hurco machines is second to none these days - the mould halves just drop together and need very little work.
They have made us more competitive in terms of both quality and lead time, which is important these days with such strong competition from China in particular, and also from Korea and Portugal." He went on to say that Haverhill is regularly asked to rework Chinese-made mould tools, so low prices quoted by foreign suppliers must be taken in the context of possible additional expense and time delay.
"Anyone can make a poor quality tool for next to nothing," he observed.
"A well-known electric hand tool manufacturer in the UK put its mouldmaking out to China two years ago, but the moulds are being made in the UK again now." Haverhill produces tools in the range 1 kg to 2 tonnes.
A particular specialism is injection moulds for plastic lenses used to cover vehicle lights.
Some of these lenses and other products are produced in house, as the company also has a moulding shop equipped with 25 to 300 tonne machines.
Continued Farenden, "When we had the fire, some tooling was destroyed that was needed to fulfil an important contract in which there was a penalty clause for late delivery.
It was crucially important that we got our new plant up and running quickly, and Hurco obliged by lending us a standard VMX24 straight away while the insurance money was sorted out.
Other suppliers were less obliging in this respect, as well as more expensive." He also likes the simplicity of the Ultimax twin-screen control system, which the operators use to program simple jobs on the shop floor, such as ejector holes and clamping plates.
This frees the CADCAM system for more complex surfacing work.
A further advantage of the CNC system's ease of use is that operators can move easily between different types of machine - turning, milling, sparking - without having to spend time re-familiarising themselves with different complex controls. Request a free brochure from Hurco Europe ...
• Hurco Europe: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
