Multi-function VTL equipped with pallet pool

Multi-function vertical turning and milling centres can now be equipped with a pallet pool system and can produce complex components weighing up to 6 tonnes in one set-up.

A multi-function machining centre, called UniSpeed 5, was launched by SHW at EMO 2005 for producing complex components weighing up to six tonnes in a single visit to the machine.

The travelling-column machine has a working volume of X: 2,000 mm x Y: 1,300 mm x Z: 1,300 mm and a fully automatic, universal head that provides two further CNC axes.

At the UK distributor Geo Kingsbury's recent 50th Anniversary open house, video displays presented two new variants of this machine.

One, the UniSpeed 5T, has the ability to turn components in-cycle using a 1600mm diameter table rotating at up to 250 rev/min, with constant surface speed capability.

The other machine, UniSpeed 5P, was fitted for the first time with a pallet pool.

Having 64,800 programmable positions, the milling head delivers full force in all positions and the control system automatically compensates for tool position as the head rotates.

Direct drive reduces wear and eliminates heat generation in gears, and the 36kW drive motor is cooled to prevent growth.

Spindle speed range is 22 to 6,000 rev/min and 50-taper (optionally HSK 100) tools are automatically supplied from a 48-station magazine.

Despite weighing 40 tonnes, the UniSpeed 5 needs no special foundations as it has a rigid, composite base, thereby reducing installation costs.

The Hydropol composite material is a special concrete that has about 30 times higher damping capacity than cast iron, resulting in improved surface quality, more precise manufacturing tolerances and longer tool life.

High productivity is important for a large machine to ensure return on investment, so the UniSpeed 5 has been endowed with surprising agility, evidenced by acceleration at 2m/s2 up to 30m/min rapid traverse in all orthogonal axes.

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