Product category:
Vertical machining centres (VMC)
News Release from: StarragHeckert UK | Subject: STC 100 Dixieland vertical machining centre
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 March 2004
Stable VMCs designed for five sides
machining
VMCs feature inherent stability when machining on five sides of a component at a single setting, which can be across the spectrum from hardened steel to light materials such as aluminium.
The latest generation of vertical machining centres from StarragHeckert have been developed to expand its world-leading solution providing position in five-axis machining of free-form surfaces These can include mould and dies, turbines, impellers, blisks, stator shells, compressor wheels as well as the re-machining of forged or worn compressor blades, tool body and tool pockets
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 31 Oct 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The StarragHeckert STC 100 Dixieland is a vertical spindle monobloc design developed against a brief for inherent stability when machining on five sides of a component at a single setting which can be across the spectrum from hardened steel to light materials such as aluminium.
The machine is able to take maximum advantage of Heidenhain's latest control system technology and CAM-based programming to attain high levels of geometry, tolerance and surface finish with minimal floor to floor times.
Available through StarragHeckert UK of Brackley, the STC 100 Dixieland combines an X-axis stroke of 400mm, Y-axis of 220mm and Z-axis of 350mm with a 360deg rotary A-axis and a swivel axis covering +110deg to -15deg.
Further reading
VMC has higher rigidity, faster acceleration
Higher levels of rigidity, fast acceleration and rapid traverse rates for spindle positioning and simultaneous five-axis operation feature a modular nachining centre for wet or dry machining.
Complex testpiece settled machining centre choice
The need to machine highly intricate mould and electrode details to short lead time schedules, led Pascoe Engineering to challenge would-be high speed M-C suppliers with a complex testpiece.
Spindle speed is 40,000 revs/min developed through an 8 kW motor and rapid traverse rates are 22m/min with acceleration of 1G from the digitally interfaced AC drive system.
The fabricated monobloc machine bed supports both the traversing moving column and longitudinal slide which in turn fully supports the vertical slideway, headstock and spindle motor assembly.
The milling unit, swivel and rotary axes are both mounted on the longitudinal slide.
This extremely rigid design configuration means special foundations are not required and the onset of vibration is minimised which enables high levels of surface finish to be achieved.
High levels of contouring accuracy can also be maintained throughout the simultaneous five-axis manipulation of the component generated from Heidenhain's latest iTNC 530 control system.
Indeed, the Dixieland STC 100 has been developed specifically for smaller, complex part machining involving features such as helicoidal and pitch surfaces which can be found in pump bodies, single and multi-stage blisks, tool bodies, precision aerospace forgings and are an important feature for blade repair.
Parts of this type require abrupt and frequent changes of feed direction and extensive axis manipulation to optimise the presentation of the machining surface to the milling cutter at high feed rates and with minimal compensation.
Up to 80 tools with a three second change time, can be held in the machine's twin chain-type magazines mounted one on top of the other.
A built-in pallet change option can also be specified to maximise machine utilisation and allow loading and unloading during the machining cycle.
Additional pallet storage is available.
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