Product category:
Vertical machining centres (VMC)
News Release from: Whitehouse Machine Tools | Subject: TC-32BN-QT at MACH 2008
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 29 February 2008
Uprated machining centre control is
powerful
An uprated, twin-pallet maching centre features automatic tool change from a 40-station magazine instead of the normal 27-tool model, and a more advanced and powerful control.
Described as an uprated version Brother's 'flagship' machining centre, the TC-32BN-QT will make its first appearance at a major exhibition outside Japan at the UK's MACH 2008 machine tool exhibition The stand of UK sales and service agent for Brother, Whitehouse Machine Tools, said that the twin-pallet machine features automatic tool change (ATC) from a 40-station magazine instead of the normal 27-tool ATC
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 28 Jun 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The TC-32BN-QT also has a more advanced and powerful control that includes USB connectivity and an integrated PLC to control automatic fixtures and other ancillary items.
Optional features on the machine, as shown, will include a fully integrated Lehmann trunnion fixture to provide a 4th axis on the two 600 x 425mm pallets.
The machining centre also has a face-and-taper HSK 40A spindle with high-pressure (1,000 lb/in2 or 70 bar) through-tool coolant system, and a combined Renishaw OTS tool setter and spindle-mounted OMP40 inspection probe.
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Measurement data is fed back to the control via an interface that uses modulated optical transmission, offering high resistance to light interference.
Absence of cables makes the Renishaw package ideal for twin pallet and rotary table machines, said Whitehouse.
High speed working - high speed attributes of the Brother machine include the following.
* 70m/min rapid traverse in all axes.
* Acceleration/deceleration of 1.5G in the Z-axis.
* Up to 20m/min cutting feed rate.
* An automatic tool change time of 2.1s.
To match the faster metal removal rates, care has been taken with swarf management, said Whitehouse to manufacturingtalk.com.
Particularly with regard to angled surfaces, Brother has designed the coolant flow and efficient removal of chips via a central trough to a swarf management system running from front to back.
The Filtration Service Engineering system on the machine at MACH 2008 will feature a scraper conveyor and an auto back-flushing rotary drum providing filtration to 25 micron.
* Control system - Brother's control system is capable of simultaneous interpolation of four axes.
It provides automatic display of both cutting and non-cutting time to assist development of efficient programs.
A variety of canned cycles plus tool life management facilities are available.
Yaskawa servo drives and absolute encoders provide high resolution for outstanding machining accuracy and surface finish, especially where the axes change direction while in-cut.
A positioning accuracy of 5 micron/300mm with repeatability of +/-3 micron was quoted by Whitehouse.
The Brother TC-32BN-QT to be displayed at MACH 2008 has already been sold to Technoturn, Hastings, UK, a precision turned parts subcontractor that is keen to add extra prismatic machining capability beyond that available using the driven tools on its many sliding-head and fixed-head lathes.
The machine was on show briefly at a small in-house event held at the premises of Brother machine user, Dorset subcontractor Turntech Precision Engineering, during February 2008.
Technoturn personnel in attendance at around the time the order was placed were director David McIlwain, machine shop manager Garry Harrison and machine setter Lee Parnell.
The TC-32BN-QT was installed temporarily for the show at Turntech.
Other Whitehouse-supplied machine tools purchased and operated by the subcontractor were also available for demonstration, namely a Japanese-built OKK 5-axis VP400 vertical machining centre, a Biglia B301YS lathe manufactured in Italy, and two further Brother machines - the TCS2A and TC-S2C drill/tap centres.
Machines from all of the principals will be exhibited on the Whitehouse Machine Tools stand at MACH 2008.
* Whitehouse Machine Tools at MACH 2008, NEC, Birmingham, UK, April 21-25, Hall 5, Stand 5348.
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