Ultra-Fast 5-Axis Machining Centre

At Southern Manufacturing 2019, Whitehouse Machine Tools will promote the machine tool ranges it sells into the UK and Ireland under sole agency agreements with several overseas manufacturers. Included are machining centres from Brother, Japan, as well as from Spinner and AXA, Germany, and Akari and WELE, Taiwan. Marketed also are CNC turning centres from Spinner and also from Biglia, Italy.

Demonstrated on the stand will be a Brother Speedio M140X1 5-axis, 30-taper mill-turn centre with a 2,000 rpm direct-drive C-axis table and an A-axis trunnion tiltable from +120 to -30 degree, allowing machining of features at the rear of components and facilitating loading and unloading of parts at the front of the machine. X / Y / Z axis travels are 200 / 440 / 305 mm and a 16,000 rpm BIG Plus face-and-taper contact spindle can be specified in place of the standard 10,000 rpm spindle.

Brother has removed every conceivable element of non-productive time. Not only are speeds fast during non-cutting motions, but they also take place simultaneously in X, Y, Z, A and C, together with tool change. The spindle motor's rapid acc/dec and a highly responsive servo control enable a 0.2 second start / stop time. Start-up time of the turning table from zero to 2,000 rpm is less than 0.3 second.

The specification includes 0.9 second tool change from the 22-position magazine, giving 1.4 seconds chip-to-chip time. Rapids of 50 m/min in the linear axes help to minimise non-cutting times further, while 30 m/min cutting feed rate maximises metal removal rate. Synchronised tapping is world-leading at 377 m/min peripheral tap speed. Accessibility for workpiece transfer is ergonomic and the generous door opening can be automated for high production environments.

A video of the machine demo-cutting an aluminium component from a solid billet may be viewed at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JogzBxM7uA&app=desktop