Archive for the ‘CNC Mini Machines’ Category

3-axis Gantry Desktop CNC
Posted by Blog Happenings: [404 Check: was link to http:/ / cnccncmachine. com/ compact -cnc -machines -come -ready -to -use. html, anchor: Compact CNC Machine] arrives ready to use. These are desk top 3-axis gantry-type
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CNC Plasma Cutting
Posted by Wilbur Corncob: Torchmate offers various CNC cutting systems and a 23 page catalog online. They sell the Torchmate II CNC shape cutting machine in kit form for under $6,000. It allow s you to create shapes on your screen and cut them automatically. It has a rapid traverse speed of 300 Inch Per Minute and a cutting speed of 80 IPM. CNC plasma cutter operations
Tags: plasma cutting, torch cutting. Comments: 0.

CNC Software for the Cabinet and Door Industry Interview
Posted by ‘Interviewer’: Name of your website Software for the Cabinet and Door Industry Your name Frank D. Jimenez Your Location (city, etc) Medford, Oregon U.S.A. Please give us a short summary of your website CNC Software that provides cutlists, material summaries, labels, floor plan views, wall elevations, 3D Renderings, 3D dimensioned shop drawings,
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Tools, articles and jobs
Posted by Blog Happenings: Fastest CNC punch press offers simple automation As well as laying claim to be one of the world’s fastest punching machines, CNC punch press system features "twin-cart". [404 Check: was link to http:/ / www. cnc -machine -tool -probe. com/ index. php/ machien -tool/ machine -tool -line -e88/ , anchor: Machine Tool Line: E88] Probing
Tags: cnc punch, retrofit. Comments: 0.

Wood and Metal Works
Posted by Website Introductions: At CNC, all your wood and metal working needs is available. Minifactory CNC woodworking milling machines Vacuum press Automatic Vacuum press With 2 work tables CNC laser-engraving machines CNC laser-engraving machines Metalworking CNC plasma cutting machines PVC film for vacuum press Woodworking and metalworking CNC
Tags: metalworks, minifactory. Comments: 0.

CNC Drill Press
Posted by Wilbur Corncob: We have seen various types of lathes with go with numerical control but that are not the only machines which utilize CNC add-on. There are numerous other machines such as the drill machine which use CNC including drilling machines. Well you might think what sort of arrangement would be it because as we a drilling machine is simply used to make a
Tags: cnc drill, printed circuit boards. Comments: 0.

Choosing the right drafting table at Office1000 – Part 2 of drafting series
Posted by Office1000: In an earlier post we went over some of the drafting products we carry at Office1000.com. In this post, we will discuss some of the different types of drafting tables available on our website. In the next post, we will do an informative bit about drafting stools. On our website, we offer several types of drafting tables . Please be aware when
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HAAS CNC Machines History
Posted by Wilbur Corncob: There are several companies in the world which manufacture CNC machines and in this blog we will learn something about one such company. The name of the company is HAAS machines. It has a wide range of vertical as well as horizontal CNC machining centres under its belt and caters to the needs of a wide target of consumers who have such
Tags: haas, horizontal cnc machining. Comments: 0.

CNC Router and Programming
Posted by Bill: Cnc Router : "A few years ago my fiance, Len Rulason and myself built a CNC Router so we could learn a bit about CNC programming and to make parts for our full scale and model aviation hobbies." Check out the blog for some great photos of a home built hobby cnc system and
Tags: hobby cnc, cnc router. Comments: 0.

Beyond the CNC Control
Posted by Wilbur Corncob: CNC is not only about hardware as the name might suggest i.e. computerized numerical control. As is evident from the explanation of the acronym itself, whenever computerized control is involved in the process it also requires some sort of software to run the unintelligent hardware to perform some activity which is mostly a manufacturing related
Tags: flashcut cnc, cnc software. Comments: 0.

Industrial Information – High Speed Milling Machines

High speed machining is a proven stipulation characterized by low cutting forces and high metal removal. High Speed Milling is a technique used in the CNC Milling Industry that combines high spindle speeds with increased feed rates. This results in a high chip-forming rate and lower milling forces, producing an improved surface quality and closer tolerances. In high speed milling, the electronics can make all the difference. The right CNC coupled with other elements of the control system can let a slower machine mill a given form faster than a machine with a higher top feed rate.

1. High Speed Uses

High-speed CNC milling is used, for example, to machine the titanium rotors of the first high-pressure compressor stages of the EJ200 engine. High speed CNC milling allows cost-effective milling of the airfoil geometry from the solid. By subsequent finishing operations the planned surface finish is achieved. The CNC milling which caters to high speed must be structured with an axis movement system that is suitable for machining.

2. Axis Movement

The high-speed CNC milling machines required for the process must be fitted with an axis movement system suitable for machining blisks, which should be at least 5 axes simultaneously, depending on the milling task involved and an efficiently high-speed control system.

3. 3D Surfaces

High Speed CNC milling machines working on 3D surfaces in any materials produce a finer surface finish and higher accuracy in less time that the traditional milling machine. Acceleration is the most critical factor that affects the high speed machining. Since one or more axis are always increasing or decreasing velocity in a 3-D cut, ultimate feed rate is directly related to acceleration

4. What Can A High Speed Control Possibly Do?

A CNC milling machine which possesses a higher structural stiffness has a greater potential acceleration rate. Box shaped high speed CNC milling machine, like Bridge and Gantry is the mostly widely used types of High speed CNC milling tools. The overhead type Gantry exudes the highest stiffness, acceleration and accuracy among other high speed CNC milling tools. Due to its scalability, this machine type is available in sizes to match the work piece, from small to large.

In usual terms, it simply gives you the ability to finish one task faster and move along to the next sooner, making work output higher. In drilling and tapping, this can result in faster hole-to-hole times, quicker spindle reversals for tapping, and substantial cycle-time reductions. The most dramatic benefits, though, come in 3D designs machining. Few, drilling and tapping jobs require a million lines of machine codes. In molds, dies, patterns, and prototypes, complex surfaces comprising a million or more line segments are not at all uncommon. Saving just a fraction of a second per move can result in substantial cycle-time improvements.

5. Downsides – When Is Fast Too Fast?

But despite all these benefits, in high milling, the tool path segments can be so short that a machining center moving at a high feed rate can?t accelerate or decelerate fast enough to make direction changes accurately. Corners may be rounded off and the work piece surface may be gouged. Look-ahead is one answer. Look-ahead capability can let the CNC read ahead a certain number of blocks in the program, to anticipate sudden direction changes and slow the feed rate accordingly.

6. Additional Benefits:

- Improved accuracy
- Better fit
- Superior finish
- Better life
- Produce more work in less time
- Improving the accuracy and finish
- Reducing polishing and fitting time
- Tools simply last longer because their chip load is more consistent

About the Author:

For more great milling machine related articles and resources check out http://www.millinginfo.com

A very compact universal CNC 3-axis milling machine for general machining is being offered at an unrivalled price-performance ratio, selling for under EUR 50,000

Emco Group, based in Austria, said it is widening the ‘design-to-cost philosophy’ into ‘designed to costs and market’, with its ongoing additions to its successful E25/45/65 milling machine series. The new Emcomill E 600 – a modular and compact design – is being offered at an ‘unrivalled price-performance ratio’.

The Emcomill E 600 is the result of a successful joint operation between Emco and its Italian subsidiary, Famup.

The CNC universal miller is offered for general machining as well as tool and prototype construction.

The Emco Group, in a report to manufacturingtalk.com, said it has created a new machine generation for the standard 3-axis machined parts production.

The Ecomill E 600 is available for EUR 49,990.- euros.

Managing director of the Emco group, Gerhard Glanz, said: ‘Presently, only cheap products from Taiwan and similar countries can be found on the market at these prices’.

Rapid traverse speed is 24m/min and number of tools (standard) is 20.

In Emco’s ‘design-to-cost’ approach, all components that contribute to performance, precision and long duration of a machine are optimised, focussing at the same time on main functions for the user.

* Mechanical engineering without compromises – the Emcomill E 600 is designed as a very compact universal 3-axis machine for general machining.

The machine base, the support and all three slides are of massive cast design and form the basis for the robust machine structure.

The excellent damping properties of the cast material result in high surface qualities with ample cutting values, said Emco.

The roller guides with their parts that provide high support and stiffness values make the slides traverse precisely and without jerking.

The tool turret is designed as a very quick two-arm turret as a standard.

Tool changing times of 1.6s facilitate more than quick change to other tools and thus ensure production that saves time and costs.

* Modular structure – the highly proven modular concept allows machine customisation.

The main modules are as follows.

Spindle variants are available as, following.

* Basic version – 10,000 rev/min with direct drive (Siemens CNC) or 8,000 rev/min with direct drive (Fanuc CNC).

* 12,000 rev/min with direct drive as a variant for internal coolant supply.

* 15,000 rpm as motor spindle version.

* Tool magazine.

In the basic version the tool magazine (drum magazine) contains 20 tools.

Upon request the drum magazine can be expanded to 30 tools.

* Control options – the customer may choose between a Siemens 810D and the Fanuc 0i.

* chip removal – the standard design consists of a chip tray with simple lateral chip removal.

For automatic chip removal a chip conveyor can be integrated as a module into the machine structure.

* coolant supply – the coolant supply is carried out via lateral nozzles at the spindle nose.

As an option, an internal high-pressure coolant supply through the spindle and tool may be chosen.

* Round table/4th axis – for 4-axis applications a robust round table with a diameter of 200mm, resolution up to 0.001 deg and NC interpolation is available.

* Options – Emco offers to the customer a standard selection of accessories for the new Emcomill E 600, as follows.

Measuring sensor for tool or workpiece measurement.

Hand wheel.

Band filter.

Cleaning nozzle.

Alarm lamp.

Blow-out device.

Chip flushing.

Automatic door system.

• HK Technologies: contact details and other news

UK – At EMO 2007, the Japanese machine tool manufacturer, Okuma, introduced a new way of turning tapered bores and outside diameters using its horizontal machining centers, which are available in the UK through NCMT.

Called turn-cutting, the patented technique is in contrast to the established process of revolving a component on the rotary table of a 4- or 5-axis machining center and feeding in a static turning tool mounted in the spindle to machine the OD. The bore would be impossible to turn to any reasonable accuracy, as a long right-angle head would be needed.

Instead, the turn-cut function in the Okuma OSP-P200M control allows a single-point turning tool in the spindle of one of the manufacturer’s horizontal machining centers to turn a static component, even on a 3-axis machine. It is achieved by taking advantage of linear feed rates up to 60 m/min to circular-interpolate the X and Y axes rapidly while feeding forward in Z.

The clever part, which forms the core of the patent, is the ability of the control to continuously orientate the tool in the spindle by rotating it at precisely the same speed as, and in synchrony with, the circular X/Y path. The tool therefore cuts at the correct rake angle at every point throughout the 360-degrees to ensure efficient and precise metal removal.

Cylindrical bores and ODs are easily achieved by keeping the X/Y travels constant, while tapers and other profiles can be turned by varying the amplitude of circular interpolation.

The benefit of turning on a machining center is that components can be finished in a single clamping, avoiding a subsequent set-up on a lathe and the consequent handling costs, increased floor-to-floor time and tolerance build-up. If parts are heavy and / or have eccentric bores or ODs, rotating them for conventional turning becomes difficult, requires expensive lathes and can lead to further inaccuracies.

At EMO, the machining center demonstrating the turn-cutting technique was an Okuma MA-600HB, which can machine workpieces weighing up to 1.2 tonnes within a nominal one metre cube. Turn-cutting accuracy is to within microns and it is this degree of precision that is crucial; some machine manufacturers might be able to approximate the procedure, but only for open-tolerance work.

As with all the latest Okuma machine tools, the MA-600HB features the manufacturer’s Thermo Friendly Concept. Symmetrical design and electronic compensation from sensors around the machine structure and spindle hold dimensional drift to below 10 microns, even if the ambient temperature changes by up to 8 degrees Centigrade. Repeatability is ± 1.5 microns.

While turn-cutting is applicable to any component, the company singles out large, multi-port valves as particularly suitable for being machined in this way. Not only can the bores and flange ODs be conveniently turned, but it is also possible to single-point cut an accurate scroll pattern on the flange faces for improved sealability.

SOURCE: Okuma

The diamond tool is commonly used in micro-machining as it can withstand the micro hardening of the workpiece surface during micro-machining. This micro-hardening creates enough resistance to break the tool bit easily in micro milling, but not a diamond tool. Micro-machining using diamond tool could be performed at high speeds and generally fine speeds to produce good surface finish such as mirror surfaces and high dimensional accuracy in non-ferrous alloys and abrasive non-metallic materials.

However, if a diamond tool were to be used to cut steel, one of the most common engineering materials used in industries, the diamond tool will face severe tool wear. While diamond only softens at 1350 degree Celsius and melts at 3027 degree Celsius, and is also the hardest material in the world, it has a weakness. Diamond succumbs to graphitization, which means that it will change its crystal structure to graphite crystal structure at 200 degree Celsius in the presence of a catalyst metal such as carbon steel and alloys with titanium, nickel and cobalt.

There have been various attempts to improve the tool life of the diamond tool while cutting steel so as to improve the efficiency and profitability of this operation. Such processes include micro-cutting the steel workpiece in a carbon-rich gas chamber as well as a cryongenically cooled chamber. However, these methods require costly equipment modification and restrict direct supervision of the micro-cutting process.

The latest breakthrough came when the diamond tool was subject to ultrasonic vibration during micro-cutting. It has been shown that a diamond tool subject to ultrasonic vibration can cut the steel well enough to produce a mirror surface finish with acceptable tool life. The ultrasonic vibration at the diamond tool tip allows the tool face to cool down considerably during the cutting process and delays the chemical reaction between the diamond tool and the steel workpiece. As a result, the diamond tool life is increased by a few hundred times.

For example, a single crystal diamond tool with feedrate 5 micron/revolution, cutting speed zero to 5m/min and depth of cut 10 micron was attached to a ultrasonic vibration generator so that the diamond tool tip vibrated about 4 microns while it was used to cut stainless steel. The mirror surface finish of the cut steel surface was measured at 8 nm Ra!

With more and more machining companies moving into the niche micro machining field, such ultrasonic vibration assisted cutting can only help the progressive company to achieve process leadership and innovative differentiation.

Author Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering Pte Ltd in Singapore and represents metal stamping, precision machining, miniature precision balls and PCB manufacturers from Suwa, also called "The Oriental Switzerland" in Japan due to its Swiss resemblance for rich watch-making industry, its mountainous terrain and its precision component making industry.

About the Author

Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering in Singapore, and represents precision component manufacturers from Suwa, Japan. He is also a partner in Attisse Pte Ltd providing business consultancy and research services to Japanese investors.

By Eric Dykstra

Not long ago CNC (which stands for computer numerical control, by the way) machines were so expensive that only large companies could own them. But we’re in the middle of a full-fledged CNC revolution, reaching all the way down to the grassroots level. Now a dedicated average Joe whip up a precise fabricating tool with little more than some plans, basic tools, and a PC.

The internet abounds with plans like Rockcliff Machine’s router design. They claim their design can be completed for as low as $300 — though luck is a factor. You’ll have to shop sales and scrounge materials to hit that number, and settle for common materials like MDF.

Controlling this marvel of modern technology involves software, but luckily the open source community has created free (as in speech) software like EMC. The EMC package offers most — if not all the features of commercial software — without the price.

More specialized gear like stepper motors and polished guide rods and bearings will make up the bulk of the cost of the machine. But sites like CNCzone.com offer links to suppliers as well as a whole community of folks willing to answer questions and give advice.

A whole world of computer controlled tools has been opened to the do-it-your-selfer. Don’t miss out; get out there and give it a look!

Stainless steel machining refers to the process of cutting steel sheets or bars into predetermined shapes for use as components in various industries such as aerospace, automotive, shipping, and others. Stainless steel machining can be done either manually or with the help of automatic machining systems combined with computer aided design (CAD) software.

Manual machining is used for cutting stainless steel sheets in simple shapes such as circular, square, and rectangular. This process is however being replaced by automatic machining systems and processes that can cut any type of shape out of metal sheets needed for different purposes.

The most commonly used technology used for stainless steel machining is known as Computer Numerical Control or CNC machining. The technology is mainly used to cut intricate shapes and designs into hard metals such as stainless steel, which otherwise are difficult to form, mold, or manipulate. In this process, the machining operator uses computers to control machine tools for manufacturing complex and intricate parts in metal and other materials. Moreover, the cutting process is enabled using a software program written in a notation confirming to the EIA-274-D standard, which is often referred to as G-code.

Another common process is Wire Electrical-Discharge Machining (EDM), in which the metal is separated from a conductive work piece by means of electrical erosion. During this process, the wire never touches the conductive work piece and leaves a path on the work piece, which is slightly larger than the wire.

The technology has dramatically reduced human intervention and enabled machining processes wherein curves are as easy to cut as straight lines and structuring intricate 3-D parts has become relatively easy to produce. Stainless steel machining has greatly helped in increasing automation of manufacturing sector, and has enabled remarkable improvements in consistent and quality production. It has also helped in reducing the frequency of errors and workload of machining operators.