Customer’s Initial Machining Process:

• Used a SPM with single spindle and 2 VMC.
• Component output on SPM was one component every 45 seconds
• Component output on VMC would be 10 components every 7.5 minutes apart from manual loading, unloading and clamping time

Our machine concept & Implementation:

Features and Specs:

• Heavily ribbed, rigid, fabricated & stress relieved base.
• A top the base a two axis slide system is mounted with servo driven axes
• On the two axis slide, a fixture is mounted, which can house 4 components at a time.
• Adjacent to the fixture, a vertical column with vertical servo driven slide is mounted.
• On the servo driven slide, a 4 spindle milling head is mounted. Each spindle is mounted with a Ø4mm end mill.
• All the sliding surfaces made of LM guides and blocks. Drive is through servo motor connected to ballscrew through servo reducer and couplings.
• Recirculating coolant system is provided for easy chip flushing, improving tool life & for better finish.
• Hydraulic power packs and cylinders of our make.
• Complete machine enclosure is provided to contain the coolant and chips.
• Siemens Sinumerik 808D Advanced CNC controller is provided for machine controls.

Sequence of Operation:

• Load the job onto the fixture and press auto-cycle. The job gets clamped
• The milling head moves to mill the profile slot with the help of two axis servo slide system.
• After one pass the vertical slide lowers the milling head and another pass is made.
• All slides move to home and job gets de-clamped.

Cycle Time:

4 component output every 35 seconds, excluding job unloading and loading

Final Conclusion:

VMC:

• Component setup time is high.
• Machining time is high.
• Due to manual clamping, operation is prone to operator’s fatigue, which may lead to loss in efficiency of production.
• An expensive VMC is used for low production output

Four Spindle CNC Profile Milling SPM:

• No need of skilled operator. Cost of skilled operators is reduced.
• Uses 4 spindles for 4 components at a time.
• The total milling time is 35 seconds, for 4 components instead of 7.5 minutes for 10 components on a VMC. Efficiency is more than 3.5 times/ 350%. Increases the productivity, increases profitability, increases the scrap generation rate.
• Due to CNC controls this has a flexibility of a VMC, but has the production capacity of SPM

Video: