Vertex—Effects of 5-Axis Machining—

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Impellers, brisks, and turbine blades can be only machined by 5-axis control.

Vertex is capable of following up high-speed complicated movements specified by a program and exhibiting the machining capabilities far greater than those of the conventional BT40-class.

Many parts require machining on multiple faces. A 3-axis machine has to change setups every time a different face is processed. A 5-axis machine is, however, capable of indexing 2 tilting and rotary axes in addition to 3 linear axes, allowing you to:

• Fully process the faces other than the one that is mounted.
• Greatly reduce the number of setup steps.
• Simplify or dispense with jigs.
• Improve the accuracy.

When processing 5-axes simultaneously, the postprocessor outputs a cutter path, accounting for the central dislocation value of the tilting/rotary axis. As the central dislocation value differs from one machine to another, a machining program has to be recreated if the machine is changed.

Once you input the central dislocation value of the tilting/rotary axis specific to the machine into a parameter, however, the program does not need to take into account the differences because the NC unit will make the calculations. An identical program can be used even if the machine has been changed, thus making it more use-friendly.

In the metal mold machining field, 5-axis machining is attracting much attention. The following decribes its advantages:

1. Capable of approaching a tool from an optimum direction.
   • The metal molds can be machined by cutting, which have been able to be machined only by a spark erosion machine.
2. Capable of machining the workpieces by one-time chucking, where conventional machines require setup change.
   • Reduce metal mold manufacturing time (lead time).
   • Labor-saving, unmanned operation.
3. Capable of reducing machining time and improving the quality of machined surfaces.
   • More roughing allowance can be taken by using a flat end mill in place of a conventional bowl end mill.

Example of Machining the Gear Case / Core Model

Work name

Gear case / core model

Blank dimensions

260 mm x 220 mm x 185 mm (H)

Material

NAK80

CAM

tools MX (Graphic Products)

Program Cooperated by

Graphic Products

The following describes the advantages of 5-axis machining, taking a gear case/core as an example. Conventionally, this kind of metal molds have been only machined by spark machining after manufacturing the electrodes. However, they can now be manufactured by 5-axis cutting, which greatly reduces the metal mold manufacturing lead time.

A: A rising wall is 150 mm or higher and you cannot machine from above with a 3-axis machine.

B: With a 5-axis machine, you can machine with a short tool by indexing the rotary axis with the tilting axis indexed by 90 degrees. If the indexing accuracy of the rotary axis is low, you will notice a bump at the joint on the wall. The high-accuracy table indexing function of Vertex solves such problems.

C: A small-diameter bowl end mill such as R1 is used to machine the corners, but you cannot machine the C-area from above because it is obstructed by a high wall. With the 5-axis machine, you can index the tilting/rotary axis and approach a tool from an optimum direction for machining.

Effects of 5-Axis Machining

For 3-axis machining, you will most likely manufacture the electrodes and perform spark machining. With conventional machines,the metal mold manufacturing lead time takes130 hours, which includes the idling time between the processes. The 5-axis machining has reduced the metal mold manufacturing time to only 30.5 hours by successfully eliminating an electrode manufacturing time and a wait time between processes.