TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS
Dugard to star at
MACH
»
At MACH 2020 (Birmingham NEC, 20-24 April), Dugard
will demonstrate its most diverse and comprehensive
range of machine-tool options ever seen at the
show. On Stand 640 in Hall 20, the company will be
introducing no fewer than four product lines to MACH
visitors.
As well as its established brands, Dugard will be
introducing the Hanwha brand of sliding-head turning
centres, the Hanwha series of collaborative robots
(cobots), the recently announced Ibarmia line of 5-axis
travelling column machining centres and the Kitamura
range of high-end machining centres.
The company will be showcasing three Kitamura
machining centres at MACH. Keen to establish a
foothold among high-end machine-tool vendors in the
UK, Dugard will introduce the Kitamura MedCenter 5AX
5-axis vertical machining centre, the MyTrunnion 4G and
the HX250iG.
The Kitamura MedCenter 5AX 5-axis vertical
machining centre is a compact machine with an X, Y
and Z-axis travel of 254 by 330 by 330 mm over a 170
mm diameter table. Also featured is a 30 to 30,000 rpm
spindle with an HSK-E40 spindle taper connected to a
40-tool ATC that can change tools in just 1.5 seconds.
Rapid traverse in the linear axes is 50 m/min, while
table rotation is 200 rpm in the A and C axes.
All these features combine with linear and rotary
scales, 67 million pulse encoder technology and 16 mm
pitch ball-screws. Positional accuracy of ±2 micron
across the full stroke is supported by repeatability of
±1 micron.
Alongside the MedCenter 5AX will be the Kitamura
MyCenter HX250iG, which will be conducting live cutting
demonstrations. This 4-axis horizontal machining centre
features a twin-pallet APC confi guration that can reduce
set-up times for small, detailed, accurate and complex
parts. With precision comparable to the MedCenter5AX
and a compact footprint, the MyCenter HX250iG has
rapid traverse rates of 60 m/min.
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Cost-effective drills for steel
»
Following on from the success of the Tritan-Drill Steel, Mapal has developed drills that provide even greater benefi ts to
those seeking cost-eff ective hole-making solutions for steel workpieces.
The Mega-Deep-Drill and Mega-Pilot-Drill have been introduced for drilling the deepest possible bores with the
smallest diameter drills. As the name suggests, the Mega-Pilot-Drill is used as a precision pilot drill, and is matched to
the Mega-Deep-Drill deep-hole drill, which has been developed for hole diameters from 1 to 2.9 mm. Thanks to the newly
designed chip fl ute and special face geometry, high feeds and cutting speeds are possible. Furthermore, the Mega-Deep-
Drill has a coated head that is said to ensure optimal chip removal.
To off er high-speed solutions when drilling steel, hardened materials and for reaching greater drilling depths, Mapal
has developed the Mega-Drill-Hardened and the Mega-Speed-Drill-Inox for machining depths of 8xD and 12xD.
For the Mega-Drill-Hardened, the micro-grain carbide substrate and precise geometry of the tool have been
developed to machine hard materials up to 65 HRc. The new carbide substrate and its coating ensure extended tool life
and performance, says Mapal.
On the Mega-Speed-Drill-Inox, a special groove profi le has been developed for reaching drilling depths up to 12xD.
The drill features a chip gullet that increases in size toward the shank and, as a result, chips do not jam in the drill fl utes.
In addition, the chip fl utes have been fi nely ground to a mirror fi nish to ensure effi cient swarf evacuation.
Drill ideal for aerospace and energy
»
Kennametal has introduced the B21*SGL solid-carbide drill with through-coolant. Designed for stainless steel, nickel
and cobalt-based alloys, the B21*SGL with patented point geometry and monolayer PVD AlTiN coating, is said to deliver
improved productivity and longer tool life in aerospace and energy sector applications.
“In customer tests, the B21*SGL consistently outperforms competing drills, producing more holes in less time, with
improved hole straightness and surface quality,” says Frank Martin, product manager – solid-carbide drills. “The new
design virtually eliminates the risk of chipping and fl aking that lead to drill failure. And thanks to a unique point gash, it
off ers the lowest thrust level on the market, enabling productive drilling even in delicate workpiece geometries.”
One of the problems with aerospace alloys is their tendency to stick to the cutting tool, leading to built-up edge and
corner chipping. The B21*SGL’s proprietary gash geometry, polished cutting edge, negative rake corner
margin and ‘chip-friendly’ fl ute design, mitigates
these eff ects, while encouraging chip evacuation
and reducing cutting forces.
“A number of our customers have seen tool
life improve by two to six times in a variety of
challenging materials, even after increasing feed
rates by up to 50% in some cases,” says Martin.
Hole-making is a critical machining process,
especially for those producing turbines. As the
drilling operation typically comes near the end
of the production cycle, when workpieces are at
maximum value, a broken drill can damage or even
destroy components worth thousands of pounds.
/WWW.MADEIN.IE