Hardinge speeds up pick-up spindle VTL working
The revolutionary Hardinge / EMAG joint venture produced VL machines provide a guaranteed load / unload time of 4 - 6 seconds - chip to chip - which is critical for cycles of 30 sec and less.
Hand loading CNC lathes with billets, castings or forgings is a costly variable in the production process. The short cycle time of many CNC turning operations exacerbates the situation, relying on the machine operator to react instantaneously to the machine finishing its cycle to load the next part. Fully Flexible Integrated Automation is the key to minimising the overall machining cycle time, including loading and unloading the part from the machine spindle.
The revolutionary Hardinge / EMAG joint venture produced VL machines provide a guaranteed load / unload time of 4 - 6 seconds chip to chip which is critical for part operations involving a machining cycle time of 30 seconds or less.
Over the course of a day, it is unlikely that an operator can do better than load / unload a part in a horizontal spindle machine in better than 20 seconds and frequently significantly longer.
For machining cycles where the spindle is turning for as little as 10 seconds, the load / unload time can therefore be twice as long as the machining time.
Changing to the VL method with its fast low cost integrated automation system can double the production output achieved under this scenario.
The VL pick up spindle design features, many of which are patented and exclusive to the VL range, position the parts within 200 - 300 mm of the machine's working area and uses the same workholding to pick up the part as is used for machining.
VL Customers are reporting 50 - 150% more production output from their VL machines than was being previously achieved on hand loaded horizontal spindle CNC lathes.
These outstanding performances are achieved by a combination of the power and speed built into the VL machines but primarily by the radical design philosophy which makes competitive machines look pedestrian in comparison.
Hardinge EMAG VL3 specifications include a part size of minimum diameter 10 mm, maximum diameter 125 mm, minimum length 10 mm and maximum length 100 mm The VL3 spindle has a speed range up to 7,500 rpm maximum.
Power is 16 kW and torque 200 Nm at a 40% duty cycle.
VL5 part size capacity is for a minimum diameter 20 mm, maximum diameter 220 mm, minimum length 10 mm and maximum length 110 mm.
VL5 Spindle Speed is 4,500 rpm maximum (5,500 high speed option) Power is 27 kW Torque 303 Nm at a 40% duty cycle High performance features are common to VL3 and VL5:- X-Axis rapid rate is 60 m/min Z-Axis rapid rate is 30 m/min Part to part load / unload time is 4 - 6 seconds Patented centreline support for high acceleration / deceleration wraparound motor pick up spindle.
Patented cardanic plate pick up station for automatically seating parts correctly in workholding system.
Standard no change-over time universal loading prisms for round parts.
Massive fixed centreline position 12 station VDI-40 quick -change turret.
High power 12 kW, 6,000 rpm, 37 Nm at a 10% duty cycle driven tooling option (all stations) with C-Axis.
Standard linear scale position feedback.
Standard 8 bar coolant system with integrated chip conveyor and mist extractor included in the basic price.
Other productivity enhancing features of the VL design include gravity assistance for chip evacuation from workpiece and a synthetic granite reinforcement of machine base for extended tool life and enhanced surface finishes.
Quick change / no change-over VL features mean that automation can now be applied to small batch quantities economically for the first time, to achieve radical productivity benefits.