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High Tech Mechanics
It isn’t your grandfather’s welding shop. Cañon City High School’s vocational department has a brand new Milltronics CNC Control Vertical Machining Center thanks to the annual Carl Perkins Grant, which is shared amongst the CCHS industrial departments.
“It’s a federal program for career education classes,” said CCHS welding machine shop teacher Jake Hogan. “Usually, we just alternate between who gets the big purchase every year. That’s how we got this machine.”
The Milltronics CNC uses conversational programming, on screen help, intuitive menus, color graphics and prompted tool setting routines.
“This is going to make it possible for students to use what industry uses,” Hogan said. “So, we’re going to be able to train high school kids in CNC machining to be able to go out and get a job straight out of high school, or go on to higher education in the field.”
Before he had the CNC machining capabilities, Hogan would have to take several additional and tedious steps to draw the designs used by the welding classes. The computer program simulates what the machining center will do. Students still will learn the basics on how to cut metal in general, Hogan said. Eventually, the students will learn the programming part of the machining center.
“Now we have a computer program that will take that drawing, and it will figure out for us all the tool paths the machine is going to go and cut,” Hogan said. “So, there’s that aspect of it. There’s the design and program part of it. If we didn’t have the computer program, it would be a lot more complicated to figure out.”
The machining center’s conversational program offers prompts, which guide the user step-by-step through the process.
Students in the advanced welding classes will learn how to use the machining center during the 2010 -11 school year.
“I’m still learning how to use it myself,” Hogan said. “The goal is to be able to teach kids how to use it.”
Recently Hogan gathered his classes around to explain how the piece of equipment works. Using a computer program, he creates a plaque, before transferring the computer-generated image to the machining center.
“First, there is the tool changer;” he explained to the students, “This will hold about 16 tools.”
Hogan placed the blank slab of metal into the machine to demonstrate the machining center’s engraving capabilities.
“It will run fully automatic,” he said. “If you have a large part – once you have it all programmed, you’d just start it. Other than monitoring it, you can go do other things.”
The long-range plan is to incorporate the machining center capabilities with the design and drafting classes.
“It’s not going to be just us using it,” Hogan said. “We’ll be able to have other classes in the drafting program that’ll be able to do some stuff.”
In the future, he would like to use the machining center to generate some business from the Fremont County area for the students.
“I hope to be able bring in some work from the community to have my kids do on it,” he said. “If we could get jobs from another machine shop, maybe some of their overflow work where they maybe won’t have time to get to it, we could do it and raise some money for our program. That would be ideal. The advanced students have been coming in and looking at it – they’re excited for it for it for next year.”
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/region-story.asp?ID=13369
Mills to focus on multi-axis mill-turn at MACH
Mills CNC will showcase 13 Doosan machines, including six new models, at this year’s MACH exhibition.
The machine-tools to be featured on Mills’s stand include lathes and turning centres, vertical and horizontal machining centres (including five-axis milling machines), and multi-axis, multi-tasking mill-turn and turning centres.
Doosan (MX series) multi-axis mill-turn centres and multi-axis (TT series) turning centres are used by precision manufacturers in and across a number of industry sectors – aerospace, defence, medical, oil/gas and power generation.
Among the new models that Mills will exhibit are the MX 3100 Multi-Axis Mill-Turn Centre and the TT 1800 SY: Twin Turret – Twin Spindle Turning Centre.
The MX 3100, which will make its UK debut at MACH, is powerful and versatile and allows customers to perform simple turning and milling operations right through to the production of complex machined parts.
It has a bar capacity of 102mm and powerful 30kW, 3,000rev/min spindle.
Machining flexibility is enhanced via the machine’s 22kW, 118Nm, 12,000rev/min milling spindle, capable of machining the toughest exotic materials.
The spindle is mounted on a 240deg swing B-axis and includes a 230mm stroke Y-axis to provide ultimate flexibility.
The MX3100 includes a 40-tool magazine with Capto C6 tooling.
Additional features on the MX3100 at MACH include a servo-driven tailstock and servo-driven hydraulic steady rest.
The TT 1800 SY is an eight-axis machine with integrated Y-axis capability (+/- 50mm).
The TT machine being showcased has a 65mm bar working diameter; 22kW 5,000rpm spindles (left and right) and 40m/min rapid feeds.
The TT 1800 SY provides the optimum machining solution for high-volume manufacture of small-to-medium size complex parts.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/mil/mil201.html
Benefits expected to come with new technology for metal shop
Clearwater is no longer a single-industry, sawmill town and so students at Clearwater Secondary School should be taught skills more in keeping with the high technology of the future.
“We want to purchase new technology for the metal shop – a CNC plasma cutting table,” said Jim Zsednai, trades instructor at the school. “CNC stands for computer numerically controlled. No other school in the school district has this technology.”
Plasma cutting makes use of electric current and a jet of inert gas or air to cut metal. It is generally faster and more controllable than the older, oxy-acetylene cutting technology.
The school already has a plasma cutter. Adding a computer to control it would allow students to create complex signs and parts, Zsednai said. The benefits would not be limited to just those in metalworking class. Students studying computer science would learn skills useful in making objects.
Total cost of the project will be $16,000 – $18,000. Adding a second, similar device for use in the woodworking shop would add about the same amount again.
“Jim has been after this machine for as long as I’ve known him. He’s been scrounging and saving and putting it in his piggy bank,” said CSS principal Alan Stel. “When this decision was made, he danced a little jig.”
To help pay for the device, Clearwater Educational Woodlot Society has agreed to sell its sawmill and forklift.
The society was set up in the mid-1980s to operate an educational woodlot near Clearwater. Later the focus shifted to running a small sawmill, but the emphasis was always on the forest industry.
Many successful loggers and contractors (including several members of the society’s board) went through the programs sponsored by the society but the feeling now is that it’s time to move on, Zsednai said.
Other possible sources of funding being approached include North Thompson Community Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, Wells Gray Community Forest and industry.
Zsednai is also selling flowers. Order forms for planters, hanging baskets and boxes of geraniums, petunias and marigolds have been dropped off at various locations in town.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/clearwatertimes/business/90400309.html
Affordable multiple spindle heads can increase drilling production
Affordable multiple spindle heads can increase drilling production by drilling complex patterns in one single operation, while virtually eliminating set-up and operation errors.
Affordable multiple spindle heads can increase drilling production by drilling complex patterns in one step while virtually eliminating set-up and operation errors.
AutoDrill makes available an efficient method to drill multiple hole patterns.
Their affordable multiple spindle heads can increase drilling production.
The heads are available for virtually all drilling equipment.
Multiple spindle heads drill complex patterns in one step.
Besides increasing production, there are additional benefits.
Setup and operation errors are virtually eliminated and less frequent tool changes are needed.
Many users have reported extended tool life when using these heads.
The units come equipped with standard ER collets.
One-shot grease lubrication is designed into every head for low maintenance and trouble free operation.
They are constructed with efficient helical gearing for high-speed operation and lower noise levels.
Ball and needle bearing construction is used throughout for heavy industrial applications and long-term quality assurance.
AutoDrill manufactures this and other production drilling and tapping equipment.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/aod/aod104.html
Tags: CNC Spindle
Mill-turn and turning centres announced by Mills CNC for MACH 2010
Mills CNC have announced the MX 3100ST multi-axis mill-turn centre and the TT 1800 SY twin-turret, twin-spindle turning centre, will be among the machines on their biggest ever stand (No 5430), at MACH 2010.
Mill turn and turning centres announced by Mills CNC for MACH 2010Mills CNC, exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, will be exhibiting 14 Doosan machines, reflecting the breadth and depth of the Doosan range and including 6 brand new machines, all making their UK debuts at MACH.
The latest multi-axis mill-turn on display will be the MX 3100ST making its UK debut at MACH. The machine is the latest MX machine from Doosan, and will be showcased alongside the smaller MX 2100ST machine that was introduced into the UK in 2008/09.
The MX 3100ST has a bar capacity of 102 mm and powerful 30 kW, 3,000 rpm main spindles (left and right). Machining flexibility is enhanced via the machine’s 22 kW 12,000 rpm milling spindle; a B-axis range of +/- 120 degrees and +/- 85 mm double slide Y-axis. The machine has a 12-station, driven-tool bottom turret and 40-position ATC.
Representing Doosan turning centres, the compact TT 1800 SY 8-axis twin-turret, twin-spindle turning centre, with integrated Y-axis capability (+/- 50mm), launched at MACH 2008, is making a return visit .
The TT machine being showcased has a 65 mm bar working diameter; 22 kW 5,000 rpm spindles (left and right) and 40 m/min rapids.The turning centre is particularly suited for the high volume manufacture of small-to-medium size, complex parts.