Archive for the ‘Bridgeport CNC’ Category:
Cinpres to exhibit at PDM 2009
Cinpres will attend PDM 2009 to introduce a range of technologies and services designed to bring cost savings in assisted injection moulding.
The company will be introducing the benefits of digital 3D prototyping, a service being introduced on a project basis through an agreement with Moldflow.
Digital prototyping offers manufacturers a solution to cost and development-time reductions by eliminating the need to produce physical models.
The service may also help plastics firms win contracts from companies using outdated and more costly processes.
Along with new services being introduced, Cinpres will be discussing the cost-saving capabilities of its plastic expulsion process (PEP) – a technique developed to reduce component cycle times and material usage.
Visit Cinpres at PDM 2009 on stand A6 at the Telford International Centre, 19-21 May, for more information.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/bce/bce101.html
Tormach unveils newest machine tool inserts
Tormach, the creators of the PCNC 1100 personal CNC mill, has announced its newest line of modular insert tooling for precision engineering enthusiasts across the globe.
The new line will include 24 different cutting tool combinations, through five unique cutting-head geometries in a range of sizes and lengths, using replaceable carbide inserts with modern geometries to create affordable “top-line performance”.
These will be of particular use to those operating face milling, end milling and centre-cutting end milling machine tools, it asserted.
Greg Jackson, the president of Tormach, said the insert tooling system is an exciting addition to the TTS line.
He continued: “Modular tooling is in wide use in today’s large professional machine shops but the benefits of a modular system – namely flexibility and low operating cost – haven’t been readily available to the small shops and hobbyists that are our customers. We wanted to change that.”
Tormach is a relatively new company, founded in 2001 and specialising in delivering cost-effective solutions through domestically-inspected machines which are produced through outsourcing.
If you’re searching for CNC turning centres compare 1000s here on MTD.
RCBI making changes to machinist program
As part of the expansion of the machinist technology program at Rocket Center’s Robert C. Byrd Institute, some pieces of equipment will be moved to RCBI’s Bridgeport location.
Director Charlotte Weber said the changes are positive for the area because the equipment they are moving out “represents 10-year-old technology.”
“We’re moving that equipment out and taking a look at some new pieces of equipment to put in Rocket Center,” she said.
The program, which is being expanded to accommodate additional students, will train the students as machinists in preparation for living-wage jobs right here in the area, Weber said.
In response to a letter dated July 1 to small business owners announcing the change, Gary Howell, owner of Howell Automotive of Keyser, expressed concern that the loss of the equipment would place a burden on his business, which leases the equipment being moved.
“As near as I can tell, they’re not replacing it with comparable equipment,” he said, likening the change to the differences between a word processor and a manual typewriter.
Weber said that RCBI regularly takes a look at the equipment in all of the state centers to see if it is meeting the needs of area businesses.
“We do that very methodically,” she said, explaining that they hold focus group meetings with various affected businesses to determine “what kind of technical equipment it would take to enhance their business.”
“It’s really for the market to decide” what RCBI offers, she added.
Weber noted that RCBI Rocket Center still has a computer numerical control machine center with a CNC/manual machine and a computer-controlled autoclave.
Howell fears that the equipment remaining at Rocket Center will not be as up-to-date as the machinery being moved out.
“Is the equipment they’re moving out 10 years old? Yes, but it functions fine,” he said.
Calling the relocation of the equipment “a major loss,” Howell said that businesses located in and around larger cities like Bridgeport can look to private machine shops for the help they need, but “we really don’t have that here.”
The machinist technology program will be on display Tuesday when Rocket Center hosts an open house from 4 to 6 p.m., according to a press release from Charles T. Mitchell of RCBI.
“Individuals interested in the technical training program are invited to the session, which will focus on specialized, hands-on instruction at RCBI that prepares individuals for immediate employment and lifelong career advancement,” he said.
“Graduates will be on hand to discuss the benefits of the program, and prospective employers will have an opportunity to talk with future employees.”
The curriculum for the nationally recognized program will be reviewed during that time, according to Larry Cartmill, technical program recruiter at RCBI.
Classes begin Aug. 25 at RCBI’s locations in Rocket Center, Bridgeport and Huntington.
The Rocket Center facility is located in the Robert C. Byrd Hilltop Office Complex at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory off state Route 956.
The RCBI program boasts a 90 percent industry placement rate, with its graduates entering the work force earning wages from $10 to $16 an hour with benefits including retirement, stock options, health insurance and paid vacation, according to Mitchell.
http://www.times-news.com/local/local_story_193234633.html
New Bridgeport 5-Axis Machining Center at IMTS ‘08
Bridgeport, a member of The Hardinge Group, is introducing it’s newest member of their XR-Series VMCs – - the fully-integrated 5-axis XR 600 5AX High-Performance vertical machining center – - at the IMTS show in Hardinge booth #8032. Positioned in the top of Bridgeport’s machining center portfolio (above the Standard XV-Series and the Performance GX-Series), this performance-focused machine offers a diverse range of applications within the aerospace, automotive, motor sport, medical, mold and tool and die sectors.
The Bridgeport XR 600 5AX features a very rigid bridge-style design and 45mm fixed pre-tensioned double-nut cooled ballscrews on all linear axes. The 600mm (23.62″) diameter integrated dual-axis rotary table with 150-degree tilt and 5-arc second accuracy enhances the machine’s flexibility and high precision machining capability. The ability to machine complex shapes, undercuts and difficult angles in a single setup reduces tooling cost and labor time, resulting in lower cost per part in addition to maintaining parts conformity throughout production runs. The 48-tool carousel-type automatic tool changer (ATC) features random access, bidirectional indexing and 4.9-second chip-to-chip change time.
The 33.5-hp (25kW) 15,000-rpm WEISS directly-coupled spindle option offers long life, high metal removal rates, and the ability to run at high spindle speeds for long periods of time due to the unique grease replenishment system. This highly stiff and thermally-stable spindle design eliminates belts and gearboxes, reducing spindle inertia and decreased accel/decel times for fast and efficient productivity.
“Our new 5-axis machine offers Bridgeport quality and performance to users who seek added capacity, capability, functionality and flexibility for their complex parts,” said Andy McNamara, Director of North American Technical Services. “This machine rounds out our High-performance series of machines which now span a spectrum that includes many sizes of vertical and horizontal machining centers.”
The Bridgeport XR 600 5AX machine specifications include:
- Travels -
- X Axis – 34.8″ (885mm)
- Y Axis – 31.50″ (800mm)
- Z Axis – 19.69″ (500mm)
- A Axis – -30 +120 degrees
- C Axis – 360-degrees
- Swing diameter – 23.60″ (600mm)
- Spindle horsepower – 33.5-hp (25-kW)
- Spindle torque – 117ft-lb (159Nm)
- Spindle speeds – 12,000-rpm (9,000- and 15,000-rpm options)
- Table workpiece capacity (diameter X height) – 23.62 x 17.72″ (600 x 450mm)
- Table weight capacity – 661lb (300kg)
- 48-Tool ATC (Automatic Tool Changer) – Optional 60-tool ATC offered
- Heidenhain iTNC 530 control
Bridgeport is one of many popular brands within The Hardinge Group, which also includes Kellenberger, Hardinge, Hauser, Tripet and Tschudin. Hardinge Inc. is an international leader in providing the latest industrial technology to companies requiring material-cutting solutions. The Company designs and manufactures computer-numerically controlled metal-cutting lathes, machining centers, grinding machines, collets, chucks, indexing fixtures, and other industrial products.
http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/546764