CNC Horizontal Machining Center
What is CNC Horizontal Machining Center?
A CNC horizontal machining center (HMC) is a machine that uses a horizontal spindle to cut parts with precision, speed, and accuracy. The spindle's horizontal orientation allows tools to cut across the side of a workpiece from the side of the tool holder, which encourages chips to fall away from the table. This design helps to achieve a smooth, high-quality finish.
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The Costs Of Cnc Horizontal Machining Center
Inspection equipment. With the move to horizontals, “we went far past being able to get by with mikes and height gages,” he says. As part complexity and production rate increased, the shop had to elevate its capability to validate production. One example of a new inspection resource is a 6-foot portable CMM arm from Faro, which enables shop personnel to validate particularly complex components while the part is still on the machine.
Computers. The processing speed of the shop’s computers had never inhibited programmers before. Now, with the complex machining routines made possible by merging various faces into one setup, plus the technique of milling with many fast, light cuts, NC programs grew much longer and processing speed became a limitation. The shop bought new computer hardware.
Coolant. “We can’t use the cheap stuff anymore,” Mr. Hamilton says. High-pressure coolant delivery required a higher caliber of coolant.
Tool presetter. Tool offsets used to be measured at the machine tool. Setup time was long enough on the verticals that the additional time for tool measurement did not seem like a big loss. That changed with the HMCs. Measuring tools at these machines would waste valuable time. The shop bought a Parlec presetter and now measures tools offline while the machine is cutting.
Fixturing. Workholding for used to mean just vises. On the HMCs, workholding often entails a column fixture mounted in the machine using the system from, a system that assures rapid clamping and precise setup location.
Tool vending. The HMCs are too expensive to be brought to a stop for lack of a critical tool. To save itself from running out of a needed cutter, the shop bought a tool vending system with automatic reordering of stock items so it can maintain its tool inventory levels.
Multi-Axis Machining: HMCs often feature multiple axes of motion, allowing for complex machining operations to be performed in a single setup. This capability enables the machining of intricate geometries and contours with high precision.
High Productivity: Horizontal machining centers typically have fast spindle speeds and rapid traverse rates, leading to increased productivity compared to traditional machining methods. They can efficiently remove material from workpieces, reducing cycle times and improving overall production throughput.
Versatility: HMCs can accommodate a wide range of workpiece sizes and shapes, making them versatile machines suitable for various applications across industries such as automotive, aerospace, medical, and mold making.
Reduced Setup Time: Horizontal machining centers often feature pallet changing systems that allow for quick changeovers between different jobs. This reduces downtime associated with setup and increases machine utilization.
Chip Evacuation: The horizontal orientation of the workpiece and the spindle in HMCs facilitates efficient chip evacuation. This helps maintain a clean work environment, prevents chip buildup, and enhances machining accuracy and tool life.
Heavy-Duty Cutting: HMCs are capable of performing heavy-duty machining operations on tough materials such as steel, titanium, and other alloys. Their robust construction and rigidity enable them to withstand high cutting forces without compromising accuracy.
Automation Integration: Horizontal machining centers can be easily integrated with automation systems such as robotic loaders and pallet changers, enabling unmanned operation for extended periods. This enhances productivity and reduces labor costs.
The Benefits Of Cnc Horizontal Machining Center
1. Shorter processing time per part. With horizontals’ ability to swap pallets, there is no significant delay between machining cycles for job change-over. Plus, on the tombstone fixtures, various pieces can be completed in a single cycle.
2. Lower prices. Both machining time and labor time are lower for parts run on the HMCs. Thus, even though the shop rate on the HMCs is higher, the machines have brought down the overall price per part quoted to customers.
3. Three-side machining. With the B axis, the HMC can reach three faces of the part in one cycle. Features that relate to one another often can be machined in the same cycle to assure accuracy.
4. Ability to machine complex parts. now bids on parts that would have been too complex for it to machine in the past. An example is airfoils. These parts could justify a five-axis machine, but gets enough contouring ability on its four-axis HMC to be able to produce the parts effectively in two setups apiece. The Faro arm (see page 73) is used to inspect the complex form.
5. Platform for advanced tooling. The HMCs can take advantage of the latest cutting tool technology, meaning the tool suppliers visiting with recently released tooling sometimes bring resources the shop can use.
6. Serve customers simultaneously. Alternating the jobs run on alternate pallets—that is, loading job A while job B runs, then loading job B while job A runs, and so on—lets the shop use one machine to fill the orders for two customers in the same shift.
7. On-machine deburring. The shop’s largest HMC has enough tool capacity that the shop can even keep various deburring tools in the magazine. Meanwhile, the horizontal orientation facilitates on-machine deburring because the removed burrs fall away. Replacing manual deburring with on-machine deburring saves labor and expense.
8. Cleaner shop. The horizontals keep chips more contained and therefore help keep the shop cleaner. This contributes to the original aim of developing and making use of a changing workforce, Mr. Hamilton says. A cleaner shop attracts a more quality-conscious employee.
Reasons To Invest In a Cnc Horizontal Machining Center
The amount of part handling associated with a VMC is significantly reduced on an HMC. For example, when machining a six-sided part on a VMC the operator typically moves the part six or more times, from fixture-to-fixture and in and out of the machine. Not only does this increase labor costs and slow production, it also increases the possibility of human error that can produce scrap and rework.
Because HMCs require less part handling, they allow for greater spindle run time. In fact, studies show that the spindle on a VMC operates only about 25% of the time, while an HMC typically produces 85% uptime.
Every time an operator touches a part it adds cost, thus reducing potential profitability and the ability to compete for more business. Typically, an HMC machines a six-sided part with only three touches by the operator, so the cost-per-part is significantly less.
Because of its ability to handle many kinds of parts more efficiently, HMCs can replace three or four VMCs. Not only is this a savings in initial machine cost, it also frees up valuable floor space for other uses.
Using one HMC instead of multiple VMCs means fewer fixtures, reduced setup times and greater throughput – all adding up to lower cost-per-part.
Components of CNC Horizontal Machining Center
Base
The CNC Horizontal Machining Center machine is a heavy and rigid structure designed for precise work. Its column and knee type structure is assembled on a casting base that supports the entire machine. This base bears the load of the machine, distributes it to the ground, and provides facilities to absorb vibrations, handle high cutting loads, and manage coolant flush.
Column
In an CNC Horizontal Machining Center machine, the spindle is mounted on a vertical casting column and is capable of moving up and down along the column. To balance the counterweight, spindle accessories and the ATC (Automatic Tool Changer) mechanism are also mounted on the spindle.
Axis Mechanism
The axes in a machining center play a crucial role in providing motion and carrying loads. Most CNC Horizontal Machining Center machines use an LM (linear motion) and ball screw mechanism.
Spindle
The spindle in an CNC Horizontal Machining Center machine is responsible for rotating the cutter, which removes material from the workpiece. This rotational motion is powered by a high-torque motor connected to the spindle via a belt and pulley or gear mechanism. Various cutters, such as face mills, end mills, drill bits, boring bars, chamfer cutters, side mills, tapers, and reamers, are used for different milling purposes.
ATC Turret
The ATC (Automatic Tool Changer) mechanism automates the tool change during a running program, reducing machining time. This is typically achieved using an umbrella, rack mechanism, or rotary-type mechanism that changes the tool from the spindle based on G-code and M-code commands.
Coolant Mechanism
Due to high-speed operations and cutting forces, the spindle, cutter, and workpiece can become highly heated, potentially causing defects. To manage this, chilled coolant is continuously sprayed on the cutter. The coolant is pumped through a system that allows it to be reused multiple times.
Chip Conveyor Mechanism
As the CNC Horizontal Machining Center machine removes metal, chips accumulate on the worktable, creating obstacles for machining. To address this, a chip conveyor mechanism is employed to remove chips from the machine and maintain a clear working area.
Less commonplace than the vertical variant, the horizontal configuration uses gravity to its benefit. The horizontally oriented spindle uses gravity to remove swarf from the immediate work area. By cutting in the horizontal plane, chips automatically fall away from the table, the cutting tool and workpiece. This immediately eradicates the re-cutting of swarf that can collect around the cutting tool and on the surface of the component. By machining horizontally, swarf automatically falls from the component rather than collecting in pockets and other features that would retain waste if it was being machined on a vertical machining centre. This extends to life, improves surface finishes and reduces the need to stop the machine to clear swarf in the work area. This is one of the key reasons why aerospace structural components with significant material removal from pockets are machined on horizontal machine tools as opposed to the vertical type machines.
Another benefit of CNC Horizontal Machining Center is that the machine bed can accommodate multi-sided fixturing, tombstones and other relatively large clamping devices that would not be suitable for a vertical machining centre. By utilising multi-faced clamping devices and machining, users can clamp more components in a single set up and the axes of travel can be considerably improved. In addition, horizontal machining centres often allow for pallet changer integration, which facilitates unattended operation for prolonged periods. In essence, the horizontal machining centre can be a more expensive option than its vertical counterpart but the benefits of reduced cycle times, cost per part and set-ups as well as improved tool life, swarf evacuation and greater access to the workpiece all culminate to create a greater return on investment.
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