With these parts we wanted to demonstrate the cutting capabilities of the Makino DA300. So we decided to produce the part from a complete block of material, even though manifolds are normally produced from casting.
We first produced a near-shape geometry of the part to demonstrate the cutting capabilities of the machine with a diameter 50 face mill and then cut the "normal" stock material from casting.
Cutting
We used several tools in this process but the most important ones from a time perspective were:
D50 face mill with a feed rate of 15,000 mm/min and a spindle speed of 15,000 rpm
D4 ball mill used for finishing at 20,000 rpm with a feed rate of 2,000 mm/min
D3 taper ball mill used for finishing at 18,000 rpm with a feed rate of 2,000 mm/min
The total machining time for the part was 1 hour and 45 minutes
How was this possible?
Non-cutting times are critical here and the set of technologies the DA300 is equipped with makes it the ideal machine for this type of components:
Rapid feed rate: 60 metres/minute
1G acceleration
More dynamic and smooth direct-drive motors on the rotary axis
Tool change time of 0.9 seconds
Inertia active control allows the axes on the table and the magazine to move even faster
GI-Milling reduces milling time in corners (up to 15% faster machining time)
GI-Drilling reduces non-cutting time on drilling operations (up to 10% faster non-cutting time)