 |
|||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
New Fixed Table Vertical Machining Center Is Opening a Lot of Eyes at Milling Precision Tool Company
 |
||
| Programming on the Siemens A2100 D iCNC, Brian Hall sets up the new FTV 840-2500. |
Four years ago, Milling Precision Tool, a machine shop catering to the aeronautics industry centered around Wichita, KS, needed a new machine. It was already operating four Cincinnati machines - a Sabre, two Arrow Vertical CNC's and a Maxim 500 HMC - but wanted to find an easy to use, low-ceiling, compact-footprint horizontal machining center. As it discovered, Cincinnati Machine was in the process of developing one, the Maxim 400EP.
Tony Hain, president of Milling Precision Tool, welcomed the opportunity to bring a Maxim 400EP into his the shop for a beta-test. "While we knew it would require a lot of detailed record keeping on our part, we also saw it as a chance to fill a manufacturing need, while road testing the machine before making a buying decision," Hain noted.
And how did things work out? "Fine. We bought it. Actually, we have two of them. We bought the one we had, and took the other test machine that Cincinnati had at their plant and bought it as well."
Larger Facility, Longer Travel
But in the last few years, Milling Precision moved to a larger facility, and developed a new need. "We were doing parts that would fit in a box of about 48" by 28" by maybe 12", says Hain, but our longest travel was 52". In our new facility, we had the room, so we began looking for a longer travel machine. We wanted that capability, and started examining conventional verticals that could double the travel that we had."
It wasn't long before Milling Precision learned of an all-new Cincinnati Machine product line, a family of FTV's, featuring 11 models ranging from the FTV 640-1200 to the FTV 850-3700.
 |
||
| With a center partition, the FTV 840-2500 can effectively be turned into two smaller verticals, machining on one side while loading or unloading parts on the other. |
"So once again, we're a beta-test site. An FTV 840-2500 with X-Y-Z axis range of 2,540 x 815 x 800 mm, arrived on our doorstep on the third of June, and right now we're machining ribs on it for Cessna Aircraft Co."
After winning several prestigious honors in recent years, including Cessna's Supplier of the Year and Boeing's Award of Excellence, Milling Precision Tool has a very clear idea of what it must do to maintain its reliability and productivity. Unless on overtime, it runs two shifts of 10 hour days, four days a week. One key to keeping things moving has been the user-friendly PC-based Siemens A2100 controls employed by several of the Cincinnati machines, including the two Arrow verticals and the two Maxim 400EP's.
"So it was easy for our people to adapt to those machines," remarked Hain. "Commonality of operation allowed us to move operators from machine to machine without extensive training."
It was therefore important to Hain that the FTV features an A2100 control, although it is a step up to a D iversion.
"This is the first one we have that has the Di control. But the view to the operator is very similar amongst the controls. This one is more advanced and has more features, so we're going to have to get used to it. But so far we haven't had any trouble."
"Of course, it's all programmed off-line. But this control has features in it that allow the machine to look ahead and find out when the directions are going to change, so it can decelerate on its own."
"That enables you to program faster feed rates. Because the machine will be able to look forward to what's coming up, and know that, okay, I've got a 90¡ corner ahead of me, so I'm going to slow down to make that turn. You don't have to program that. So that's a big labor saving device and makes the machine run more efficiently, because you can run at higher speeds."
The FTV is doing very well, Hain said, though there is still much to learn about it, the operators have made significant progress. Milling Precision was fortunate that John Barton, a Cincinnati Machine U.K. application engineer, came to spend a week- and-a-half in Wichita to help Milling Precision understand and realize the benefits of the controls and the machine in general.
Eye-Opening Movement
One aspect of the FTV that did open some eyes was the quick movement of the machine in the three directions. "It's just that the FTV's weighs 42,000 lbs., much larger than anything we had in our shop. When it moves in rapid traverse at 1,600 ipm, it gets your attention," explained Hain.
"We've had to build up the confidence of the operators, the programmer and everybody to know that it's okay. It's a very large machine, and when it gets moving, you kind of wonder if it's going to stop. We're only now getting to the point where we don't flinch."
 |
||
| Milling Precision President Tony Hain (right) and Brian Hall watch the FTV machining a rib for the new Cessna Soverein aircraft. |
Each of his two Maxim 400EP HMC's is equipped with with two standard 400mm (15.7") square pallets and an automatic workchanger.
"We can load up different options or even different jobs on each pallet, and use the shuttle capability so that loading and unloading occur while the spindle is still cutting."
Having maximized the cutting time of their horizontals, Milling Precision was understandably interested in the FTV's optional features of a center partition with interlocks. Because the table is stationary, the operator can safely open half of the door and access one side of the work zone while the spindle is operating on the other half.
Dividing the Work
"It effectively turns the FTV into two smaller verticals, so that we can load and unload parts, or do set ups on one side, while it's machining on the other. For example, we're machining ribs for one of the Cessna Citations. They range in size from 12" long to as long as 33" on each side of the divider," Hain explained.
 |
||
| The speed and accuracy of the FTV has impressed the entire company, says Tony Hain (right), who is checking with Brian Hall to ensure the machine is holding its accuracy. |
"I think it's worked out very well. We're seeing reductions in time, on average, of 20 percent. And that's a combination of the machine capabilities as well as running on the dual sides. But the dual running is a big part of that," he added.
Hain expects the FTV will primarily be machining aluminum. "Traditionally aircraft business is fairly low volume. We're running batches of anywhere from 8 to 15 or 16 at a time."
At the moment, his shop was running its heaviest job on the FTV, parts for Cessna's new Sovereign.
"We've machined some ribs that start off as 3" thick aluminum plate. It's about 44" long, about 24" wide, and we're using the full length. We're putting two operations on it without the divider. We're hogging out material that starts out weighing probably 150 lbs. and comes off weighing 10 lbs."
Hain also pointed out the advantages of the FTV's tool changing system. "The nice feature about the tool changing is that the tools are stored in the back of the column, and travel with the column. The machine doesn't have to go back to a home base to change tools. It changes tools wherever the column is, which makes it much quicker."
Hain said, "It's also nice because it keeps the tools out of the work area, so they're not getting chips on them while they're in a staging position. It's a good system."
So bottom line, is his shop happy with the machine?" Yes. Yes, we certainly are. We're seeing great potential with it. I think it will give us good versatility."