The T2 is designed to reduce hazardous vibration and thermal conditions that is common with titanium machining.
Makino continues to emphasize its machining technologies for titanium with a new five-axis horizontal machining center that incorporates its ADVANTiGE™ technical package. The T2 has been designed for processing mid-sized titanium aerospace parts, and the supplier claims it is “purpose-built” to maintain rigidity and dynamic stiffness, with vibration damping and agility for productive titanium machining and long tool life.
Makino designs high-precision metal cutting and EDM machinery, including horizontal and vertical machining centers, 5-axis machining centers, graphite machining centers, and wire and Ram EDMs. The ADVANTiGE family is a portfolio of technologies for titanium cutting, focusing on spindle performance, coolant delivery, vibration damping, machine rigidity, and cutting strategies. Makino indicates that ADVANTiGE machines are capable of four times the productivity and double the tool life of conventional machining technologies.
The ADVANTiGE Autonomic Spindle Technology uses spindle sensors to measure displacement caused by excessive cutting forces. The data is fed to the Professional 5 control in real time, so processing characteristics are adapted to current machining conditions, protecting the spindle and tooling and allowing the spindle to detect and react to optimize stable cutting conditions.
The ADVANTiGE high-pressure, high-flow coolant system delivers coolant directly to the cutting zone, to increase chip evacuation from multi-flute tools.
ADVANTiGE vibration damping system adjusts frictional forces based on low-frequency vibration sensing to avoid chatter and cutter damage resulting from structure resonance, in real time. This allows deeper cuts and higher metal removal rates, and reduces tool wear.
“Makino’s ongoing titanium research and development continues to offer the most effective process solutions for a wide variety of today’s aerospace structural and engine components,” according Mark Larson, Makino’s Titanium Process R&D manager. “Our latest solution, the T2 with ADVANTiGE technology, is like no other titanium machining center on the market today. Specifically designed from the ground up for high-efficiency titanium part production, it effectively reduces hazardous vibration and thermal conditions traditionally associated with titanium machining.”
The T2 provides X-, Y- and Z-axis travels of 2,000 mm, 2,000 mm and 1,800 mm, respectively, so it will process parts up to 1900 mm by 2,000 mm, and 5,000kg. The T2 is built with large way surfaces and table casting for extra rigidity and vibration damping, and a 120-position automatic tool changer (up to 190 available) for continuous, uninterrupted machining.
Makino indicated that the T2’s HSK-A125 spindle is its most powerful spindle to date, delivering higher torque, horsepower and clamping force than all its predecessors. Its compact design combines an induction motor and twin-inverter drive for higher torque (740ft-lbs, 133 HP continuous; 1,100 ft-lbs, 200 HP peak). The spindle is supported by roller bearings to ensure high rigidity, which keeps the energy loss to one-half that of conventional gear-driven spindles. The spindle delivers a maximum speed of 4,000 rpm. The A- and C-axes increase part accessibility with a ±110-degree A-axis rotation and a 360-degree continuous C-axis rotation.
The T2 includes an automatic pallet changer for continuous operation, for pallet change times of only 60 seconds. It’s also possible to integrate the machine with an automatic pallet transfer and storage system in a Makino Machining Complex (MMC) for extended periods of unattended operation. This automation system will assign work and initiate operations automatically, to maximize spindle utilization.>
