Modular Vertical Pick-Up Turning Centers

In Booth 2321, vertical production machines are the territory of EMAG LLC (Farmington Hills, MI), which began with the VSC series that laid the foundation for the successful vertical pick-up turning center design that runs through nearly their entire product range and takes on its latest form in modular VL series machines that are built on a common machine base, but allow the use of an extremely wide range of technologies available for turning, gear hobbing, and chamfering processes; for grinding (chucked parts and shaft parts); for induction hardening; and also in special designs for laser welding or PECM technology.

The machine base of these modular machines is made out of Mineralit® polymer concrete that has exceptional vibration damping properties, which is the basis for the machines’ excellent process quality. The machine base supports a compound slide rest equipped with an X-axis and a Z-axis that allows the working spindle to move. The working spindle is the heart of the pick-up automation system that is an essential part of every modular machine. It includes a parts storage unit in every machine, from which the pick-up spindle loads and unloads itself independently to lower non-productive time to an absolute minimum as there are only a few seconds between the machining processes. An optional measuring probe can be installed directly alongside the loading position, allowing time-optimized measuring of the parts.

VL series vertical pick-up turning centers are developed particularly for the production of precise chucked parts. There are now five versions of the VL machine to cover the widest possible range of parts. The smallest machine is the VL 2, designed for chucked parts with a diameter of up to 100 mm. It is followed by the VL 4, VL 6, and VL 8 machines that allow for an increase of 100 mm in diameter with each model increase. These additional models allow the VL series to cover workpieces up to 400 mm diameter. Each VL machine is equipped with a tool turret with up to 12 (driven) tools for the machining of chucked parts. This turret is exceptionally dynamic: the very fast indexing cuts non-productive time to a minimum to reduce cycle times. These machines can also be equipped with a Y-axis in the turret for the machining of complex shapes, which greatly expands the number of possible machining applications.

The VL 3 DUO is the first dual-spindle machine in the VL series. Its parts capacity places it between the VL 2 and VL 4, allowing high-productivity manufacturing of chucked parts with a diameter of up to 150 mm. It’s no coincidence that the majority of transmission gearwheels fall into this size category. Every aspect of this machine is designed for high-volume production making it ideal for machining gear blanks that have to be churned out by the millions. It is pure performance. Including the parts storage unit, the VL 3 DUO has a footprint of no more than 13 sq m that houses the automation system, the parts storage unit, and two complete machining areas, each with its own working spindle and its own 12-station tool turret. This machine is ideal for production in two clamping operations: machining both sides of a workpiece in OP 10 and OP 20, respectively. The part is flipped over between the two operations using the ingenious TrackMotion automation system.

TrackMotion automation is specially designed for modular machines and drastically simplifies the connecting of multiple machine tools, as clearly shown in the VL 3 DUO. TrackMotion is made up of two components: a track or rail routed behind the work area of the machines, and the TransLift, an NC gripper system that runs along on that rail and is programmed directly through the machine’s control. TransLift transports parts between the machines, as well as to and from the storage unit for raw and finished parts. The gripper has a Z-axis that also stores the parts three-dimensionally, on top of each other, in stackers. This allows a huge number of parts to be stored in a very small space. The gripper also functions as a flip-over unit, turning the TrackMotion into a genuine all-purpose solution for the automation of modular machines.

VL series vertical pick-up turning centers offer a whole range of machines where shops can find the perfect tool for their application. Whether as standalone machines, or linked with other modular machines, the VL series promises state-of-the-art production of chucked parts with top of the line quality, at rock-bottom unit cost.

EMAG LLC, 38800 Grand River Avenue, Farmington Hills, MI 48335, 248-755-9775, Fax: 248-477-7784, abakun@emag.com, www.emag.com.