MODULAR MANIA: HMC TRANSFORMS TO SUIT ANY PART MATERIAL MACHINING STRATEGY

MAG's (Erlanger, KY) SPECHT® 500/630 horizontal machining center offers linear-motor or ballscrew drives, CAT-40 through HSK-100 tool interfaces, six spindle options, four control options and three 5-axis configurations to suit needs ranging from one-off work in job shops to agile machining lines.

The U.S.-built machine is engineered around a box-in-box, moving-table design for low-inertia responsiveness and delivers accuracies up to 4 microns (0.00015 in) with 260 Nm (192 ft-lb) full-torque cuts. Designed to the highest green standards, the SPECHT has an industry-leading 1.8 m wide (6 ft) footprint and conserves energy with no warm-up, multi-step sleep mode, regenerative drives, half the normal coolant requirements and only one-third the air-extraction needs. Its maintenance-friendly design shows SPECHT's automotive industry lineage with front or rear spindle removal and one-cabinet fluid management center for grease, pneumatics, coolant and hydraulics.

Evolved from more than 1000 HMCs fielded by MAG in the last five years, the new SPECHT builds on five basic configurations with more than 100 options to deliver optimum performance at minimal cost, with highly customizable, yet upgradeable, machining solutions. The base machine begins as a 500 or 630 mm pallet machining module with direct drive B-axis table (500 or 600 kg/1,100 or 1,323-lb payload), absolute glass scales, 10,000-rpm/15-kW/CAT-40 (20 hp) spindle, 40-pocket tool disc and changing unit, and Fanuc 32i control.

Directly coupled ballscrews deliver 60 m/min (197 ft/min) speed and 6 m/sec² (20 ft/sec²) acceleration, while the moving table design eliminates column movement during critical machining operations for accuracy of 5 microns (0.0002 in) and repeatability of 4 microns (0.00015 in). The SPECHT's one-piece cast-iron base and guarding are designed with near-vertical surfaces to ensure chip flow. Standalone machines are equipped for self-contained chip and coolant management, while cell-based machines use individual pump back units for central coolant systems. Through-spindle coolant at 300 psi, MQL and 800-psi coolant options are available. The base SPECHT machine can be field upgraded with different spindles, tool changers or auto-load systems.

Options for dual ballscrews or linear motors increase thrust, stiffness, velocity and payload, with up to 11,000 N (2,472 lb) z-axis thrust, 120 m/min (394 ft/min) speed, 15 m/sec² (49 ft/sec²) acceleration (1.5 G) and 800 kg (1,763 lb) payload capability. Linear motors permit circular and helical interpolation with boring-mill accuracy and repeatability of 4 microns (0.00015 in) and 3 microns (0.0001 in) respectively, without complex tools. Five-axis machine configurations combine B/A or A/B with single or dual ballscrews or linear motors. A total of six MAG-built motorized spindle options are available for the SPECHT to meet cutting needs ranging from high torque, to high speed or combined high speed and torque. The range includes high-torque units producing 6000-rpm speed, 55 kW (74 hp) power and 260 Nm (192 ft lb) torque or speeds to16,000 with 30 kW (40 hp) power and 50 Nm (37 ft lb) torque. Spindles feature 80 mm or 100 mm (3.1 in or 3.9 in) hybrid ceramic bearings and closed-loop glycol cooling for durability and thermal stability. Tool interface choices include CAT-40, CAT-50, HSK-63 and HSK-100.

The base MAG-built tool disc and changing unit offers sub-4-sec "chip-to-chip" tool changes and accommodates 40 CAT-40 tools or 26 CAT-50 tools. With reliability proven in hundreds of installations, the disc allows direct tool change without a cam box or swapper arm, eliminating a maintenance point. Tool capacity can be field-upgraded with chains for up to 160 CAT-40 or 110 CAT-50 tools that can be loaded during the machine cycle. The SPECHT's long Z axis allows tools up to 550 mm (21.5 in) long to be used. The MAG-built direct-drive rotary table is backlash free, requires no adjustment, and produces 80 rpm for mill-turn machining. The table's direct-mounted rotary encoder provides seven arc-second positioning accuracy. Four-point pallet clamping ensures rigidity during high-thrust machining. Pallet changes take just 8-9 sec, depending on machine configuration. Control options for the SPECHT include Fanuc 32i and 31i, Siemens 840D or Bosch Rexroth MTX. Software options include MAG's Freedom eLog web-based production management system, Freedom eView, and Omative Adaptive Control.

The SPECHT HMC is cell-ready and available with numerous pre-engineered and proven part handling systems including pedestal robots, overhead gantries and robots, floor-level track-mounted robots, and the CINCRON® fixture storage and delivery system. MAG has delivered more than 150 CINCRON systems that are in service around the world, integrating hundreds of machines, fixtures, hardware and software. MAG supports the SPECHT machine with in-depth application-development experience based on hundreds of auto industry systems. Capabilities include part/process development, DFM/DFA engineering, cutting tool design and process simulation, prototype production and process validation, tooling, metalworking fluids, operator training and maintenance programming.

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