25 August 2010

5-axis machining centre investment is made to measure!

Renishaw selects new Doosan VC 630/5AX with Fanuc control to help develop new rotary axis alignment and positioning system.

Renishaw plc, a market-leader in the design and manufacture of advanced precision metrology equipment and systems, has recently taken delivery of a new Doosan 5-axis machining centre supplied by Mills CNC.

The machine, a VC 630/5AX, was installed at Renishaw’s facility in Wotton-under-Edge in March 2010, and is being used by the company to design, develop and test new and/or upgraded Renishaw machine tool measurement and calibration products and systems – and, to run training and practical demonstrations on these same products and systems to customers and visitors.

The VC 630/5AX machine used by Renishaw is the first Doosan 5-axis machine installed by Mills CNC into the UK – and is unique in that the machine was supplied with a Fanuc, as opposed to a Heidenhain, control system.

Explains Jon Kerry, Sales & Support Manager (UK & ROW Sales Division):

"We specified the machine with a Fanuc control because we were designing a solution for checking the alignment and positioning of the rotary axes (A- or B- and C-axis) on 5-axis machines equipped with Fanuc controllers...and needed a high-performance, reliable and cost-competitive machine tool to help with our product development.

"We have developed similar alignment and positioning systems for 5-axis machines with Siemens and Mitsubishi-based controls – but needed a Fanuc equivalent to extend the product portfolio, and help us push into and grow market share in the predominantly Fanuc-based Asian and US markets.

"Doosan, through Mills, were able to supply a machine to our specification quickly and directly from their manufacturing facility in South Korea and, since acquiring the VC 630/5AX, the Fanuc variation of our ‘AxiSet™ Check-Up’ has been developed and is now available."

Renishaw's AxiSet Check-Up is a fast and accurate health check designed to help precision manufacturers identify the performance of their machine's rotary axes - and to rectify problems created by incorrect machine set-up, previous collisions or mechanical wear - prior to machining.

Says Jon Kerry:

"Key to precision 5-axis machining is knowing where a machine's centres of rotation of its rotary axes are in relation to its linear axes. Without accurate and up-to-date information about these 'pivot points', it is difficult to reliably control the relative positions of tool and work-piece as the rotary axes are moving...and this, in turn, often leads to inconsistent machining results."

With its probing macro software and a dedicated calibration artefact (a calibration sphere magnetically mounted in the machine's working envelope), AxiSet Check-Up provides graphical representations of multi-axis machine performance. It makes PASS or FAIL decisions based on defined and required tolerances, and allows performance to be tracked over time, using history and comparison functions. Performance analysis is reported graphically via Microsoft® Excel®, and can be compared against user defined tolerances and stored for historical comparison.
AxiSet Check-Up, used in conjunction with laser calibration systems and ballbar technology (to check that a machine's X-, Y- and Z- linear axes are performing within specification), ensure long-lasting and consistent part quality, accuracy and repeatability.

Other Renishaw products and equipment used and demonstrated on the Doosan VC 630/5AX machine include -:

Productivity + Active Editor Pro

The all-in-one, independent solution for producing probing cycles remotely from the machine by using a CAD interface, with multi-axis capability, for predictive process setting; active in-process control and informative reporting.

Renishaw OMV

Renishaw’s PC-based, on-machine component inspection and verification software.

Commenting on the supply of the first Doosan 5-axis machine to Renishaw - Nick Frampton, Mills CNC’s managing director says:

"We are delighted that Renishaw selected a new Doosan VC 630/5AX with the Fanuc control option for their latest multi-axis machine tool investment, and that the machine is being used to help develop such market-leading measurement, inspection and verification solutions for manufacturers throughout the world."