Should a machine shop use 3-axis, 4-axis 5-axis machining?

Some People Say That You Should First Learn Three-Axis Then Move On To Four-Axis  Five-Axis Machining Centers. What Is The Difference Between These Machine Tools?

Functions Advantages Of Three-Axis Machining Center :

    The Most Effective Machining Surface Of A Vertical Machining Center (Three-Axis) Is Only The Top Surface Of The Workpiece. A Horizontal Machining Center Can Only Complete The Machining Of Four Sides Of A Workpiece With The Help Of A Rotary Table. Currently, High-End Machining Centers Are Developing In The Direction Of Five-Axis Control, The Workpiece Can Be Clamped At One Time.

    The Processing Of The Pentahedron Can Be Completed. If Equipped With A High-End CNC System With Five-Axis Linkage, Complex Spatial Surfaces Can Also Be Processed With High Precision. Huiwen Zhizao Is A Machining Factory With More Than Ten Years Of CNC Processing Experience . It Has A Full Range Of Equipment, CNC Lathe/Milling/Grinding/Drilling/Processing. Partners With Parts Processing Needs Are Welcome To Call Us For Quotation.

Four-Axis Machining

    The So-Called Four-Axis Machining Generally Adds A Rotating Axis, Usually Called The Fourth Axis. The General Machine Tool Has Only Three Axes, That Is, The Workpiece Platform Can Move Left Right (1 Axis), Front Back (2 Axis), The Spindle Cutter Head (3 Axis) For Cutting Workpieces. The Fourth Axis Is To Install An Electric Indexing Head That Can Rotate 360 Degrees On The Moving Platform! In This Way, It Can Automatically Index Drill Oblique Holes, Mill Bevel Edges, Etc., Without The Need For Secondary Clamping To Lose Precision.

Features Of Four-Axis Linkage Machining:

(1) The Three-Axis Linkage Machining Tool Cannot Process Requires Too Long Clamping

(2) Improve The Accuracy, Quality Efficiency Of Free Space Surfaces

(3) The Difference Between Four-Axis Three-Axis; The Difference Between Four-Axis Three-Axis Is That There Is One More Rotation Axis. The Establishment Of Four-Axis Coordinates Their Code Representation:

Determination Of Z Axis: The Direction Of The Machine Tool Spindle Axis The Vertical Direction Of The Worktable The Workpiece Is Clamped Is The Z Axis. Determination Of X Axis: The Horizontal Plane Parallel To The Workpiece Installation Surface The Direction Perpendicular To The Workpiece Rotation Axis In The Horizontal Plane Is The X Axis, The Direction Away The Spindle Axis Is The Positive Direction. Huiwen Intelligent Manufacturing Takes CNC Machining Technology As The Core Provides You With High-Quality Processing Manufacturing Services. CNC Machining : CNC Turning, Milling, Drilling, Grinding, Sheet Metal Processing  Other Processes ( CNC Machining Of Precision Parts )

Vertical Five-Axis Machining Center

    There Are Two Types Of Rotary Axes For This Type Of Machining Center, One Is The Worktable Rotary Axis.

    The Workbench Installed On The Bed Can Rotate Around The X-Axis, Which Is Defined As The A-Axis. The A-Axis Generally Has A Working Range Of +30 Degrees To -120 Degrees. There Is Also A Rotary Table In The Middle Of The Workbench, Which Rotates Around The Z-Axis At The Position Shown In The Figure, Which Is Defined As The C-Axis. The C-Axis Rotates 360 Degrees. In This Way, Through The Combination Of The A-Axis The C-Axis, The Workpiece Fixed On The Workbench Can Be Processed By The Vertical Spindle On The Five Surfaces Except The Bottom Surface. The Minimum Division Value Of The A-Axis The C-Axis Is Generally 0.001 Degrees, So The Workpiece Can Be Subdivided Into Any Angle To Process Inclined Surfaces, Inclined Holes, Etc.

    If The A-Axis C-Axis Are Linked With The Three Linear Axes XYZ, Complex Spatial Surfaces Can Be Processed. Of Course, This Requires The Support Of High-End CNC Systems, Servo Systems Software. The Advantages Of This Setting Method Are That The Spindle Structure Is Relatively Simple, The Spindle Rigidity Is Very Good, The Manufacturing Cost Is Relatively Low.

    However, The Workbench Cannot Be Designed To Be Too Large Its Load-Bearing Capacity Is Also Small. Especially When The A-Axis Rotates Greater Than Equal To 90 Degrees, The Workpiece Cutting Will Bring A Large Load-Bearing Torque To The Workbench.

    The Front End Of The Spindle Is A Swivel Head That Can Rotate 360 Degrees Around The Z Axis By Itself, Becoming The C Axis. The Swivel Head Also Has An A Axis That Can Rotate Around The X Axis, Generally Up To ±90 Degrees More, To Achieve The Same Function As Mentioned Above. The Advantage Of This Setting Is That The Spindle Processing Is Very Flexible The Workbench Can Be Designed To Be Very Large. The Huge Fuselage Of An Airliner The Huge Engine Casing Can All Be Processed On This Type Of Machining Center.

    This Design Has Another Major Advantage: When We Use A Spherical Milling Cutter To Process A Curved Surface, When The Center Line Of The Tool Is Perpendicular To The Processing Surface, The Vertex Linear Velocity Of The Spherical Milling Cutter Is Zero, The Surface Quality Of The Workpiece Cut Out Of The Vertex Will Be Very Poor. The Spindle Rotation Design Allows The Spindle To Rotate At An Angle Relative To The Workpiece, So That The Spherical Milling Cutter Avoids Vertex Cutting, Ensuring A Certain Linear Velocity, Which Can Improve The Surface Processing Quality. This Structure Is Very Popular For High-Precision Surface Processing Of Molds, Which Is Difficult To Achieve With A Worktable Rotary Machining Center. In Order To Achieve High-Precision Rotation, High-End Rotary Axes Are Also Equipped With Circular Grating Scale Feedback, The Indexing Accuracy Is Within A Few Seconds. Of Course, The Rotation Structure Of This Type Of Spindle Is More Complicated The Manufacturing Cost Is Also Higher.

Vertical Five-Axis Machining Center With Rotating Spindle

    The Vertical Machining Center's Spindle Gravity Is Downward, The Radial Force Of The Bearing Is Equal When Running At High Speed, The Rotation Characteristics Are Very Good, So The Speed Can Be Increased, Generally Up To 1,2000r/Min More, The Practical Maximum Speed Has Reached 4,0000 Rpm. The Spindle System Is Equipped With A Circulating Cooling Device. The Circulating Cooling Oil Takes Away The Heat Generated By High-Speed Rotation, Drops To A Suitable Temperature Through The Refrigerator, Then Flows Back To The Spindle System.

    The Three Linear Axes X, Y, Z Can Also Use Linear Grating Scale Feedback, The Bidirectional Positioning Accuracy Is Within The Micron Level. Since The Rapid Feed Reaches 40-60m/Min More, The Ball Screws Of The X, Y, Z Axes Mostly Use Central Cooling. Like The Spindle System, The Refrigerated Circulating Oil Flows Through The Center Of The Ball Screw To Take Away The Heat. Huiwen Intelligent Manufacturing Takes CNC Machining Technology As The Core Provides You With High-Quality Processing Manufacturing Services. CNC Machining: CNC Turning, Milling, Drilling, Grinding, Sheet Metal Processing Other Processes ( CNC Machining Of Precision Parts )

Horizontal Five-Axis Machining Center

    There Are Also Two Ways To Use The Rotary Axis Of This Type Of Machining Center. One Is To Use The Horizontal Spindle As A Rotary Axis, Plus A Rotary Axis Of The Workbench To Achieve Five-Axis Linkage Machining. This Setting Method Is Simple Flexible. If The Spindle Needs To Be Converted Vertically Horizontally, The Workbench Only Needs To Be Indexed Positioned, It Can Be Simply Configured As A Three-Axis Machining Center With Vertical Horizontal Conversion. The Vertical Horizontal Conversion Of The Spindle Is Combined With The Indexing Of The Workbench To Achieve Pentahedral Machining Of The Workpiece, Which Reduces The Manufacturing Cost Is Very Practical. The Workbench Can Also Be Set With A CNC Axis With A Minimum Indexing Value Of 0.001 Degrees, But Without Linkage, It Becomes A Four-Axis Machining Center With Vertical Horizontal Conversion, Which Can Adapt To Different Processing Requirements Is Very Competitive In Price. Huiwen Zhizao Is A Machining Factory With More Than Ten Years Of CNC Processing Experience. It Has A Full Range Of Equipment, CNC Turning/Milling/Grinding/Drilling/Machining. Partners With Parts Processing Needs Are Welcome To Call Us For Quotes.

    The Other Is The Traditional Worktable Rotary Axis. The Worktable A Axis Set On The Bed Generally Has A Working Range Of +20 Degrees To -100 Degrees. There Is Also A Rotary Table B Axis In The Middle Of The Worktable, Which Can Rotate 360 Degrees In Both Directions. The Linkage Characteristics Of This Horizontal Five-Axis Machining Center Are Better Than The First Method, It Is Often Used To Process Complex Curved Surfaces Of Large Impellers. The Rotary Axis Can Also Be Equipped With A Circular Grating Scale Feedback, The Indexing Accuracy Can Reach Several Seconds. Of Course, This Rotary Axis Structure Is More Complicated Expensive.

    At Present, The Worktable Of The Horizontal Machining Center Can Be Larger Than 1.25m2, Which Has No Effect On The First Five-Axis Setting Method. However, The Second Five-Axis Setting Method Is More Difficult, Because It Is Really Difficult For The 1.25m2 Worktable To Rotate The A Axis To Be Linked With The B Axis Rotary Table In The Middle Of The Worktable. The Spindle Speed Of The Horizontal Machining Center Is Generally Above 10,000rpm. Since The Horizontal Spindle Has Its Own Gravity In The Radial Direction, The Radial Force Of The Bearing Is Uneven When It Runs At High Speed, The Larger BT50 Tool Holder Is Used, The Maximum Speed Can Generally Reach 20,000rpm. The Rapid Feed Of The Horizontal Machining Center Reaches 30 To 60m/Min More, The Spindle Motor Power Is More Than 22-40KW, The Tool Magazine Capacity Can Be Increased 40 To 160 As Needed. The Processing Capacity Far Exceeds That Of The General Vertical Machining Center, It Is The First Choice For Heavy Machinery Processing . Huiwen Intelligent Manufacturing Is A Machining Factory With More Than Ten Years Of CNC Machining Experience. It Has A Full Range Of Equipment, Including CNC Turning/Milling/Grinding/Drilling/Machining. Partners With Parts Processing Needs Are Welcome To Call Us For Quotes.

    Most Machining Centers Can Be Designed With Dual Worktable Exchange. When One Worktable Is Running In The Machining Area, The Other Worktable Is Replacing The Workpiece Outside The Machining Area To Prepare For The Processing Of The Next Workpiece. The Time For Worktable Exchange Depends On The Size Of The Worktable Can Be Completed A Few Seconds To Tens Of Seconds.

    The Latest Design Of The Machining Center Takes Into Account The Structure To Be Suitable For Forming A Modular Manufacturing Unit (FMC) A Flexible Production Line (FMS). The Modular Manufacturing Unit Generally Consists Of At Least Two Machining Centers Four Exchange Tables. All Machining Centers Are Placed Side By Side, The Exchange Tables Are Arranged In A Straight Line In Front Of The Machine Tool. The Exchange Tables Can Be Arranged In Two Rows Even Double-Layer Designs. There Is A Station On Each Side As The Position For The Upper Lower Workpieces, The Exchange Tables On The Other Stations Are Equipped With Workpieces Waiting For Processing. A Small Car Will Send The Exchange Table With The Workpiece Into The Machining Center According To The System Instructions, Take Out The Exchange Table That Has Been Processed The Machining Center Send It To The Next Station Directly To The Unloading Station To Complete The Entire Processing Operation. In Addition To The Small Car Exchange Table, The Flexible Production Line Also Has A Unified Tool Library, Which Generally Has Hundreds Of Tools. The Identity Code Information Of The Tool Is Stored In The System, Then It Is Sent To The Machining Center Through The Tool Conveying System, The Used Tools Are Retrieved. The Flexible Production Line Often Requires An FMS Controller To Command The Operation.

    In The Past, Five-Axis Machining Centers Were Mostly Manufactured In Germany, The United States, Japan, Italy. It Is Gratifying That At The "China CNC Machine Tool Exhibition" Held In Shanghai In March This Year, Many Domestically Produced Five-Axis Machining Centers Were Exhibited. For Example, The Gantry Five-Axis Linkage Machining Center Exhibited By Jinan Second Machine Tool Group Corporation Has A Worktable Length Of 6m A Width Of 2m. It Uses A Vertical Spindle Rotation, An A-Axis Rotation Angle Of ±100 Degrees, A C-Axis Rotation Angle Of ±200 Degrees. This Behemoth Attracted Many Visitors, It Marks That China's CNC Machine Tool Industry Has Reached An Advanced Level. The Vertical Horizontal Machining Centers Manufactured By Shanghai Third Machine Tool Plant Fourth Machine Tool Plant Have A Worktable Of 630mm2 Use A High-Speed Internal Cooling Electric Spindle. The Spindle Can Be Converted Vertically Horizontally, The Worktable Can Be Divided Into 360 Degrees. Similar To The Above-Mentioned Three-Axis Machining Center With A Simple Configuration Of Vertical Horizontal Conversion, It Can Realize Pentahedral Processing Of Workpieces. Although It Has Yet Been Configured With Five Axes, It Is Also Very Practical. The Shenzhen Huiwen Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Co., Ltd. Team Was Established In 2010 Is Located On The 1st Floor Of Building F3, Tianyou Maker Industrial Park, Lixinhu, Fuyong, Bao'an District, Shenzhen. It Has Long Been Committed To The Processing Of High-Precision, High-Difficulty, Easy-To-Deform Metal Plastic Parts , Small Medium-Batch Production Of Lightweight Alloy Composite Materials (Such As Aluminum Alloy, Carbon Fiber, Etc.) Parts,  Procurement Customization Of Robot Parts .