ANCA Machine Advances Cutting Tool Production

ANCA’s MX7 Ultra, which the company will showacse in booth 1118 at Eastec 2023, is designed to manufacture large volumes of end mills and other cutting tools with high accuracy and quality. New software, hardware and design features are combined to make advances in surface finish, accuracy and controlled runout.

To increase the stiffness of the C-axis, the MX7 Ultra combines developments to the nanometer or micro-degree resolution in the linear and rotary axis, tuning parameters, several system enhancements and major mechanical changes. This means greater control of the velocity and acceleration or deceleration, along with machine jerk limits.

ANCA’s new servo-control algorithm enables smooth motion of an axis with the use of a unique algorithm and nanometer measurement in the control system. This is said to create finer cutting edges and eliminate micro-chips, making it more efficient while used in actual machining of materials. According to ANCA, the algorithm is key to the performance of the machine and ensures outstanding tracking performance. It also enables the servo system to perform without using a complex, complicated or expensive mechanical system.

ANCA has developed new software to provide batch consistency in large volumes. LaserUltra maintains consistency and accuracy of the grinding process, which includes in-process measurement and compensation to accommodate wheel wear and other external variations during large batch grinding. Its analog capability can maintain less than ±0.002-mm line form accuracy of any profile, including ballnose and corner-radius tools.

Tool and wheel performance can be further optimized by the iBalance software, which guides a user to the optimal grinding position and rpm for vibration monitoring and balancing the wheelpack inside the machine. Correctly balanced wheelpacks result in superior surface finish and reduced wheel wear due to the elimination of wheel vibration.

A major inclusion in the MX7 Ultra package is the total tool runout measurement and compensation operation in iGrind. Every tool in the batch can be measured and compensated for runout to make sure the entire batch is within a tolerance of 0.002 mm.

The MX7 also features Motor Temperature Control (MTC), a patented technology built into the motor-spindle drive firmware. A smart-control algorithm actively manages and maintains the temperature of motorized spindles in the MX7 Ultra. Reduced machine warmup time means production can start sooner, once the machine has reached thermal stability. This improves productivity and machine use, providing consistent thermal stability of the spindle over time regardless of changes in load, speed or coolant temperature. This improves the dimensional stability of grinding results.