Twin Milling Heads Enable Two-, Four-, Six-Sided Machining

The You Ji DSM series of heavy-duty duplex milling machines, available from Absolute Machine tools, is engineered specifically for two-, four- or six-sided production squaring and chamfering of square and rectangular workpieces. Depending on the machine configuration, end users can machine blocks as small as 0.750" × 0.750" (19.05 × 19.05 mm) and as large as 47" × 47" (1,175 × 1,175 mm) in maximum thicknesses ranging from 6" (150 mm) when using a 10" cutter, to 16" (400 mm) with a 16.5" cutter.

The duplex spindle design enables simultaneous two-sided milling that produces consistent parallelism and perpendicularity as well as tight tolerances and fine surface finishes. The twin milling heads move on rigid box ways along the Z axis. The heads feature variable-speed NT50- or NT60-taper spindles and provide 15 or 30 hp, depending on the machine model. The spindles produce high levels of torque at low rpm, permitting effective use of large-diameter cutters, the supplier says.

The rotary worktable moves in the X axis on roller-type linear ways and indexes from 0 to 315 degrees at 45-degree intervals. Hydraulic clamping and Hirth couplings combine to produce positioning accuracy of ±0.0003" and repeatability of 0.0002". Heavy one-piece cast-iron machine bases optimize machine rigidity and minimize thermal displacement.

Machine operation is semi-automatic: workpieces are shuttled in manually, then automatically centered, clamped and checked. Clamping pressure increases in steps to expedite accurate centering and provide sufficient clamping force to eliminate chatter. Modular clamping fixtures can be tailored to specific workpiece shapes.

Every DSM machine is equipped with a Mitsubishi C-70 control with a touchscreen interface and human-machine interface (HMI). Operator-friendly software speeds setups and reduces change-over time by enabling the setup of subsequent jobs while machining is in process. A Cutting Memory Module stores workpiece-material-based cutting data that can be applied to new parts.