Among developments incorporated into the latest Fanuc Alpha T21-iF vertical machining centre (VMC) is a massive 32 per cent increase in torque to 70 Nm for the new 10,000 rpm spindle that significantly increases the power for milling and the drilling of larger holes in steel from solid. A patent pending, high speed toolchange mechanism gives an 11 per cent faster chip-to-chip time of just 1.6 sec and with the inclusion of thermal displacement compensation, higher levels of accuracy are achievable when 3D machining and especially when extended cutting cycles are involved.
The T21-iF has axis movements of 54 m/min, an improved acceleration of 1.5 G.
With the addition of the higher torque 10,000 rpm directly coupled spindle option, heavier milling can be performed utilising the improved bearing arrangement in the spindle and larger drills and combination tools can be used to include step tools for chamfering, for instance.
As part of the Fanuc development programme, a direct drive fourth axis unit with backlash-free synchronous servomotor drive provides a rotational speed up to 150 rpm. This unit, in keeping with the machine’s ultra-quick cycling capability, takes just 0.4 sec to index 180 deg.
