Birkett Cutmaster Amada THV twin-headed milling machine complements sawing and grinding operations

Birkett Cutmaster has launched a twin-headed milling machine – claimed to operate much faster than conventional vertical milling machines and machining centres, while providing improved accuracy and substantial cost savings.

Amada THV Series milling machines can mill the steel blanks cut by Amada pulsed bandsaws to produce accurate, high quality machined surfaces. They can also be used with other high precision Amada milling and grinding machines.

Amada explains that when milling four sides of a workpiece, conventional systems machine the four surfaces one at a time, obliging the operator to man the machine through four set-up procedures. The Amada THV twin-headed milling machine, on the other hand, with its two cutters can machine two sides of the workpiece in a single operation. The operator makes a single work setting, starts the machine and is then free to attend to other duties.

The top and bottom surfaces of the clamped workpiece are automatically milled by the Amada THV's two cutters simultaneously. After milling the first two surfaces, the system automatically indexes the worktable, rotating it through 90° to mill the remaining two surfaces, without operator intervention. When machining four sides of a 150 mm cube, for example, an Amada THV twin-headed machine requires only one set-up and completes the operation in four minutes, instead of the 20 minutes taken by a conventional vertical milling machine requiring four set-ups.

Amada adds that when comparing the total time taken, including machining times and set-ups for high accuracy, a vertical milling machine takes approximately one and a half hours to complete the process. The Amada twin headed machine requires no more than 10 minutes.

The Amada THV Series machine incorporates a positioning device which automatically calculates and moves the workpiece to the correct position on the work table, while an automatic centring system measures the size of the workpiece and calculates the exact centre. Even if the workpiece is not set on centre, the twin cutters will move to suitable positions and cut the same depth.

The simple set-up routine requires the operator to select cutting conditions and input the size of the workpiece and finished dimensions on an easy- to- use conversational interface. Neither previous knowledge of NC programmes nor a high level of skill are necessary.

Author
Celia Cadwallader

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