Page 36 - MetalForming December 2013

Tooling Update
Tooling Technology
Five-Axis Machining Center Brings Sustained Accuracy to Large Part and Die Production
Makino, Mason, OH, introduces the newest addition to its family of five-axis ver- tical machining centers, the D800Z. Joining the Makino D-Series (D300 and D500), the D800Z is designed for high-performance job shops, precision parts machining, die/mold and aerospace applications.
Like the other two D-Series machines, the D800Z offers easy access to the spin- dle and table, a highly rigid structure for responsive cutting and good surface fin- ishes. Load it up with workpieces as large as 1000-mm dia., weighing as much as 1200 kg.
Use the five-axis capability of the machine in five-face milling mode to minimize setup, optimize access to complex multisided parts and reduce cycle times; or to address the demanding angular, blending, matching, fine-surface finishes and 3D accu- racy requirements of die components.
Feed rates tops out at 36,000 mm/min. on the X, Y and Z axes, and 18,000 deg./min. (50 RPM) on the B and X axes.
Makino: 800/552-3288; www.makino.com
Online Video Illustrates Sheetmetal-Fastening Technique—No Tapping or Secondary Ops
Mate Precision Tooling, Anoka,
MN, has produced a 4-min. video
showcasing the capabilities of its
Hybrid Threadform forming tool,
used in CNC punch presses for
applications where material thick-
ness exceeds screw pitch. Dis-
played is a real-world application
of the tool at Midland Metal Prod-
ucts, which significantly reduced
costs for fabricating retail-industry
point-of-purchase displays when compared to welding of self-clinching nuts.
View the video at www.mate.com/en/fabrication-solutions/innovative-solu- tions/hybrid-thread.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Mr. Kuvin,
Thank you for the recent article by Peter Ulintz discussing preventive main- tenance (PM) of stamping dies and pressroom equipment (September 2013). I want to address the equating of pre- ventive with predictive maintenance. They are related only by the fact that a strong, well-developed PM program must be in place before entering into a pre- dictive-maintenance regimen.
I helped develop a PM program at Chrysler, and considering the cost of pro- ceeding with a predictive program, plant management decided not to bear such a cost—partially because a new press- monitoring system would have been required. That was an economic decision that was made while enjoying the very cost-beneficial PM program that saved the stamping plant considerable cost-avoid- ance dollars from die-related downtime.
I’m not discouraging predictive main- tenance, rather am just relating that the rewards from a comprehensive die- PM program are more than adequate.
Thomas Ulrich, DiePM.com
Ulrich is the author of Die Tooling Preventive Maintenance, available on Amazon.
Full-Line Sensor Catalog
Balluff, Florence, KY, has released its new full-line object-detection sensor catalog, fea-
turing more
than 1000
pages and
several new
products.
Included is
the firm’s
complete
sensor line,
comprising
photoelec-
tric, induc-
tive, capacitive and magnetic cylinder sen- sors, along with accessories and mating cables.
34 MetalForming/December 2013
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