High-speed Milling Machine

GF Machining Solutions has introduced the Mikron HSM 500 Mold- Master (MM) high-speed milling machine.

This machine is equipped with a 42,000-RPM HSK spindle that uses ceramic hybrid ball bearings with oil-air minimal lubrication, as well as liquid-cooled stator jacket and bearings. This vector-controlled motor spindle ensures fast acceleration to full speed as well as high torque at low speeds, the company states.

It cuts at feed rates up to 784.4 IPM and rapid traverses as fast as 1,574.8 IPM.

As standard, the milling machine comes equipped with graphite extraction system touchprobe capability and absolute optical linear scales with 20-nM step resolution on its X, Y, and Z axes for precise machine positioning.

Equipped with SmartMachine functionalities, this machine increases tool life through vibration monitoring, boosts productivity by reducing machine warm-up wait time, and shortens cycle times with optimized machine motion, the company states. The SmartMachine Advanced Process System displays vibrations occurring during the milling process as a G-load, allowing machinists to intervene and adjust for optimized cutting conditions and part surface finishes.

In addition to its high-speed spindle, the machine is equipped with other features tailored specifically to graphite machining, such as for the production of sinker EDM electrodes to burn mold cavities. A hood protects the machine, and its axes are fully covered. An automatic central lubrication system ensures all linear guides and ball screws are lubricated without having to remove any protective machine covering. And to quickly evacuate graphite dust, the machine has two powerful suction units and two separate dust bins.