FISCHER USA Featured in Modern Machine Shop

When is a three-axis vertical mill, equipped with an aftermarket two-axis rotary table, preferable to a true five-axis machining center?
Ask Fischer USA.

Michael Guzman, manufacturing engineer III, creates fixtures with locating pins that can be stored and reused for repeatable positioning of any given part. “The next time we want to run this part, because each fixture has a certain orientation to the Lehmann table, it will be a very quick changeover. Probably under 30 seconds,” he says. Photos: Brent Donaldson

At the Fischer USA headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, a Mazak VCN 530C fitted with a Lehmann 5AX rotary table allows for 3+2 (or “positional”) machining, in which the rotary table positions the workpiece for three-axis operations. According to Ryan Krause, Fischer USA senior manufacturing engineer, and Michael Guzman, manufacturing engineer III, the 3+2 configuration provides the necessary machining flexibility at a considerably lower cost than a full five-axis machine (that is, one that moves all axes synchronously during the cut). 

To read the full story, please visit What to Do When Five-Axis Machining Is Off the Table | Modern Machine Shop (mmsonline.com)