plan to purchase a five-axis machining center. How should select its configuration?
- Select the travel distance
First, determine the travel distance of the machine tool. The size of the workpiece you want to process should be 10-20% larger than the workpiece size. If your workpiece is 5 meters long, you can choose 5.5-6 meters. It’s better to choose a larger distance than a smaller one, leaving sufficient space for processing.
- Determine the Milling Head for the Machining Center
Choose between imported and domestic milling heads. Imported heads are more expensive and more stable, but they are difficult to repair, replacement parts are troublesome, the turnaround time is long, and the repair time is less controllable, potentially taking 1-3 months, which can have a significant impact on business. This is something to consider. Domestic milling heads are cheaper, and trial machining can be performed to confirm that they meet the machining requirements.
- Is an automatic tool changer/tool magazine needed?
Some machine tool manufacturers do not include a tool magazine as standard equipment; this is industry practice. Adding a tool magazine costs extra, and this should be clarified during the purchase process. Some machine operators complain that they’ve spent hundreds of thousands of kilowatts on a certain machine tool but haven’t been willing to pay extra for a tool magazine, making their work incredibly tiring.
If multi-process machining such as drilling, milling, boring, and tapping needs to be performed in an integrated manner, frequent tool changes are required. Without a tool magazine in the machining center, the operator has to manually carry the tools to change them. Each tool weighs around 20 pounds, and frequent changes are exhausting and slow.
- Is an automatic milling head changer needed?
This can be configured according to your specific machining needs. Some machine tools are equipped with fully automatic milling head changing five-axis gantry machining centers, featuring two milling heads: one high-speed milling head and one high-torque milling head. This allows for roughing and finishing on a single machine, significantly reducing the time spent changing machines and repeatedly clamping. Many manufacturers of automotive bumper and headlight molds choose this configuration. Therefore, the choice should be based on your actual requirements.
- Oil Mist Collection System
Due to the high speed and multi-axis linkage characteristics of five-axis machine tools, the amount of oil mist generated increases exponentially when machining materials such as aluminum profiles, aluminum alloy parts, high-temperature alloys, and titanium alloys. Therefore, configuring an oil mist collection system is worth considering.
If the five-axis machine tool is only used for low-speed milling (speed ≤ 8000 rpm) and the material being machined is cast iron or stainless steel (cutting mainly produces iron chips, with very little oil mist generation), and the workshop has good natural ventilation, an oil mist collection system may not be necessary. However, regular cleaning of oil mist deposits around the machine tool is required.
