Vertical machining center processing function

The main objects of vertical machining centers include box parts, complex curved surfaces, special-shaped parts, disc sleeve parts and special processing. It is suitable for parts with complex processing, multiple processes, high requirements, and the need for various types of ordinary machine tools and numerous tool fixtures, and can only be processed after multiple clamping and adjustment.

(1) Special-shaped parts

Special-shaped parts are irregular parts that generally require point, line and surface multi-station mixed processing. Special-shaped parts have poor rigidity, and clamping deformation is difficult to control, and processing accuracy is also difficult to ensure. Even some parts are difficult to process with ordinary machine tools. When using a machining center for processing, reasonable process measures should be adopted, one or two clamping, and the characteristics of the machining center's multi-station point, line and surface mixed processing should be used to complete multiple processes or all process contents.

(2) Complex curved surfaces

Complex curved surfaces occupy a particularly important position in the machinery manufacturing industry, especially in the aerospace industry. Complex curved surfaces are difficult to complete using ordinary machining methods. The traditional method is to use precision casting, which is conceivably low in accuracy. Complex curved surface parts such as: various impellers, guide wheels, spherical surfaces, various curved surface forming molds, propellers and underwater vehicle propellers, as well as some other free-form surfaces. These parts can be processed by machining centers. The following are typical:

① Cam, cam mechanism

Basic components for mechanical information storage and transmission are widely used in various automatic machines. Such parts include disc cams with various curves, cylindrical cams, conical cams, barrel cams, end face cams, etc. For processing such parts, three-axis, four-axis linkage or five-axis linkage machining centers can be selected according to the complexity of the cam.

② Integral impeller type

Such parts are commonly found in compressors of aircraft engines, expanders of oxygen production equipment, single-screw air compressors, etc. For such surfaces, machining centers with more than four axes can be used to complete them.

③ Mold type

Such as injection molds, rubber molds, vacuum forming blister molds, refrigerator foaming molds, pressure casting molds, precision casting molds, etc. When using a machining center to process molds, due to the highly concentrated process, the finishing of key parts such as dynamic molds and static molds is basically completed in one installation, which can reduce the cumulative error of dimensions and reduce the workload of repair. At the same time, the mold is highly reproducible and interchangeable. The workload left by the fitter after machining is small. Wherever the tool can reach, it is completed by machining as much as possible, so that the workload of the mold fitter is mainly polishing.

④ Spherical surface

It can be milled by a machining center. Three-axis milling can only use a ball-end milling cutter for approximation processing, which is less efficient. Five-axis milling can use an end milling cutter as an envelope surface to approximate the spherical surface. When complex curved surfaces are processed by a machining center, the programming workload is large, and most of them require automatic programming technology.

(3) Box parts

Box parts generally refer to parts with more than one hole system, a cavity inside, and a certain proportion in length, width, and height. This type of parts is widely used in machine tool, automobile, and aircraft manufacturing industries. Box parts generally require multi-station hole system and plane processing, with high tolerance requirements, especially strict form and position tolerance requirements. They usually go through milling, drilling, expansion, boring, reaming, countersinking, tapping and other processes, requiring more tools. It is difficult to process on ordinary machine tools, with many tooling sets, high costs, long processing cycles, multiple clamping and alignment, and many manual measurements. Tools must be changed frequently during processing, and the process is difficult to formulate. More importantly, the accuracy is difficult to guarantee.

For machining centers for processing box parts, when there are many machining stations and the workbench needs to rotate multiple angles to complete the parts, a horizontal boring and milling machining center is generally selected. When there are fewer machining stations and the span is not large, a vertical machining center can be selected to process from one end.

(4) Disk, sleeve, and plate parts

Disk sleeves or shaft parts with keyways, radial holes, or distributed holes on the end faces, curved surfaces, such as flanged sleeves, keyway or square head shaft parts, etc., and plate parts with a large number of holes, such as various motor covers. Disk parts with distributed holes and curved surfaces on the end faces should choose vertical machining centers, while those with radial holes can choose horizontal machining centers.

(5) Special processing

After mastering the functions of the machining center, with certain tooling and special tools, the machining center can be used to complete some special process work, such as engraving words, lines, and patterns on the metal surface; installing a high-frequency electric spark power supply on the spindle of the machining center can perform line scanning surface quenching on the metal surface; installing a high-speed grinding head on the machining center can realize the grinding of small-module involute bevel gears and various curves and surfaces.