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To provide medical manufacturers the key subtractive operations needed within additive manufacturing part production, GF Machining Solutions showcased its Mikron MILL E 500 U high-efficiency 5-axis milling machine and the CUT AM 500 horizontal wire EDM at the recently held MD&M West 2021 show in Anaheim, California. Both machines work seamlessly alongside GF Machining Solutions’ additive manufacturing systems for complete medical part processing and optimized workflow.
To mill off build supports and perform secondary machining of additive produced parts themselves, the Mikron MILL E 500 U features a large swivel range from 65° to + 120° and the capacity for additive parts weighing up to 450 kg. With its tilting, swiveling table, the machine also allows users to process a wider range of parts.
The Mikron MILL E 500 U’s powerful 20,000-rpm Step-Tec spindle tackles both rough milling and drilling operations and increases metal removal rates by 20 percent over previous models. Its rigid, stable C-frame cast iron construction reduces vibrations for increased precision and repeatability, while large guideways, a double side-supported rotary table and optimized chip evacuation enhance reliability and part quality.
Designed specifically for the additive manufacturing process, the CUT AM 500 horizontal wire EDM makes it easier than ever to quickly separate additively manufactured metal parts from build plates while maintaining geometrical accuracy and ensuring assembly readiness. The machine is a fast, precise, affordable and automation-ready alternative to the use of standard vertical EDM equipment or band saws to separate parts from build plates.
In addition to improving overall efficiency, the CUT AM 500 also resolves a number of quality barriers encountered by manufacturers created by the use of band saws, including but not limited to geometric inaccuracy, loss of workpiece material (kerf) and damage to the part. Ideal for risk-averse industries such as medical manufacturing, the CUT AM 500 maintains the integrity of the part by eliminating any contamination and/or damage.
Related Glossary Terms
- bandsaw blade ( band)
bandsaw blade ( band)
Endless band, normally with serrated teeth, that serves as the cutting tool for cutoff or contour band machines.
- electrical-discharge machining ( EDM)
electrical-discharge machining ( EDM)
Process that vaporizes conductive materials by controlled application of pulsed electrical current that flows between a workpiece and electrode (tool) in a dielectric fluid. Permits machining shapes to tight accuracies without the internal stresses conventional machining often generates. Useful in diemaking.
- gang cutting ( milling)
gang cutting ( milling)
Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.
- milling
milling
Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.
- milling machine ( mill)
milling machine ( mill)
Runs endmills and arbor-mounted milling cutters. Features include a head with a spindle that drives the cutters; a column, knee and table that provide motion in the three Cartesian axes; and a base that supports the components and houses the cutting-fluid pump and reservoir. The work is mounted on the table and fed into the rotating cutter or endmill to accomplish the milling steps; vertical milling machines also feed endmills into the work by means of a spindle-mounted quill. Models range from small manual machines to big bed-type and duplex mills. All take one of three basic forms: vertical, horizontal or convertible horizontal/vertical. Vertical machines may be knee-type (the table is mounted on a knee that can be elevated) or bed-type (the table is securely supported and only moves horizontally). In general, horizontal machines are bigger and more powerful, while vertical machines are lighter but more versatile and easier to set up and operate.
- milling machine ( mill)2
milling machine ( mill)
Runs endmills and arbor-mounted milling cutters. Features include a head with a spindle that drives the cutters; a column, knee and table that provide motion in the three Cartesian axes; and a base that supports the components and houses the cutting-fluid pump and reservoir. The work is mounted on the table and fed into the rotating cutter or endmill to accomplish the milling steps; vertical milling machines also feed endmills into the work by means of a spindle-mounted quill. Models range from small manual machines to big bed-type and duplex mills. All take one of three basic forms: vertical, horizontal or convertible horizontal/vertical. Vertical machines may be knee-type (the table is mounted on a knee that can be elevated) or bed-type (the table is securely supported and only moves horizontally). In general, horizontal machines are bigger and more powerful, while vertical machines are lighter but more versatile and easier to set up and operate.
- wire EDM
wire EDM
Process similar to ram electrical-discharge machining except a small-diameter copper or brass wire is used as a traveling electrode. Usually used in conjunction with a CNC and only works when a part is to be cut completely through. A common analogy is wire electrical-discharge machining is like an ultraprecise, electrical, contour-sawing operation.
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