Machine Controls
Affordable new CNCs that target everyday machining for job shops and basic machine tools include the 808D Ad- vanced CNC from Siemens Industry Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL), announced in late February. The new Siemens 808D Advanced CNC for basic turning and milling machines adds to the company’s entry-level 808D line initially introduced at IMTS 2012, signaling the CNC builder’s commitment to the production-level end of the machining market.
Boom Times for Low-Cost CNCs
Another newer entry-level control is the Acu-Rite Millpwr G2 CNC from Heidenhain Corp. (Schaumburg, IL) that pri- marily targets new machines and retrofits of Bridgeport-style manual knee mills. “The concept is to create a CNC that is not scary, which is in line with our take on shop-floor program- ming,” said Chris Weber, national sales manager, Heidenhain Corp., of the company’s new G2 control. “We supply the drives, motors, ballscrews—everything you need. It’s a retrofit essentially for manual machines, an Everyman’s knee mill.” The Heidenhain control, announced last October, offers three-axis milling with highly intuitive programming that prompts users with 3D graphics help steps to help maximize efficiency and production. The control is equipped with standard features including USB, networking accessibility, solid-model graphics and a 12.1" high-resolution display. The G2 features a 1-GHz processor and 2.5 GB of memory. Other enhancements include expanded tool and datum offsets for the more complicated jobs.
prototyping, and also in maintenance shops. The key is that it’s still a knee mill. The versatility of it allows you to do things that you can’t do with a machining center.” Most job-shop environments are very cost-sensitive, noted Randy Pearson, dealer support manager, Machine Tool Systems, Siemens Industry Inc. The new Siemens 808D Advanced is designed for basic milling and turning machines. Affordably priced for machine tool builders, this CNC also offers a suite of features designed to improve machining accu- racy, surface finish, safety and communication.
“The concept is to create a CNC that is not scary, which is in line with our take on shop-floor programming.”
The control uses the same easy-to-use Sinumerik Oper- ate interface offered on the existing Siemens 808D, 828D and 840D CNCs. “We’re using the same interface across the board, so it’s easier for users to switch between our controls and go from machine to machine,” Pearson noted. The control offers up to five axes/spindle motion control on a single machine channel, with drive bus communication between the CNC and drive for better position control. The 808D Advanced T is suitable for basic turning machines or turning centers without a Y axis, with the option of driven tools, while the Sinumerik 808D Advanced M offers advanced surface finish and the Sinamics V70 drive platform from Siemens, with an attractive price-to-performance ratio.
Siemens new affordable Sinumerik 808D Advanced CNC targets job shops and basic machining for turning and milling applications.
Users can disengage the quill, or Z axis, for 2.5-axis opera- tion, noted Weber. “You’d be amazed at some of the shops we get into with this control, and you can use the machine completely manually, too,” he added. “Guys love it for part
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Scott Strache, senior product marketing engineer, Mit- subishi Electric Automation Inc. (Vernon Hills, IL), said there’s currently high demand for both the low end and the upper echelon of the CNC market. Mitsubishi Electric Automation sells a wide breadth of factory automation gear, and its CNCs range from the entry-level M70V control to the M700V CNC, serv- ing the market for low-end machine tools to high-end five-axis machines, mill-turns, and Swiss-style machines, Strache said. “What we’re seeing is that customers are looking for that bipolarization, a combination of the high end and the low-cost job shop controls,” said Strache. “There’s a lot of demand right now for the lower-cost machine, especially in the China market where that trend is really strong. With the low end, it all depends on not only the control platform, but also the drive series that they’re using, the size of the servo motors and the spindle motors.”
Image courtesy Siemens Industry Inc.
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