REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE COPY OF AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING BY VISITING:
WWW.AERO-MAG.COM 28 AEROSPACEMANUFACTURING | MARCH 2013
METALLICS I MACHINING
machining stages in less than 20 hours.” To date more than 70 large Ecospeed-series machining
centres, equipped with the Sprint Z3 tripod head, have been delivered to international aerospace customers. Hennes names the Ecospeed flexible manufacturing system
(FMS) comprising nine machines and 60 pallets and currently being installed for the fully automated production of wing ribs as one of the highlights. Another is the three machines with a travel in the X-axis of 22m for machining wing skin panels with a horizontal 5-axis spindle. Hennes vision for DST’s is: “In the near future wing skins with aerodynamic geometries and integral stringers could be produced on these machines. It quite remarkable the basic machine concept was right from the start and that DST has had no reason to change the concept.”
Progressions of power This is an astonishing statement considering how far the machining of structural aerospace components has progressed over the past few years. “The degree of machining on passenger aircraft components already exceeds 97%, a level that was long regarded as only economically justifiable on military aircraft parts,” says Lilla who is now product manager for the Ecospeed range. “The quality requirements in terms of part tolerance and surface finish have also increased enormously.” This has all happened under the massive cost pressures facing all aircraft manufacturers. DST meets these demands with a product strategy that
doesn’t deviate from the successful basic tripod head concept. On the contrary, the Ecospeed platform has been developed into a wider range of machine configurations employing standardised components and modules to provide tailored solutions for various customer requirements. One such variant is the Ecospeed F, which stands for ‘fixed column’. Whereas the Ecospeed is equipped with a travelling column, the F version’s pallet is moved along the X-axis, which is configured as a vertical table group. This concept enables the moving mass to be driven along the X-axis of a very compact table design. “This leads to excellent dynamic
properties and very high jerk setting, which in turn result in even greater reductions in the machining times,” explains Lilla. A newly-developed automatic pallet changer system allows uninterrupted cutting and ergonomic pallet loading and unloading. This is located as an extension of the X-axis at the side of the machine and comprises a rotatable twin pallet
station. The pallet is loaded horizontally then rotated into the vertical before transferring it directly onto machine table. In addition, the spindle specialist GMN Paul Müller Industrie has developed a bespoke new spindle unit for the Ecospeed F with significantly higher performance than on earlier models. The new unit delivers 120kW and 83Nm of torque - both spindles offer a maximum spindle speed of 30,000rpm. The Ecospeed F is available as a standalone machine with twin pallet changer or as a cell compatible version with appropriate pallet handling system components. Originally designed for ‘smaller’ structural parts of up
to 6,300mm length, the F concept has proven itself in the aerospace machining market and the demand for this machine type has risen markedly. The trend towards even larger parts machined from solid has led to the development of five machine models. DST can deliver machines with up to seven different pallet sizes (1,000 x 4,000mm, then 2,000 x 3,500mm up to 2,500 x 8,000mm) for payloads ranging from 2,000 up to 6,000kg. The latest model family Ecospeed F 10XX with a pallet width of 1,000mm was developed for machining long and narrow parts. “The well-known advantages of the Ecospeed series such as dynamics, power, robustness and energy efficiency have been improved upon,” states Lilla.
East meets West This message was first understood by DST’s South Korean customer, Yulkok which specialises in the machining of complex aluminium aerostructural parts. Yulkok’s association with Ecospeed began in 2009 with the delivery of an Ecospeed F HT machining centre. In order to master the massive order backlog, Yulkok ordered two Ecospeed F 1040s with horizontal spindle and vertical pallet orientation. The current machines have 4,400mm of travel in the X-axis and 1,600mm in the Y-axis. The twin pallets with surface 1,000mm by 4,000mm carry a payload of up to 2,000kg. These Ecospeed F machines are equipped with the powerful 120kW spindle.
Alfred Lilla, head of sales for the Ecospeed product range at DST
This investment from South Korea has extended the list of longstanding aerospace customers who have been convinced of the advantages of the ‘made in Germany’ tripod-technology. This list includes the majority of the major aircraft builders. Lilla concludes: “Ecospeed is the benchmark that companies like Boeing use to gauge the productivity of their sub-suppliers.” ❙ Author: Dipl.-Ing. Nikolaus Fecht, technology journalist from Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
www.starrag.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48