A modern computer numer- ically controlled (CNC) turning machine must be productive, flexible and easy to operate, says local machine tools distributor Retecon MD Hans-Peter Neth.

He tells Engineering News that the new monoBlock and CTX ecoline series of machine tools from global machine tools manu-facturer DMG/Mori Seiki meet all these requirements and are available in South Africa from Retecon. The company has received positive feedback from industry players since introducing both series in the second half of last year.

Neth points out that the company has been the sole South African distributor of DMG/Mori Seiki’s products since 2011, while Retecon has been representing the DMG Group since 1980.

“The CTX ecoline machine practice-orientated SLIMline user interface, which is available with Operate 4.5 on Siemens 840D solution line or Heidenhain CNC Pilot 640, makes it easy for new customers and experienced professionals to operate the technology and, therefore, receive maximum performance from the machine,” he says.

Neth points out that the CTX ecoline is also available with a Mitsubishi MAPPS IV control, which is a new high-performance operating system developed by Mori Seiki.

The main features of the MAPPS IV control include ease of operability, owing to upgraded hardware, a 22.86-cm-wide by 26.4-cm-tall screen, which offers improved and useful display functions for the operator and enhanced functionality by incorporating computer-aided manufacturing software.

“The CTX ecoline is all about developing the fastest path from the drawing to the finished workpiece and this is realised by the fast servo turret and modern motion-control technology, with rapid traverses of 30 m/min,” he emphasises, adding that the machines’ design ensures a clear overview during operations and that the technology is also an aesthetic highlight on a com- pany’s shop floor.

The CTX ecoline series is built using high-efficiency cast iron beds, high-quality ball screws and linear guides to achieve the best rigidity and vibration characteristics suited to the most demanding production requirements.

Moreover, he highlights that the four-fold-mounted main spindles and large bar passages on the CTX 310 and the CTX 510 ecoline models ensure high circular precision and durability.

He adds that the CNC tailstocks provide flexibility and fast production processes, as well as low connection loads, economical power consumption and energy recovery to ensure energy effi-cient operations.

More than 1 000 Sold

Since the 2010 AMB international exhibition for metalworking, which was held in Stuttgart, Germany, DMG/Mori Seiki has sold more than 1 000 monoBlock machines worldwide.

DMG/Mori Seiki attributes this success to its customers appreciating the monoBlock series’ reliability and flexible expansion options, which offer the ideal solution for many applications – from three-axis machining to five-axis simultaneous machining.

Additionally, the company states that the monoBlock operates from dynamic high-speed milling to high- performance machining with powerful torques.

“Technological integrations, such as millturn technology and laser, or ultrasonic machining, pallet changes and automation solutions, round off the monoBlock’s system,” notes Neth.

The base, from which the monoBlock series derives its name, and the machines’ sturdy construction are the key contributing factors to the high level of performance offered by its universal milling centres. The high resting masses of the cast base of the monoBlock and its detailed finite element analysis are the main reasons for the machine’s high degree of rigidity and stability, states DMG/Mori Seiki.

Neth points out that the DMU 65 monoBlock has 45 mm roller guideways and that the DMU 85 monoBlock has robust slides and 55 mm roller guideways, which subsequently provide the ideal conditions for maximum machining performance. The machine also provides excellent accuracy values, which are further boosted by its direct travel measurement systems, active cooling and multisensory compensation features.

Meanwhile, global tools and tooling solutions supplier Sand-vik Coromant’s Schmalkalden factory, in Thuringia, Germany, uses many standard machining technologies in its production.

However, where milling is required, Sandvik’s tooling experts have predominantly been using machining centres from the DMG/Mori Seiki monoBlock series, such as the DMU 65 and DMU 85 monoBlock, since 2011.

Sandvik Coromant Schmalkalden production manager Henning Kirchner says the company selected the monoBlock series because of its compact machining centres and the ease of accessibility of its work area.

“The consistent accuracy values of the monoBlock series made it highly attractive for us and as a result Sandvik Coromant Schmalkalden is reaping a high degree of process reliability,” he adds.

DMG/Mori Seiki exhibited the monoBlock and CTX ecoline series of machine tools at the international trade fair for the machine tool industry, EMO Hannover 2013, in Germany, from September 16 to 21, together with 96 machines under power, among them 19 new developments.