Southwest Manufacturing News • January 2018 • Larger, More Powerful Rotary Transfer Machine

“The new Eclipse 12-100 is a ground up re-design of the famous Hydromat concept with all new components,” said a company spokesperson. The machine’s 2 m-diameter ductile-iron casting is nearly twice as large as the traditional 12-station Hydromat machine. The casing that is mounted on a frame of sturdy, welded steel construction is designed for semi-permanent tool spindles, each having 3-axis capability as standard. This eliminates the need to change tool spindle sizes for different cutting processes or add 3-axis flanges, eliminating the need to change tool spindle sizes for different cutting processes or adding 3-axis flanges for that capability.

The Eclipse features all-electric servo spindles and slides. No hydraulics are needed for tool spindle motion as in previous Hydromat machines. “These new machines, along with the beefier base, yield better accuracy and repeatability,” said the spokesperson.

The bar-fed collet version of the Eclipse 12-100 has a maximum workpiece diameter of 65 mm (2.5”), nearly double the standard Hydromat machine. It features a maximum workpiece length of 180 mm (7”) with 127 mm (5”) of material outside the collet. The Eclipse will also be available in an Indexing Chuck version that will feature a table with vertical chucks capable of 360° workpiece rotation. This system is suitable for mid- to high-volume precision production of irregular- shaped castings or forgings and is designed with the flexibility to easily accommodate families of parts. The Eclipse Indexing Chuck machine will utilize hydraulically-actuated, selfcentering two- or three-jaw chucks or custom clamp fixtures to provide high accuracy and part clamping rigidity. Work pieces are mounted in the chuks by robotics or pneumatic loaders.

A new cut-off saw was designed by Hydromat Inc. engineers at the headquarters in St. Louis, MO. It features bar and workpiece spacing prior to saw blade retraction after the cut, moving both the saw blade away from the workpiece in the collet and the bar stock away from the blade, to eliminate the blade dragging during the saw’s return to home position. “A twospeed drive motor with belt reduction yields a highly accurate cut,” said the spokesperson.

The tool spindles are larger than previous Hydromat spindles to accommodate the heavier cuts and larger parts and machined with this platform. They are designated as 55/200 units, referring to the 55 mm front bearing size and a 200 mm stroke at the Z-axis. The units utilize HSK 50 tool holders, and they are a stout design weighing in at 536 kg total mass. These units are direct drive powered by a FANUC ailT6/12000HV motor with a KTR GS38 coupler. This motor continuous rating is 5.5 kW at 7.4 HP and a 30- minute rating at 7.5 kW at 10 HP. It has dual windings and pumps out 35 Nm at low speeds and 13.2 Nm at high speeds. The high resolution encoders and the latest servo and spindle HRV Control realize Nano Control Servo system with high speed, high precision and high efficiency.

An optional 20,000 RPM tool spindle powered by the same FANUC aiIT2/20000 is also available. It features a proportionally lower cutting force related to the higher speed. The bearing configuration is the same as the 12,000 RPM version, but features a KTR GS28 coupler on this configuration. Both the 12,000 and 20,000 RPM Eclipse units are through spindle coolant capable.

The Eclipse 12-100 machine is the solution for the elimination of secondary operations by producing parts complete from barstock, castings, forgings or cold formed blanks. The new Eclipse machining platform eliminates secondary operations and reduces work in progress. Additional cost reduction occurs due to extremely short remnants and thin cutoff for significant material saving.

This multi-station transfer technology enables load and unload processes on station one, and simultaneous machining on the other 11 stations, making the Eclipse ideal for medium to high production of complex workpieces requiring multiple operations, complex cuts and where tight tolerances are critical.

“The Hydromat Eclipse engineering team embodies a rich history of manufacturing disciplines and they work closely with the customer to develop an innovative production solution . The Eclipse supports Lean Manufacturing principles and competitive manufacturing at small, medium and large production quantities,” said the spokesperson.