NEXT CHAPTER

Back in 2001 at the EMO tradeshow in Hanover, Germany, Deckel Maho Seebach GmbH presented the first versions of their DMF linear machines. Since then, the Thuringia-based company has evolved from a moving column producer that competes on a national scale to a global manufacturer branded in this product segment.

Hundreds of machines worldwide represent undisputed proof of this impressive success story, which now adds another chapter with the DMF 260 linear.

The principal elements of the DMF 260 linear are an extremely sturdy machine base, made of a vibration-damping mineral casting material, and a thermo-symmetric moving column. The standard version of the follower-type tool magazine, arranged directly adjacent, holds 30 tools and ensures fast in-process tool-change intervals for short chip-to-chip times. As an option, the tool capacity can increase to 60 or even 120 tools.

Far more emotional than these technical parameters — but no less convincing — is the new design of this latest Seebach innovation. Look through the large inspection windows and into the huge 102.4 in x 27.6 in x 27.6 in machining area for the X, Y and Z axes. Every operator on the shop floor will be enthusiastic seeing the ERGOline® Control system with its 19 in screen, suitable for integrating a Siemens 840D solution line, including ShopMill Open, or a Heidenhain iTNC 530, including SmarT.NC, to fulfill their shop floor-oriented task.

As far as in-process productivity is concerned, this machine comes with rapid traverse speeds of no less than 315 ipm in all axes. Excellent workpiece precision is ensured by the combination of backlash-free direct drive technology in the X axis and the obligatory direct measuring systems.

With regard to speeds, the standard version comes with a high-torque 8,000 rpm motor spindle. As options, units with rotational speed of 14,000 rpm and 18,000 rpm are available for those companies machining aluminum, for example.

Another option provides the possibility to adapt a CNC-controlled B axis instead of the standard vertical milling head. If the user opts for the table variant with integrated NC indexing table as an additional C axis, he can open up the impressive world of 5 sides/5-axis machining.

In this case, the extremely long X path of the DMF 260 linear allows the integration of two NC indexing tables and, as a result (in conjunction with the partition in the machining compartment), 5-axis machining of small workpieces in pendulum mode at short make-ready times.

Thanks to comprehensive modular components from the standard configuration, the DMF 260 linear can be upgraded and converted for the most diverse application tasks and lines of industry. This applies to 3-axis milling through to 5-axis simultaneous machining, as well as toolmaking and mold production through to applications in the aerospace industry.

Over and above this, a lower-cost version is available that uses a ball spindle in the long X-axis in parallel with a dynamic variant-equipped linear drive.

In other words, the configuration of the DMF machine is solely dictated by the user and his requirements. This extreme diversification applies to all new moving column machines of the second generation. Future plans include, for instance, a 260 machine version that features a Y path extended to 43.3 in, as well as a smaller variant with a 70.9 in X path.

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Deckel Maho Seebach GmbH, Neue Strasse 61, D-99846, Seebach, Germany, +49 (0) 3 69 29 / 81 – 0, Fax: +49 (0) 3 69 29 / 81 – 2408, www.deckelmaho.com