Major Tool & Machine Adds Large Part Production Capacity
The 500,000 sq ft climate-controlled campus is scheduled to be completed in 2015.
Posted: June 28, 2013
New machines include MAG VTC 2500 and U5 XL 2500 universal portal mill with turning capabilities. Massive DSI mill/turn machine will also be retrofitted with new MAG U6 cross saddle and ram, multiple cutting heads, and Siemens 840D sl CNC.
Major Tool & Machine Inc. (Indianapolis, IN) lives up to its name with a multi-million-dollar order for large-part machining systems from MAG IAS that includes a new VTC 2500, a new U5 XL 2500 universal portal mill with turning capabilities, and a rebuild/retrofit of a DSI mill/turn gantry machine.
In addition to milling, the U5 will provide large-part turning with an integrated 13 ft rotary table. The company’s existing DSI machine will be retrofitted with a new cross saddle and ram from the MAG U6 line, along with five interchangeable cutting heads and Siemens 840D sl CNC.
Scheduled for completion in 2015, the machines will be delivered to, and retrofit work done at, Major Tool’s 500,000 sq ft climate-controlled campus, which serves the nuclear, aerospace, energy and general industrial markets.
Steve Weyreter, the chairman and chief executive officer or the Major Tool, said, “Our niche is very large parts made of exotic materials, such as Inconel®, Waspalloy®, Hastelloy®, and similar metals”. He continued, “We are one of the few North American shops that can turn parts as large as 43 ft in diameter, and we combine this with certified capabilities for welding and fabrication with exotic materials.”
According to Weyreter, the new U5 machine will initially replace production capacity during the rebuild of Major Tool’s massive DSI gantry mill/turn machine. “This is an extremely complex project that involves much more than simply adding machine tools, because it is critical that we maintain our large-part mill/turn capacity when the DSI machine goes offline,” he said.
“Part of our reputation is based on the depth of our capacity, so coordination and timing are vital when we take a critical machine offline. For a complex project requiring this level of management, engineering and technical resources, we preferred to work with a domestic source, and we have a long, successful history with MAG. This will also be a joint project to a great extent where our own staff will be heavily involved in the work.”
The rail-type U5 XL 2500 will introduce the newest and largest model of the U5 portal mill series, continuing the expansion of the Cincinnati U5 line that was launched more than a decade ago. Major Tool’s U5 XL 2500 will be equipped with a 2.5-m (8.2 ft) Z-axis ram and multiple automatically changed cutting heads for five-axis and complex-geometry machining of large, tall parts.
Configured with 72 ft of X-axis rail, the machine’s X range can be lengthened in 12 ft increments. Y-axis range is 196.85 in. Machining heads purchased by Major Tool include a turning head with Sandvik Coromant® Capto C8 tool interface, and 5-axis gimbal, vertical and horizontal heads with CAT 50 Big Plus tool interface.
Dual-range 52-kW spindles enable aggressive cutting in difficult materials. MAG will configure the machine for integration of a 13 ft rotary table to be purchased by Major Tool, and then install the table and drive. Upon acceptance of the U5 machine, MAG technicians will begin rebuild/retrofit of the DSI in Major Tool’s plant.
As part of the rebuild/retrofit of the DSI (Dörries Scharmann) mill/turn gantry machine, MAG will adapt a new cross saddle – including a U6 2.5 m ram with integrated C axis – to the machine’s existing cross rail. The saddle and ram modules will be unit-assembled at MAG’s Hebron, KY, plant, complete with utilities, plumbing and wiring, prior to shipment and installation.
The ram has a robust cross section of 27.4 in by 30.3 in to withstand high cutting forces during heavy metal removal. “These new modules need to interface precisely with the existing way/bearing systems and drives on the DSI machine, so it’s a significant engineering and installation challenge,” said Randal Von Moll, MAG director of technical sales. Five interchangeable U6 cutting heads for the machine include vertical milling 97 kW, vertical offset 37 kW, right-angle milling 97 kW, 5-axis gimbal 52 kW and turning.
The retrofit also includes a five-position head changing stand, new distance-coded X-Y-W scales, a new 60-pocket tool changer and Renishaw spindle probe and laser toolsetter. Distance-coded scales minimize the axis travel (and time) needed to re-home, aiding in shortened cycle times, according to Von Moll. The machine’s 19.7 ft rotary table will be equipped with a new electric motor/drive as part of the Siemens CNC retrofit, then tuned to make it position more quickly and accurately.
As a final step, MAG service engineers will check and correct the machine’s geometric alignments, calibrate the axes, and conduct circle/diamond/square and horsepower test cuts. “The updated machine modules, new CNC, servomotors and drives will result in machine performance that will exceed what this machine could do when it was new,” Von Moll added.
The VTC 2500 accepts modular Capto C8 tooling. Major Tool added versatility to the machine with a 90-degree live spindle and an angular indexing head, both housed in the tool magazine for automatic changing into the new MAG SL 250 adaptor.
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