OT Any experience with Mazak horizontals?

[RMagnusson]

We are about to purchase our first real* mill, a Mazak HCN 5000. I was just wondering,has anyone had any experience with one? Or anything comparable for that matter.

 

I am still a novice programmer/operator; our current mill is the first I've seen or worked with. From what I read, the 5000 series horizontal is tremendously powerful (relatively for me), and has extraordinarily fast cutting feeds.

 

How hard can a machine like this be pushed?

 

I am used to taking .250 LOC by .015 xy depth on a 3/8" EM(maximun size for our spindle), I can't hardly comprehend burying a 1/2 cutter and slotting with it.

 

 

*I say 'real' because we thought our current Mazak FJV-25 was coming (used from a private seller) with the stock 25 hp spindle. Instead, it had a 3.5 hp 10,000-50,000 rpm unit.

[Rick Henrickson 65]

I have ran FH4800 and FH5800 you can push them very hard 1/2 em 15000 rpm 225 ipm at .25 to .375 deep np problem they are thermal comped and high speed look ahead

[Colin Gilchrist]

What type of toolholder interface do you have on the new machine? You should talk with some tooling reps in your area (Ingersol,Sandvik,ect.) and ask them about horse power requirements for their tools. You should be able to take a 1-2" inserted tool holder and bury it a couple of inches deep in a slot cut in steel. The limiting factors will be available horsepower and toolholder rigidity (determined by tool overhang and interface type).

 

You can get incredible metal removal rates with the right toolholder/tool.

 

HTH,

 

Colin Gilchrist

The Boeing Company

MR2 and Beta test site

[Rick Henrickson 65]

Colin it doent have that capability, light and fast unless you get certain spindle options

[RMagnusson]

The machine we are getting has a 40 hp 2 speed (electriconically controlled) spindle, and 2000+ ipm cutting feedrates.

 

I know nothing really about toolholder systems.

 

The only toolholders we are supposed to use with the Precise Corp. spindle in our current Mazak are HSK-25 taper. We are only supposed to use the ones from Precise, so I've only ever used one style toolholder.

 

I've heard that milling chucks hold pretty well. I've never had any experience with inserted tools either due to our high spindle speeds.

 

Does one typically use inserted tools for something like this? We will be milling aluminum from castings. No real pocketing or boring. A little light drilling and tapping (M5, M6) then mostly contouring and facing.

[Mcam Nut]

I have quite a bit of experiance on a pfh 4800, I dont know how this compaires to the one you are looking at but it is a very nice machine, we have had the feed as high as 500 ipm for roughing (.200 doc)(40%dia) on a 1/2" cutter. the only thing i could think of that may be a downfall is that chip evacuation is a bit of a issue in heavy roughing, the conveyer is a bit slow, and light duty, other than that it is a great machine

[RMagnusson]

Sweet.

 

This is going to be a whole new world of machining for me

[DC Gorn]

Get to know your tool vendor and the Tooling reps. These guys will help you because many of your limits will be in tools not machine. With these machines you will be able to drill well over an inch a second in some size drills. But you can't do that with your old MSC Jobber drill.