Bar fed machines

[Guest]

automatic bar feeding a 4th axis rotary on a VMC.....

 

is it being done?

[YoDoug®]

Chiron does it all the time. 

 

 

As far as a do it your self approach, I saw a customer machine once that had a pneumatic chuck on the indexer that was fired by M code. They used a coolant activated gripper in the mill spindle to pull the bar forward after cutting off the last part and letting it drop. This set up just had a tube for the bar stock. For a bar feeder you would most likely need a fixed table type machine. 

[Solidworkscadman]

this guy!

 

[Newbeeee™]

I'm sure I have seen STAMA do this?

[Newbeeee™]

this guy!

 

I love things like this.

To me this is the true definition of an engineer.

[Guest]

I love things like this.

To me this is the true definition of an engineer.

 

Worked in plenty of small shops over the years where this would be an excellent solution.....

 

Something like that not going to work here though.....I'm exploring a bar fed rotary because we're considering that as opposed to purchasing another Integrex or 2...the order this is for is in the 5 digit thousands per year for several years.....

 

Believe me, after all the small shops over the years, this place is nice

[generaldisarray]

This is one we slapped together on a Robodrill mate, no M code for clamping.

 

Robodrill barfeed

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

A few years ago I was thinking of making an indexing platter that would be operated by a pin in the spindle, for adding a fifth axis to tombstones.

[generaldisarray]

A few years ago I was thinking of making an indexing platter that would be operated by a pin in the spindle, for adding a fifth axis to tombstones.

 

like this?

 

I have seen one of these used that way, on its own pallet though. not a tombstone.

[mkd]

like this?

 

I have seen one of these used that way, on its own pallet though. not a tombstone.

I priced one of those from lyndex (IIRC).

the price was just as much as a Haas full rotary, so i'm not sure what the point is.

[generaldisarray]

it can go in a fastems or other pallet pool, no wires.

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Very similar, but I was working on a more compact design that could be put between a tombstone and a vise; maybe an inch or so thick and 4" - 6" diameter.  It wouldn't have 1° increments though, best I could do is 22.5° or 15°.  Maybe 7.5° if I push it; that would let you do 15° and 22.5° in the same unit.  Prime application I was thinking of would only need 90°.

[GoetzInd]

I would look into a moving column machine (we have a Brother like this). then you could use an actual bar feed.

 

Mike

[Newbeeee™]

I would look into a moving column machine (we have a Brother like this). then you could use an actual bar feed.

 

Mike

Similar but different ( ) I looked at a Heckler and Koch BA20 fixed table machine for a customer. They wanted to feed an extrusion, mill and saw in the 1x go.

The plan was to rip out the table of the machine and plonk an autofeed saw in its place.

The BA20 has overhead rails for XY and a quill type Z so proper milling, and proper sawing at the same time.

What killed the project was the cost of integration (plc/electronics and BLOODY HEALTH AND SAFETY )

It would have been great fun to do, although *challenging* ...

[Brad Lisle]

If your looking specifically for a bar fed mill, check out Modig. They have some amazing machines.

 

Bar fed mill

http://www.modig.se/products/hhv-barmill/

 

and for extrusions

http://www.modig.se/products/hhv-extrusion-mill/