It is always a challenge when faced with a long part that requires machining on the end or ends. Equally challenging is when you have to machine the side of a large part. Unless your facility is equipped with a machine tool that is large enough to mount such a part within the working volume above the machine bed, you are pretty much out of luck. Even if you have a machine that is physically large enough to accommodate the over-sized part, often securing or mounting the part can be very challenging. Traditionally any gantry-style machine or router-style machine would immediately be disqualified due to the limited clearance under the bridge. Unless that machine is a DATRON M8Cube.
The German-engineered gantry style M8Cube has a machining area of 1,020mm (40”) x 830mm (32 ½”) x 245mm (9 ½”). This is a good solution when having to machine large, precision parts not larger than 9” tall or deep. What if you are faced with a large mold or electronic housing that is 12” tall? The M8Cube offers an open area in the front portion of the machine table that allows you to mount taller parts that would not normally fit under the gantry. This is sort of like a trap door opening with vertical mounting holes on the front face of the opening to securely mount your over-sized parts. Often parts can be mounted while still remaining within the machining area. You could even mount a long extrusion (for example 36” long) vertically within this open area with the end slightly above the table surface. This allows you to keep the end of the extrusion to a minimum above the clamp, reducing vibrations in the work piece. Now all you need to do is machine the end of the part while the rest of the linear piece extends far below the table surface. This is a unique feature that is built-in to their standard machine. This feature offers a lot of flexibility and diversity for the job shop that never knows what kind of project they will be facing next.
DATRON also offers a unique line of pneumatic vertical clamping systems to make it easier to mount linear or over-sized parts within the open area. These vertical clamping systems were designed specifically for the M8Cube open area. The work holding solution quickly mounts to the M6 threaded holes located on the front face of the open area. This vertical clamping system is pneumatically driven for quick clamping and release of work pieces by the touch of a button. For parts that have a short cycle time, this vertical clamping system is ideal because a part can be removed with a new part inserted and clamped again within seconds. You can also devise your own vertical clamping system and mount it to the provided mounting holes.
If you are faced with an unusual work piece that cannot fit in your conventional CNC machine, we would be happy to consult with you to see if this unique, simple design accommodation could be the answer to your most challenging part.
