Mold & Die Making

Methods Machine Tools, Inc., (Sudbury, MA) has debuted a series of high-performance Feeler vertical machining centers incorporating extensive engineering input from Methods. "The rugged, reliable Feeler VMC line is now further enhanced with design and engineering by Methods," says Paul Hurtig, Feeler product manager, Methods Machine Tools, Inc. Feeler machines are manufactured by Taiwan's Fair Friend Group (FFG), one of the world's largest machine-tool builders with major manufacturing operations in Taiwan, China, Japan, and the U.S.

Complex tooling jobs need not consume undue machining time with the latest CNC machining center controller from Fanuc CNC America (Hoffman Estates, IL).

The 30i-B Series CNC Control supersedes the 30i-A Series and offers enhanced features and functions with advancements in operability and maintainability including a USB memory port, enhancements in dual safety check, and laser functionality.

Positional accuracy of ±5 µm is delivered with speeds up to 30 m/min through a combination of linear scales on all axes driven by larger motors and drives in the German-made Datron M10 Pro series.

Available in the U.S. through Datron Dynamics Inc. (Milford, NH), the M10 Pro has a direct-drive, liquid-chilled, 40,000-rpm spindle using HSK-25E tool holders with <1 µm run-out. High-speed CNC control is featured for three to six axes.

Chatter-free cutting, agility for high-speed/hard-milling, and accuracies for tight-tolerance blends and matches typical of complex, 3D contoured geometry associated with tool production are delivered in the latest vertical machining center offering from Makino (Mason, OH).

A compact high-speed machining center that features a 30,000-rpm spindle and 20 by 20 inches of work area within its 59-by-55-inch footprint is billed as an economical means of milling, drilling, and engraving aluminum, plastics, stainless steel, brass, and exotic composites. The German-made M75 machine marketed by Datron Dynamics Inc. (Milford, NH) has a solid granite machining table and it is recommended for the production of panels and housings, milling profiles, and 2D or 3D engraving.

Exacting accuracy in contoured parts and the ability to accomplish five-face machining, thereby eliminating setups, reducing lead times, improving quality, and cutting costs, are attributes of the S56-5XB vertical machining center from Makino (Mason, OH).

Equipped with a 40-by-20-inch worktable with associated travels of 36 by 20 by 18 inches, the unit’s table-mounted tilt/trunnion provides full five-axis capability while the remaining table surface can be used for three-axis work.

GF AgieCharmilles’ Mikron HPM 800U high performance machining center offers dynamic, three-axis milling suited for the aerospace and automotive industries. Equipped with directly driven circular and swiveling axes, the machine can be used for a range of applications, including complex mold making, heavy roughing and precise finishing.

At the mid-October Fakuma Show in Germany, CAD/CAM developer Schott Systeme GmbH (Munich, Germany) showed how the latest version of its ePictures by PC software can cut 5-axis toolpath calculation time by up to 50%.



Delcam (Birmingham, UK) has launched version 10 of its award-winning PowerMill CAM system, which boasts the fastest-ever tool path generation on multiprocessor computers. The main benefit of PowerMill 10 is that users can prepare data in the foreground while calculating tool paths in the background. For example, it is no longer necessary to wait for a complete roughing path to be produced before work starts on programming the rest-roughing operation.

An upgrade to Makino’s (Auburn Hills, MI) V56 vertical machining center, designed specifically for large-part, high-speed hard milling, provides users with tighter accuracies, sustained dynamic performance, superior surface finishes, and long hours of continuous, unattended operation.