Technology

Benefits of a Double Column Machining Center in Real Life

Heavy-duty cutting is required in some sectors of modern industry, such as aircraft, aeroplanes, defence, shipbuilding, and power generation industries.

Double Column Machining Center Information (Double Column Type Machining)

Heavy-duty cutting is required in some sectors of modern industry, such as aircraft, aeroplanes, defence, shipbuilding, and power generation industries. When a heavy machine tool uses a column design, such as double column type machining, it may guarantee fluid processing and keep heavy cutting rigid. Therefore, several machine tool makers frequently produce two-column machines to give their customers the greatest amount of machining capability.

Will a double column be able to move?

Some may see the column as an additional axis. Depending on the manufacturer’s design, we will need to move the column to another track or add another box to the box track to convert it to a B or Z axis. Consumers from various industrial domains require better processing capacity in higher-level machine models. Hence the majority of double-column machining centres are built with multiple axes. To be more competitive in the market, double-column machines, such as double-column machining centres, often need to be able to operate at least 4 or 5 axes concurrently.

The model with two columns and a revolving centre

The three-axis machining centre moves a single item in two directions while concurrently moving the cutting tool up, down, or both in the Z-axis direction. To put it another way, the turning centre typically has two movable axes on the side where its chuck and cylinder are mounted. This is quite similar to the situation with a three-axis machining centre. The five-axis machining centre can rotate on two additional rotating axes, whether a fixed column or mobile column (i.e. A and B axes). By approaching the work item from all sides, the cutting tool can achieve greater machining diversity than a three-axis machining centre.

The most prevalent industries

The Double Column Machining Center, stated at the outset of this piece, is renowned for its extensive use across nearly all sectors. However, plant owners typically utilise double-column type machining to process harder work pieces due to the high cost of these machines. In addition, it is challenging to process the workpieces of double-column machining centres using a five-axis, three-axis, or turning centre because they typically have complex curves. 

The majority of this kind of workpiece comes from parts used in the shipbuilding, power generation, automation, mould and die plate, and automotive, aerospace, and defence industries. Various names for double-column machining centres are possible, including gantry type and bridge type, illustrating the idea of two with different names being the same, but the function may be slightly different.

Can a two-column, four-axis machining centre process five phases?

Five-phase (not five-axis) processing is popular nowadays due to its usefulness and affordable cost. However, a 3-axis machine occasionally cannot help but provide the machine operator with more tasks because not all sophisticated machining requires using a five-axis machining centre. As a result, many producers, including OEM factories for vehicle chassis, require a machine in the middle. The four-axis machining centre uses the same technique as the three-axis machining centre.

They remove material using cutting instruments to give the work item the desired shape and contour. However, milling is done on an additional axis in the case of 4-axis double-column type machining, just like the additional axis added on a three-axis machining centre.

Is the four-axis gantry type trustworthy for challenging tasks?

According to the application. The application of a four-axis milling machine can be seen, for instance, in the processing of connection joints and chassis when it is essential to create holes and cut-outs on the side of the workpiece or around the cylinder. Moreover, a four-axis machining centre is less expensive than a five-axis machine. It may produce work more quickly and efficiently than a three-axis machine by using computer numerical control to produce correct results.

Most CNC Double Column Machining Centers have a vertically aligned construction. The cutting tool moves vertically upward or below and processes the workpiece. Because the vertical chuck can firmly clamp the workpiece on the worktable and may even be improved by the gravity effect, vertical double-column machines will not experience the concentricity problem that is present in horizontal machines.