Designed to satisfy the machining needs of aerospace OEMs and their Tier One suppliers, the new Hartford double-column 5BC-X300 five-axis machining centre features an innovative swivel-type fork head with ±240deg of C-axis movement and ±100deg of B-axis swivel.

Available from Sheffield-based T W Ward CNC Machinery Ltd (www.wardcnc.com) — Hartford’s exclusive UK and Ireland agent — the machine has been developed to combine high rates of metal removal with high levels of accuracy for a variety of applications.
These include aero engine components in difficult-to-machine materials, plus larger aluminium airframe parts. Two spindle types are available.

An HSK100 12,000 rev/min unit is standard, while an HSK63 15,000rev/min unit is an option; they offer torques of 325 and 88Nm respectively. The machine can be supplied with beds from 3 to 6m long and 2.1m wide, offering working envelopes from 3-6m x 3m x 1.1m.

An automatic tool-changer accommodates up to 60 tools, and the maximum rapid-traverse rate is 16m/min.

The machine’s Fanuc control provides a range of CNC routines, including Dynamic Collision Monitoring (which increases operator safety) and ‘kinematic options’ that streamline the re-calibration of the rotary axes and optimise volumetric accuracy.