A new horizontal machining centre for five-sided and simultaneous five-axis machining will be launched by Heller (www.heller.biz) (Hall 12, Stand C83), which has a UK subsidiary and manufacturing plant in Redditch.

The HF 5500 has a work envelope of 900 x 950 x 900mm and a maximum pallet load of 750kg, which means that it offers about 200mm of extra travel in the X, Y and Z axes, plus 200kg additional load capacity, compared to the smaller HF 3500 introduced last year.

HF-series machines are intended for medium- and large-volume production in the automotive industry and its supply chain, as well as in the machine-building industry.

Productivity can be boosted with Heller’s Speed-Dynamics Package option, which shortens chip-to-chip times by 10%; a high-speed lift-and-swivel tool changer reduces idle times further.

The machines have direct-drive rotary A and B axes integrated into a swivelling/rotary table that has a low moment of inertia. Furthermore, the counter bearing supporting the A/B axis arrangement has been designed to boost rigidity under high loads.

Meanwhile, a generous ‘interference contour’ means that large components can be accommodated while still maintaining a table swivel of +30 to -120deg (with certain restrictions, the swivel range can be increased to 225deg).

Whereas conventional five-axis machining centres are generally configured for single-part clamping, Heller’s HF machines allow multiple parts to be fixtured — or one very large component, such as a transmission case.

Flexibility of use was another priority during development, which is why HF-series machines are available with a choice of four different spindles, with either an HSK-A63 or HSK-A100 taper, offering speeds up to 18,000rev/min and torques to 452Nm. Versions of the machine are available for table loading or with a twin-pallet pallet changer.

Connectivity to Heller automation systems and flexible integration into existing production lines are possible. Indeed, increasing productivity through Industry 4.0 practices, which the company calls Heller4Industry, will be another theme of the stand at EMO. Core aspects are supplementary machine functions, on-demand services and enhanced maintenance.

Further developments to be showcased at EMO include metal additive manufacturing. The company’s engineers are developing a cost-effective process that provides high rates of material deposition for adding features to a component, followed by subtractive machining.

Heller already offers additive technology with its cylinder bore coating (CBC) technology. Intended for use in the high-volume production of internal-combustion engines, the coating eliminates the need for cast liners, while halving frictional forces between the cylinder and piston ring.

CBC allows a more-compact crankcase design and significantly reduced cylinder bore spacing, resulting in a smaller engine and weight savings.