By replacing two ageing horizontal boring machines with an Ecoforce 1 HT2 machining centre, Mannheim-based KSB — a manufacturer of specialist pumps, fittings and systems for the energy and mining industries — has reduced multiple set-ups to just one in some cases, halved cycle times, cut tooling costs by up to 50% and improved machining accuracies to within 6-8µm — on workpieces weighing up to 12 tonnes.

Manufactured by the Starrag Group company Scharmann (www.starrag.com), the machine can drill, mill, turn and generate threads in a single setting; it is also processing parts with fewer tools than before, which means less tool changing and shorter cycle times.

Furthermore, by switching from carbide to ceramic tooling, the machining time for an Inconel-clad bore was cut from 20min to just 2min.

Designed for processing workpieces with diameters up to 1,250mm, the Ecoforce 1 HT2 has a 1,250 x 1,600mm table, a work envelope of 2,400 x 2,000 x 3,500mm, and a 600mm W axis. The machining spindle is rated at 45kW 4,000 rev/min (1,700Nm of torque), while the table offers a maximum torque of 5,000Nm for turning.

KSB required a number of changes to the standard specification, including an 80-tool chain magazine with automatic pick-up for a balanced P700 facing head (300rev/min and 5,000Nm) and a universal angled milling head for five-sided machining (rather than the conventional larger tool magazine and pallet changer, because space is at a premium).

The company also specified: an additional NC table to accommodate smaller workpieces; temperature compensation (specifically to counter any possible spindle elongation caused by the often lengthy process of milling screw threads in a single pass); and a modified vacuum extraction system that allows operators to carry out simple maintenance and cleaning.