Deep-hole drilling specialist Mollart has named Fanuc as its exclusive CNC partner for the next-generation MicroDrill range of VDMF vertical micro-drilling machines.

These are used for the highly precise drilling of holes ranging in diameter from 0.5mm to 6mm; they are available in two- or four-spindle variants.

First shown to European customers at EMO 2017, the new MicroDrill offers a 25% cycle time improvement compared to its predecessor; it also features a new W axis, alongside a two-axis co-ordinate table for the drilling of prismatic parts or on-board loading options.

Furthermore, greater drilling accuracy can be achieved via the use of an optional tailstock for the counter-rotation
of on-centre drilled components.

The latest version of the MicroDrill features a Fanuc 35i-B CNC system.

This is particularly suited to milling and drilling lines; it also benefits from a 100MB Ethernet connection to facilitate high-speed part program transfers, data collection and remote trouble-shooting.

The CNC can also reduce cycle times, thanks to five independent PMC ladders that can operate simultaneously, which also eliminate the need for external PLCs.

Tom Bouchier, managing director of Coventry-based Fanuc UK Ltd (www.fanuc.eu/uk/en), said: “Our partnership with Mollart is well-established, and we were delighted to be invited to partner with the company on the upgrading of its micro-drilling machine.

“The inclusion of a Fanuc CNC in particular has made the VDMF much more efficient and easy to program, compared to its predecessor.”