For manufacturers looking to make a step-change in their machining strategies to implement true high-speed, high-feed milling with perfect surface finishes, the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) has introduced a new line of machining centres manufactured by Germany-based OPS-Ingersoll.

The Eagle V5 Competition options include three- or five-axis variants, making it the perfect ‘all-rounder’ for high-speed precision machining — it is suitable for rough and fine detail machining of graphite and copper electrodes, soft and hard steels as well as aluminium.

The Eagle V5 Competition has an X, Y and Z axis of 550 x 400 x 400mm that travels over the 650 x 500mm three-axis table or 400mm diameter five-axis table with an acceleration rate of 15m/sec² to accommodate the machining of parts up to 500kg and 250kg respectively. This is backed up with a 475mm distance from the spindle flange to the top of the five-axis pallet.

The machine also features a 15/17kW HSK E40 spindle that can reach speeds up to 42,000rev/min as standard with a higher torque HSK E50 spindle with a maximum speed of 36,000rev/min available as an option.

It is also available with a choice of a 32-tool automatic tool changer or an 80-position tool change facility that can be located on either side of the machine to suit the possible integration of left or right-hand automation stations from the same supplier to link two technologies (EDM and HSC), or same technologies from the one system.

The gantry-type five-axis machine includes a thermo symmetric design, high-precision ball screws, direct Heidenhain measuring systems, direct-coupled AC servo motors and a +/- 0.1degC temperature-controlled spindle.

Identifying what makes this high-speed machining centre different from standard machine tools, ETG’s Scott Elsmere said: “A typical machining centre has a high mass in the head to absorb vibration whereas this high-speed machine has a lighter head and a heavier mass at the bottom. In the case of the OPS Ingersoll Eagle V5 machine, this is a 1-ton mass in the head and a 7-ton mass in the base.

“This gives the machine much higher stability, a high dynamic and along with the CNC control, it helps cornering control as well as acceleration and deceleration – this combination completely removes ‘jerk’. Additionally, whenever the machine moves, we have a constantly moving mass from the gantry-type design.

“The guideways are always supported at four locations and this means the dynamics of the machine never change, regardless of the location of the cutting head, unlike in a C-frame type machine. This makes a difference with precision, repeatability and surface finishes.”

The V5 Competition machining centre is supplied with a Heidenhain TNC640 CNC control unit which has been designed for true high-speed machining and features optimised motion control for enhanced precision.

Customers can also add the 3-D Tuning Cycle option for increased contour accuracy and speed, the K-OPT kinematic system that calibrates the drift of the machine kinematics and also the DCM automatic cycle dynamic collision monitoring system to prevent collisions.

The machining centres come with a Renishaw infra-red OMP400 touch probe for low-contact in-process part measuring, and this is complemented by a Blum laser LC50 DIGILOG non-contact tool measurement system.

Both sitting securely in a clean area, the Blum DIGILOG measures tool length and diameter and it detects any in-process tool breakages.