High-Speed, Five-Axis Mold Machining Achieved via Extended Barrel Series

Successful five-axis milling requires tools to reach into angles and pockets, and most machines cannot perform detail work fast enough or efficiently. The extended barrel 625HSK-L100 from Air Turbine Spindles, however, is reported to solve this issue.

Reaching 100 mm into pockets and angles, the 625L100HSK63 mills at 50,000 rpm in high-speed steel (HSS), proving 6-10 times faster cycle times in milling, marking and finishing operations. This enables mold builders to make any CNC machine a high-speed machine, Air Turbine notes, while dramatically accelerating mold machining capabilities.

As an example of the extended barrel’s features, Istanbul-based Basar Technologies auto-loaded the 625L100 to mill a HSS medical parts on a Hermle machine (see video here). Milling at constant high speed 24/7 with no duty cycle, Basar received higher surface feet per minute (SFM) and improved finish quality. This was made possible through the spindles’ patented O-Ring, which increases air flow volume to match cutting — keeping the tool at rated high speeds of 25,000 to 90,000 rpm with up to 1.4 hp available to handle tools up to ¼" capacity. At these high speeds, Basar Technologies was also able to achieve the required temperatures to extend end mill life. Now, Basar’s Hermle machines are able to perform lights-out operations at 50,000 and 65,000 rpm with a full automated toolchanger (ATC), producing parts faster with no secondary finishing required.

Air Turbine Spindles, accurate to 2 microns, operate with just two moving parts, creating no heat and no thermal effects.