If you plan on high speed machining, you need to be have a machine that responds to the demands made upon it. While the vertical horizontal machining center is the most common in most machine shops, the perceived dream machine is the horizontal machining center (HMC). While indubitably the most expensive, it does offer your shop various advantages.
Why Prefer an HMC?
Every machining and fabrication shop operator and/or owner has his or her favorite reason for preferring one type of machine to another. They may vary but most comprise the following list:
* Speed: The HVC is all about high speed machining. It makes the chips fly quickly
* Versatility: Operators can perform work across the front as well as on both left and right sides of the component.
* Chip Control and Disposal: An HVC quickly and easily disposes of the chips before they get in the way of the cutter. This is, in part, the result of the design of the machine – it uses gravity to make chips fly away
* Construction: The machines are solid and heavy. This rigidity makes them better for functioning at a higher production level. They also vibrate and deflect less than other machine centers do
* Saving Space: The design of this machine actually saves on floor space in your shop. A horizontal machine can replace two or three work spaces. It also frees up space because it does not require storage of fixtures
* Tool Capacity: HMC offer many tool magazines. They can be more than 125 but often start at around 60. These may come in a chain drive hive or nest system depending upon the number of tools the HMC has
* Flexibility: In terms of pallets and tombstone, the HMC is impressive. It can allow you to load up materials on a tombstone while the other one is handling parts. This decreases any time you would normally spend loading and unloading material
* Options: An HMC offers its purchasers and operators options. They ae all designed with one major purpose in mind – to improve and increase productivity e.g. 4th axis tombstone
These advantages of an HMC are the major reason why shops opt to purchase one.
Horizontal Machining Center
Adding an HMC to your shop is a dream many operators think about. The expense, however, prevents many from fulfilling it. The reality is HMCs are expensive – sometimes prohibitively so. It is, in fact, never recommended for those just opening their business. However, if productivity is taken into account, installing a horizontal machining center may be one the best moves your shop can make.
