This year’s visit to the HAAS manufacturing facility, organized by Teximp company was held in mid October.
It was a conceived as whole day visit, and it started with the presentation of the newest machines, as well as HAAS vision of the company future and innovations which are yet to come.
Together with the newest machines, a VF mill with the serial number “1” could be seen in the HAAS showroom.
It’s name – VF, which is kept to this day for the machines of the same type, stands for “very first“.
It’s body is made of plastic, dimensions small and it’s machining capabilities far from its successors, but it stands as a clear example of the philosophy on which HAAS has built its brand – machines available to anyone, capable of performing high precision machining.
The factory tour followed, starting with the administrative offices, and then through the manufacturing and assembly areas, walking on the catwalk, high above the machine level, giving a great perspective of the size of the plant and the complexity of the manufacturing processes and logistics involved.
Our group then had a guide assigned, and the tour was continued riding a small vehicle through the factory halls, while the guide explained which parts of the manufacturing or assembly processes were performed in the area we were being driven through.
The tour was concluded with a traditional American barbecue, exchanging expressions and the newly gained knowledge in a friendly atmosphere.
Miloš Petrović
HDDSMachining
Just like ST10Y, the ST20SSY Y-Axis & Live Tooling lathe is also in the group of machines which are optimized for the production of small to medium series of parts.
Technical characteristics:
| Maximum cutting length | 521mm |
| Maximum cutting radius | 254mm |
| Chuck size | 210mm |
| Bar capacity | 51mm |
| Number of turret slots | 24 |
ST20SSY has several elements which ST10Y doesn’t:
– Part catcher (catches the part after parting off operation is finished)
– High-pressure coolant (69bar/1000PSI) – enables further cooling of the cutting zone, making more aggressive cutting regimes possible, shortening the production cycle periods.
– 24 turret slots
However, ST20SSY does not come with a pressure regulator, while ST10Y does. This could cause a problem when it is necessary to integrate this machine to an already existing system, so you need to keep in mind that the pressure regulator is necessary.
In it’s name, “SS-Super speed” stands for higher speed of rapids (auxiliary machine movement), making the machine faster and more productive.
In the end, it is worth mentioning that there is a difference in power between ST10Y and ST20SSY machines equaling almost 16KW.
HAAS ST10Y – CNC Lathe (Y-Axis & Live Tooling)HAAS ST10Y, 3.5 axis CNC Y-Axis & Live Tooling lathe, is classified in a group of machines from the last generation of this type. These machines are intended for production of small to medium series of parts.
Technical characteristics:
| Maximum cutting length | 356mm |
| Maximum cutting radius | 286mm |
| Chuck size | 165mm |
| Bar capacity | 44mm |
| Number of turret slots | 12 |
| Live tool speed | 6.000 RPM |
| Main spindle speed | 6.000 RPM |
ST10Y Y-Axis & Live Tooling lathe is designed so it’s control is done without direct influence of the operator.
ST10Y Y-Axis & Live Tooling Lathe
Instead, the machine enables the use of computer generated optimal tool trajectories which achieves higher precision of the machined parts.
The ST10Y Y-Axis & Live Tooling lathe can perform milling operations as well.
It also supports the use of Live Tooling which greatly increases the array of parts which can be machined on it.
CAD and CAM softwareHddsMachining owns licensed CAD and CAM software from the AutoDesk company which enables us to go through all the phases of design and modeling.
AutoDesk Inventor + HSM is a complete solution which rounds up all the processes involved with engineering activities before the production, starting with the development of the 3D model of the part, 2D drawing or blueprint generation, completing the cycle by generating cutting strategies for the given part.
The result is a document containing G-code, which actually presents a series of instructions and commands which are used by the machine for manufacturing.
Our engineering team is ready to answer all our client’s demands, whether they are about the development of the new products or adaptation and optimization of the already existing ones.
The definition of CAD and CAM software
CAD (Computer Aided Design) represents a group of software tools intended for computer design of 2D and 3D elements. Examples of the most common CAD softwares are AutoDesk’s Inventor and Autocad, SolidWorks, Catia, ProEngineer etc.
CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) is, unlike the CAD software, designed for defining all of the manufacturing parameters.
This type of software define the tool trajectories, tool and machine selection, they offer graphical simulation of the machining process and generate the G-code, which is gives the machine a set of instructions in order to perform the necessary actions.
The most famous CAM softwares are MasterCam, SolidCam, Delmia, HSM etc…
Why are we running a blog?Manufacturing is a dynamic process and its success depends on a large number of factors and parameters. Surely, the level of technical knowledge and experience is decisive, but you can never rule out creativity and teamwork.
Synergy of these factors results in an optimized process and raises the overall quality, both the product’s and of the overall business.
Each of these factors carry their own solutions and work algorithms, hence, knowing the laws of their nature is often deciding when optimizing the prototype design times or manufacturing of a series of parts.
For that reason, HddsMachining’s engineering team came up with an idea to share some curiosities and problems from the world of machining, in a series of informative-educational texts, targeting anyone who finds this area interesting.
We hope that, by doing this, we will de-mystify certain situations and processes which are encountered by anyone who is entering the world of machining.