The characteristics of a five-axis simultaneous machining center.

Vertical Five-Axis Machining Center

This type of machining center has two ways of rotary axes. One is the worktable rotary axis.

The worktable mounted on the bed can rotate around the X-axis, defined as the A-axis, with a typical working range of +30 degrees to -120 degrees. There is also a rotary table in the middle of the worktable, which rotates around the Z-axis in the illustrated position, defined as the C-axis, with a full 360-degree rotation. Through the combination of the A-axis and C-axis, all five surfaces of the workpiece fixed on the worktable, except for the bottom surface, can be machined by the vertical spindle. The minimum division value of the A-axis and C-axis is generally 0.001 degrees, allowing the workpiece to be subdivided into any angle and machined with inclined surfaces and holes.

If the A-axis and C-axis are linked with the XYZ three linear axes, complex spatial surfaces can be machined, which requires high-end CNC systems, servo systems, and software support. The advantage of this setup is that the spindle structure is relatively simple, the spindle rigidity is very good, and the manufacturing cost is relatively low.

However, the worktable generally cannot be designed too large, and the load-bearing capacity is also relatively small. Especially when the A-axis rotates at an angle greater than or equal to 90 degrees, the cutting of the workpiece will exert a large bearing moment on the worktable.

The front end of the spindle is a rotary head that can rotate 360 degrees around the Z-axis, becoming the C-axis. The rotary head also has an A-axis that can rotate around the X-axis, typically reaching ±90 degrees or more, achieving the same function as mentioned above. The advantage of this setup is that the spindle machining is very flexible, and the worktable can also be designed to be very large, allowing for the machining of large aircraft fuselages and enormous engine casings on this type of machining center.

Characteristics of Horizontal Five-Axis Machining Center

This type of machining center also has two ways of rotary axes. One is the swing of the horizontal spindle as one rotary axis, plus one rotary axis on the worktable, achieving five-axis simultaneous machining. This setup is simple and flexible. If the spindle needs to be converted between vertical and horizontal positions, the worktable only needs to be indexed and positioned, easily configuring it as a three-axis machining center with vertical and horizontal conversion. By combining the vertical and horizontal conversion of the spindle with the indexing of the worktable, five-sided machining of the workpiece can be achieved, reducing manufacturing costs and being very practical. A CNC axis can also be set on the worktable with a minimum division value of 0.001 degrees, but without linkage, making it a four-axis machining center with vertical and horizontal conversion to meet different machining requirements at a very competitive price.