Mill-Turn Module Supports Third-Axis Swiveling Head

The HyperMill Mill-Turn Machining module, created by Open Mind Technologies, combines turning and milling functions in order to promote optimal process reliability and efficient use of machines and tools. The most recent addition to HyperMill Mill-Turn Machining is the CAM strategy for Vandurit’s RollFeed Turning method.

The Mill-Turn module enables the user to remain in the same programming environment for both turning and milling. Turning and milling cycles can also be combined. Stock tracking enables the milling process to begin exactly where turning ends; each operation draws on a stock model for which the preceding machining steps have already been taken into account.

HyperMill’s three-axis simultaneous turning for roughing and finishing is well suited for mill-turn machines that feature a swivel head on the third axis, according to the company. Even load on the tool is said to extend tool life and enable complex contour generation in a single operation.

Open Mind has collaborated with Vandurit to enable programming of the latter’s RollFeed Turning drive unit. With the drive unit, cutting movement is produced by a horizontal swiveling of the B axis with simultaneous compensation for the X and Z axes. This means that grooves can be machined with a single tool in a single movement. The RollFeed Turning CAM strategy automatically guides the tool from the first to the second plane level via the cylinder surface. Thanks to the combination of roll and turn movements, workpieces with large radii can be machined with collision checking, says the company.