Spindle drill head with SK30 tool changer

The Steinhauer Machining Centre eCAB WorkCenter HS is equipped with an industry certified (ISO30/DIN 69871) and maintenance-free high-frequency spindle motor with 5.5 kW/18.000 min^-1.

Because of very low concentric tolerances and industry standard tool-changer system SK30 (DIN 2080) vibrations and noise are reduced to a minimum, even at high milling speed. By using high-quality machine components there is no need for complex holding-down devices for plates around the spindle motor. A minimum-quantity lubricating system ensures long tool lifetime.

Detail: High frequency spindle motor with minimum-quantity lubricating system, side view without cover.

Back to Overview

Tool Hopper

As standard the Machining Centre eCAB WorkCenter HS comes with a 12-bin tool hopper in compliance with industrie standard SK30 (DIN 2080) with complete tool-outfit (standard: 3 drills for through holes, thread-moulders M4, M5, M6, M8 with pilot drills and one powder metal end milling cutter - or other tool outfit at user's choice). The tool hopper can easily be expanded up to 18 tools. All tools are standard DIN tools, available through many sources. Each tool fitting can take up drills, thread-moulders, milling cutters or tools for special purposes, like engraving tools.

Detail: Tool Hopper

Back to Overview

Chip exhaustion

To avoid long tramps in the workshop machining centres are usually placed close to the wiring zone of the electrical cabinets. Swirling chips can fly up to 10 meters and could cause big damage in an electrical cabinet. So the discharge of chips from the area of operations of the machine should be prevented.

Chip exhaustion for fast rotating CNC machines is not a trivial issue. At a milling speed of 1,700 mm/min a metall chip goes off with a radial speed of 5 m/s. Even the vacuum extraction of a 3 kW industrial vacuum cleaner is not sufficient to soak up or even slow down the chip. So the flight of the chips must first be mechanically stopped to allow a soak up. An efficient chip exhaustion system must meet the following criteria:

• Mechanical reduction of kinetic energy of chips
• Avoidance of brushes or fences as chip flight brake to prevent scratches in lacquered surfaces by chip remains.
• Avoidance of any kind of workpiece downholders for same reasons.
• Avoidance of blockades by long-chipping borer chips or sucked in cutouts.
• High performance industrial vacuum cleaner with self-cleaning filters for removal of chips.
• Enabling of coolant supply during operation.
• Rugged construction suitable for daily use.

The solution at Steunhauer's is two-tiered. The flight of chips is stopped mechanically by a pneumatically positioned rubber calotte which is lowered on the workpiece to cover the work area while milling. This pneumatic chip-catcher belongs to the standard scope of supply of the eCAB WorkCenter HS. Even without the optional chip-exhaustion system this ensures that no chips are leaving the work area of the machine. Without chip-exhaustion the chips are falling down to the ground through an opening at the bottom of the rubber calotte. Same happens to long-chipping borer chips and cutouts.

Picture: A pneumatic driven chip-catcher is lowered on the workpiece during milling processes.

Picture: Industrial exhaust system for the milling chips (Picture similar in design).

By means of the optional chip exhaustion system the chips are removed by a powerful industrial vacuum cleaner (Make: Kärcher, Bosch or Ruwac) automatically. The chip exhaustion system is resistant agains all types of chips from electrical cabinet building. The vacuum cleaner can be placed outside the security area of the machine and can be emptied during machine operation.

For processing of all kinds of metals or PVC the standard chip-catcher is sufficient. The chip-exhaust only increases comfort. For any kind of GRP machining the chip-exhaustion should be indispensable because the evolving very fine GRP dust of very low mass otherwise is covering the whole workshop.

Back to Overview

Frontside Workpiece Fixture

Flat and bevelled workpieces, like mounting-plates, cabinet doors or side panels up to a size of 1.550 x 2.400 mm can be machined on the frontside workpiece fixture of the machine. Mechanical quick clamp mechanisms (standard) or pneumatic muscles (optional) ensure fast and secure fixing of the workpieces.

Picture: Machining of an enclosure door.

Back to Overview

Frontside workpiece fixture

The upper frontside workpiece fixtures are basically based on mechanical fixtures with ratching quick-clamps, since the moving tree of the machine would tear off pneumatic hoses. The lower frontside workpiece fixtures are ratching quick clamps or, as an option, pneumatic muscles. The 7 pneumatic muscles are fixing the workpiece automatically by flipping a switch. Any of them can be disabled individually to avoid exclusion zones for clamping at the edge of the workpiece. A pneumatic muscle offers about 10 times the clamping power of a pneumatic cylinder of equal size.

Picture: Left: A pneumatic fixture (optional), right: mechanical quick clamp (standard)

Picture: workpiece clamped by pneumatic muscles

Picture: Seven pneumatic muscles built in the machine frame (optional)

Back to Overview

Positioning Technique

High precision linear guides and ball screws from Bosch-Rexroth^© ensure exact positioning (0.04 mm repeat accuracy) on all axes. Without this accuracy functions like circular milling and machine engraving could not be realized. Compared to most other positioning methods this technique is resistant against chips. Due to a driven nut instead of a driven ball screw only small masses have to be moved, reducing natural oscillation and noise emission even at high positioning speeds.

Detail: Linear guides and ball screws with driven nut on x-axis (with removed axe cover).

Detail: Linear guides and ball screws with driven nut on y-axis (with removed tree axe cover).

Abb.: Detail of a pneumatic muscle.

Back to Overview

Solid Control- and Motive-Power technique

The machines are equipped with a moderne CNC/SPC control by Siemens or Beckhoff. All machine-, CNC,- or control functions are easily accessible through Windows software (TwinCAT). All active components of the machines are linked together my means of realtime Ethernet allowing complete remote administration of all machine functions up to the last bus terminal (requires LAN access with IP stack to the Internet). Another 10/100 mbps Ethernet connector allowes access to the company's lokal area network.

All driven axes are serviced by maintenance-free frequency converters by Siemens or Beckhoff.

Detail: Hardware based CNC-Control by SIEMENS.

Back to Overview

Pneumatic case fixture and powered depth-control stop

A quick change of workpieces in the case opening of the machine is achieved by means of pneumatic clamps and a powered depth-control stop. The enclosure will be equipped from the front or rear, positioned by a powered depth-control stop and securely fastend by pneumatic clamps. An end swith stops the depth-control motor automatically at the machining position. The enclosure is securely fastenend by throwing a pneumatic switch.

Picture: Pneumatic fixture for enclosures

Picture: The powered depth-control easily can manage enclosures up to a weight of 150 kgs. A polished ground plate can be cleaned easily to avoids scratches in coated surfaces.

Back to Overview

Enclosure processing

For processing of non-dismountable cases and switch boxes (f.i. Rittal AE, EL) or terminal boxes the eCAB WorkCenter HS offers an enclosure processing opening. To convert the machine for case processing simply open a door in the front of the machine. The workpiece (enclosure) can be mounted easily from the front or rear of the machine and fastened with pneumatic quick clamps, allowing to machine the surface facing the spindle motor. Boxes up to 1,600 x 1,000 mms (H x W) can be machined on all surfaces.

Additional pneumatic cylinders in the upper machine frame replace the standard pneumatic fixtures for large enclosures of 1,600 mm height.

Detail: Machining of a Rittal AE enclosure in the standard opening of the machine.

Picture: Machining of a Rittal console enclosure in the standard opening of the machine.

Picture: A 1,600 mm heigh enclosure in the machine opening

Back to Overview

Optical Personal Protection Equipment

Two fast reacting dual beam light barriers (One pair at the front security fence, another one at the rear security fence) ensure immediate machine cut off when the machine's safety area is entered during operation. After triggering the light barrier machine operation can be restarted at the point of interruption without running through the whole program again.

Detail: Optical Personal Protection Equipment

Back to Overview

Machine frame

A welded construction of 10 mm crude steel assures highest warp resistancy of the machine frame. The supporting points of the axe bases are millcut on a precision reaming appliance to assure maximum accuracy.

Detail:Warp resistant machine frame

Back to Overview