CNC CUTTING SOLUTIONS FOR AEROSPACE
Vilmill
FlexiCAM offers Vilmill, a substrate laid between the work piece and the vacuum table of a router. Vilmill has an integrated adhesion layer on the top side which is getting activated during the routing process. When vacuum suction is applied, the fiber structure of Vilmill acts as a diffuser and increases the holding power of a vacuum table. The combination of adhesion layer and the vacuumprovides an excellent material holding down even the very small work pieces. After the material is completely processed, the work pieces can easily be removed.
Vilmill allows a wide range of materials such as aluminum, plastics, glass fiber and carbon fiber, brass, copper, composite materials or similarto be used in the machining process.
Since the limiting factor is no longer the fixturing of the work pieces, Vilmill allows a much higher feed rate, even for small and delicate parts.
The need for reworking, as well as the reject rate is getting reduced by using the Vilmill concept since work pieces remain securely in place. Since no fixtures need to be used,the work pieces can be positioned closer together, resulting in optimized utilization of the material and therefore reducing costs.
FlexiCAM offers complete Vilmill solutions consisting of special vacuum table with automatic zoning, high speed spindle(s), dust collection system, tooling, etc.
Aluminum Stacked Sheet Cutting with the FlexiCAM Pressure Foot, Detagging Option and High Velocity Chip Extraction System
FlexiCAM’s Pressure Foot and Detagging Option allows machining stacks of aluminum sheets without the use of traditional concepts of fixing the stacks by drilling and riveting or screwing.
During the first machining step, the Pressure Foot is used for pressing down the stacked sheets in order to avoid gaps in between. While getting cut, the parts will be held by small tags (“bridges”) to prevent from moving.
In the second step, the Detagging Ring is used to press and hold down in place the stack of previously machined parts while the tags are being removed.
By using the FlexiCAM Pressure Foot &Detagging Option there is no longer a process of intense labor required such as manual drilling, stacking and unstacking, manually cutting parts out of the sheet and grinding the tags away. The parts are ready for use after machining with increased edge quality and accuracy compared to traditional ways of stack machining.
The FlexiCAM Pressure Foot also utilizes the FlexiCAM High Velocity Chip Extraction System to extract the chips and prevent from scratching the material.
High-Speed-Machining of Aluminum Structural Components
When machining aluminum components, the key factor is to combine a stable and reliablemachining process with high speed andhigh metal removal rates.
FlexiCAM offers a wide range of machine sizes and configurations from 3 to 5 axis.
A large variety of spindles up to 30KW and 60,000 RPM is available depending on the customers’ application and requirements.
Options like various tables and material clamping systems, powerful chip extraction systems, multiple control systems, linear scales, machine enclosures, material loading and unloading systems and many more are available.
Machining Titanium Parts
Titanium has more significant advantages over other metals. It is a metal known for its high strength-to-weight ratio. It is corrosion-resistant (including to salt water). Titanium is ductile and has a high melting point. Although it is more than 60% heavier than aluminum, it is more than twice as strong as 6061-T6.
FlexiCAM offers solutions for machining titanium parts for aerospace and many other fields.
Machining Composite Sandwich Panel, Honeycomb and Nomex
FlexiCAM offers many solutions to address the wide range of honeycomb machining applications and their diverse materials.
Trimming, Drilling and Cutting of Composite Parts
The trimming of composite aerospace parts by FlexiCAM 5-axis CNC routers ensures the consistency of quality of finished parts with tight tolerances.
These high speed 5-axis CNCs are machining all commonly used materials in the aerospace industry such as sandwich and honeycomb panels, as well as advanced composites.
Machining Aluminum Extrusions
FlexiCAM offers 3, 4 and 5 axis solutions for all operations required in machining aluminum extrusions, such as routing, milling, drilling and tapping. Due to the large machine sizes available, all operations can be performed while the extrusion is stationary.
Manufacturing of Patterns, Molds, Jigs and Prototypes
Large dimension patterns, molds, jigs and prototypes can be produced in high quality from a single workpiece or large sections by using FlexiCAM’s large format 5-axis CNC machining centers.
Acoustic Drilling
FlexiCAM offers a boring block solution using an array of high frequency spindle of up to 60,000 RPM for high speed drilling of large quantities of small diameter holes.
The FlexiCAM Stealth provides exceptional value for the money.
It is engineered with rigid steel construction all throughout, with a single piece base frame and coupled with FlexiCAM’sAdvanced Control System (ACS) or an industry standard Siemens control system. The Stealth is great for a medium to heavy use environment, from woodworking to industrial markets, and everything in between.
The system comes with manual or automatic tool change spindles up to 12 KW, allowing for more flexibility without the need of multiple manual spindles or additional boring unit. The FlexiCAM Stealth’s work table can accommodate all popular sheet sizes and comes in many work areas up to 2 m x 11 m with 200 mm (optional 280 mm) clearance. No matter what industry you are in, the Stealth will cater to your requirements.
It is a machine that fits your market, without the need for another machine for different applications, thereby significantly reducing your costs and enhances investment for other projects.
The FlexiCAM XL is a heavy duty and high-performance work horse with single piece base frame offering many different work areas up to 2.5 m x 11 m. It is designed and tested for shops with high production requirements and is capable of 3- to 5-axis machining using the FlexiCAM Advanced Control System (ACS) or an industry standard Siemens control system. The FlexiCAM XL offers a large range of spindles of up to 25 KW, rotary tool changer, high performance chip extraction system, etc. to address specific application requirements.
It is a great solution for all types of demanding applications such as woodworking, solid surfaces, machining non-ferrous metal, composite sheets and plastic parts. With Z clearance from 200 mm to 400 mm (Z stroke up to 480 mm), the FlexiCAM XL is capable of cutting sheet materials as well as machine larger 3D objects such as molds or plugs.
The FlexiCAM XL has guaranteed efficiency and it can be fitted with almost all options available from FlexiCAM including multiple carriages or gantries, rotary axis, C axis, optical (laser) or mechanical probe systems, inkjet or laser marking and much more.
The Piranha is FlexiCAM’s 5-axis machining center designed for high speed machining of large size work pieces such as manufacturing patterns, molds, jigs and prototypes as well as for trimming large-scale structural components, thermoformed or advanced composite parts in the automotive industry.
It has a work envelope of up to 60 m x 12 m x4 m, powerful spindles of up to 25 KW and is running on the FlexiCAM Advanced Control System (ACS) or an industry standard Siemens or Fanuc control system.
The FlexiCAM Piranha excels at processing large parts where long axis travels, height under the gantry and a long stroke is required.
Efficiency of the machine can be enhanced with further options such as multiple gantries, optical (laser) or mechanical probe, palette changer for the workpieces, dust collection system, and much more.
The FlexiCAM Xtreme is a large format modular design CNC router that has a work area of virtually unlimited length and widths of up to 5 m. This machine is ideally suited for machining large format aluminum and composite panels in markets like recreation vehicles, caravan & mobile homes, truck & trailer manufacturing, isothermal containers as well as boat building or aerospace
The FlexiCAM Xtreme allows large format panel processing, part cutting, production line manufacturing, etc. in 3-, 4- or 5-axis operation. It comes with the FlexiCAM Advanced Control System (ACS) or an industry standard Siemens control system.
With many available options such as multiple carriages or gantries, automatic tool change spindles up to 25 KW with rotary tool changer, high performance chip extraction systems, extended Z clearance and stroke and much more, you will be able to exponentially increase your production.
