Shandong Deed Precision Machine Tool Co., Ltd.
Shandong Deed Precision Machine Tool Co., Ltd.

Application of CNC Systems in Machining Centers (Gantry Type)

Large, complex-shaped parts are widely used in modern industrial sectors such as rail transit, heavy manufacturing equipment, large molds, power, automotive, energy, mining, metallurgy, and key industries. Examples include large ship propellers, rail vehicle parts, key domain molds, titanium alloy and aluminum alloy frames, engine rotors, etc. The machining of these parts usually cannot be separated from gantry machining centers.


Machining Centers (Gantry Type) Features and Requirements


Gantry machining center refers to a milling machine where the bed is arranged horizontally, the milling head is mounted on the beam (additional horizontal milling head can be mounted on the column), and the gantry structure is formed by the left and right columns (or walls) and the connecting beam (or crossbeam). A CNC gantry milling machine equipped with an automatic tool changer structure is called a gantry machining center.


Machining centers (gantry type) are currently one of the highest-yielding and most widely used CNC machine tools in the world, with the following main technical characteristics:


Wide processing range, strong adaptability


Gantry machining center generally has the functions of a machining center, capable of completing milling, boring, drilling, rigid tapping, and other processes. Most equipment is equipped with right-angle milling heads and universal milling heads, achieving five-sided machining in one clamping, and has five-axis linkage capability. There are machines that can process 2-5m medium-sized workpieces, as well as heavy-duty machines that can process10-15m large workpieces. They can meet the requirements of low-speed heavy load and high-speed light load machining of different materials, completing rough-semi-finishing-precision machining of workpieces in all processes.


High rigidity, high stability


Gantry machine tool structures are large, each component (including moving parts) is heavy, and gantry milling machines require better rigidity and stability. The overall structure generally uses the finite element method in design, with large span moving components like the beams mostly adopting synchronous double-drive and gravity-center drive technology. The spindle and feed movement adopt direct drive, and precision gear rack transmission is used for long feed axes. Medium and large gantry boring-milling machines use large-section square rams, high-strength roller guides, and four-line guide structure to achieve excellent rigidity and stable movement.


Accuracy and accuracy retention


Center of gravity drive, screw rod pre-stretching, and full closed-loop control improve movement accuracy and accuracy retention.


Requirements of Machining Centers (Gantry Type) for CNC System


High-power servo drive, low-speed high torque


CNC gantry machining centers often need to be equipped with high-power servo drive systems, including both spindle drive and feed drive. Heavy cutting is often performed at low speeds, so the feed servo system is required to output high torque at low speeds to meet the cutting requirements.


High precision


CNC gantry machining centers perform machining automatically according to preset programs. Therefore, to produce high precision, high-quality workpieces, the CNC system itself must also have high precision, generally reaching the μm level.


Fast response speed


Fast response is one of the hallmarks of the dynamic quality of a CNC system. It requires that the following error of the command signal be small, and that the response be fast and stable. This means that after a given input, the system can reach or recover to its original stable state in a short time, generally within 200ms, or even tens of milliseconds.


Five-axis linkage


Gantry machining components generally have large and complex characteristics, so it is necessary to add two rotary axes, A/C, to traditional CNC machines. This allows the machining head to rotate around the X and Z axes (or swing) and achieve five-axis linkage, enabling high-precision machining of complex spatial surfaces.