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STAMA Mill/Turn Centers with Twin Spindle Versatility

MC726/MT-2C machining center from Stama America; 30% smaller footprint than conventional mill/turn centers

Allows six-sided processing of parts in two independent operations in five axes on single machine; twice the speed of conventional MT centers with 30% less footprint

Stama America, Itasca, Illinois announces the introduction of its MC 726/MT-2C mill/turn, twin spindle machining centers for the automotive, fluid power, tooling, medical and other industries, where parts needs to be milled and turned in production operations.  This new machining center is the latest iteration of the popular TANDEM concept mill/turn centers, introduced by Stama in 2007.

Independent spindles simultaneously turn and mill in sequenced ops, often doubling productivity.

Two independent spindles are onboard, each on a traveling column assembly and each supporting an independent swivel table, one of which acts with a bar feeder mechanism.  Workpieces are introduced to the turning spindle, then transitioned by a conveyorized gripper assembly to the milling indexer and fed to the milling spindle, before finally exiting the work area.

Complete six-sided machining is possible between the two cutting operations, all on one machine with approximately twice the speed of a conventional m/t center in 30% less footprint.  Since the first part is being milled simultaneously to the next part being turned, the overall production operation is greatly enhanced, nearly doubling in many applications.

For more information on this new machining center, please visit our website or contact:

STAMA AMERICA

Each of the spindles is served by a swivel unit, one acting with a bar feed mechanism.

1063 Hawthorne
Itasca, IL  60143
Phone:  630-233-8101
Fax:  630-773-1660
Web:  www.stama-america.com
Attention:  Simon Knecht, Sales Engineer
Simon.knecht@stama-america.com

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WHEN TWINS SEE DOUBLE, PRODUCTION ONLY IMPROVES

STAMA WILL BE AT IMTS BOOTH 8966

STAMA unveils a new concept in multi-spindle machining

 

The “2 Plus 4” principle has represented the most economical and efficient means of multi-spindle machining in manufacturing. STAMA has implemented this principle, with 2 spindles and 4 clamped workpieces, in hundreds of existing projects worldwide, resulting in radically reduced cost per part scenarios for its customers. In today’s highly competitive market, however, STAMA has recently conducted discussions with its customers concerning greater factory floor utilization and “non-productive” capacity, leading to the question, are more than 2 spindles – perhaps even 4 – for the simultaneous machining of workpieces, economically more reasonable?  This challenge has sparked an interesting development at STAMA, the 4-spindle TWIN2 concept that’s now being introduced to the world market for multi-spindle machining applications.

In answering this 2 vs. 4 question, a shop must first verify which productivity upsides will be realized by this concept.  Figure 1 below shows the productivity benefits with a 4-spindle solution on completely different manufacturing processes with different primary machining times. Contrary to the “logical” expectations, the 4-spindle solution with 4 clamped workpieces doesn’t result in double the output, compared to a 2-spindle production with 4 clamped workpieces. In the relationship between the primary machining time and the overall cycle time of the process, the actual output will usually increase by 60% to 70% by adding 2 more spindles. Individual exceptions with short time-consuming machining operations can reflect an increase of more then 80%, according to STAMA research.

While twin spindle machining needs to double the capacity of the tool magazine, the four spindle solution requires a tool magazine to handle four times as many tools. The STAMA MC 531/TWIN² is equipped with 56 tool places in the standard version, for example, with options for magazines up to 120 tools.

One major key in four spindle machining, with short tool-to-part contact times, is the load and unload sequences of the workpieces. In such cases, as long as the machine isn’t equipped with a quick automatic loading/unloading system, pendulum machining is more advisable.  This ensures parallel machining time while loading new workpieces. Time for loading and unloading can then be as long as the actual cycle time of the machine. This will also result in less time when the operator is interacting with the machine, thereby allowing the operator to run multiple stations in a work cell set-up, while keeping a constant touch time protocol on each machine.

Under these conditions, for many workpieces studied by STAMA and its customers, the “4 Plus 4” solution can result in major cost per part reduction. With over 25 years’ experience in TWIN spindle technology, the simplicity of a common Z-headstock for twin spindles from STAMA is well accepted and proven technology worldwide. The simplicity of this system is also used throughout this new TWIN² technology. Incorporating a state-of-the-art tool presetter, even single spindle manufacturing challenges with high accuracy demands can be realized with multi-spindle technology. The outstanding productivity and high workpiece quality achievable are the benchmarks by which STAMA TWIN spindle centers are known. The expansion to this 4-spindle TWIN2 machining center technology is the logical consequence of the company’s latest research and machine development strategies.

Already in full production use at a STAMA customer in one of the BRIC markets is a new four-spindle TWIN2 machining center, currently doing ABS housing manufacturing and connecting rod machining. This success for STAMA evidences the simplicity and practical application of the company’s highly productive manufacturing equipment.

Excellence in Manufacturing…the keystone of STAMA

STAMA America is the U.S. subsidiary of STAMA Maschinenfabrik GmbH in Germany.

For more information or to arrange a demonstration, please contact:

STAMA America 1063 Hawthorne Drive Itasca, IL 60143 Phone: (630) 233-8101 www.stama-america.com simon.knecht@stama-america.com

Simon Knecht, Director of Sales

PR agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company 847-934-4500 tdaro@bernardandcompany.com

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