A pleasing machine
http://www.cnccncmachines.com/articles/408/1/A-pleasing-machine/A-pleasing-machine.html
By Super Admin
Published on 06/12/2002
W.H. Parson reports on the company that produced the first affordable machining center built in America, Haas Automation.
Founded in 1983, Haas Automation, Inc. is now the largest machine tool builder in the US. Its 80,000 square foot facility, on an 86-acre site in Oxnard, California, processes more than two million pounds of cast iron every month.
Founded in 1983, Haas Automation, Inc. is now the largest machine tool builder in the US. Its 80,000 square foot facility, on an 86-acre site in Oxnard, California, processes more than two million pounds of cast iron every month.
A pleasing machine
W.H. Parson reports on the company that produced the first affordable machining center built in America, Haas Automation.
When Gene Haas founded the company, he also introduced the Haas 5C, the first-ever fully automatic programmable collet indexer. This device is used to position parts for machining with very high accuracy. It was an instant success, and during the next four years, the company expanded its product line to include a wide selection of fully programmable rotary tables, rotary indexers, and machine tool accessories. In 1987, Haas Automation developed its first vertical machining center, a machine designed to perform such operations as milling, drilling, tapping, and boring. The VF-1 was introduced at a price that made it a realistic alternative to machine tools made by foreign manufacturers. The first prototypes were completed in 1988 and displayed at that year’s International Machine Tool Show in Chicago, Illinois.
The company now offers a wide range of VMCs. Its travels range from 16" x 12" x 10" (XYZ) on the Mini Mill and Super Mini Mill, to 120" x 40" x 30" on the VF-11T. Tables range from 12" x 36" to 28" x 120". The range of possible applications is just as wide, including 7.5 hp Mini Mill, 15 hp Super Mini Mill, 20, and 30 hp motors, with speeds up to 7,500 rpm and options for 10,000, 15,000, and 30,000 rpm. The torque ratings range up to 450 feet per pound. The machines are flexible enough for both high-torque, heavy-duty cutting and the finest high-speed machining operations. The Haas CNC control makes each machine extremely easy to operate. It has features like word-processor editing, one-button features, multi-function jog handle, and Visual Quick Code programming. A wide choice of options, accessories, and rotary products allows the machines to be tailored to any specific need.
The HMC range is just as wide. Each machine has the strength to cut alloy steels, stainless steels, cast iron, high-nickel alloys, and aluminum alloys. Haas has launched a series of extra-large travel machines that offer fully supported X-axis travels that can handle extremely heavy loads and feature high-torque 50-taper spindles for metal removal. Each machine comes equipped with a 30 hp vector drive and 38-tool side-mount tool changer to handle heavy-duty cutting. The company has also introduced a new line of CNC lathes. The SL Series has massive headstock castings with symmetric ribs for rigidity and stability, embedded chip trays, increased-volume roll-out coolant tanks, and a double-wall door on precision bearings.
The Haas manufacturing process begins at local foundries, where Haas-designed cast-iron components are poured and readied for shipment to Oxnard. Once received, they are staged and organized before moving into production. They then go to the machine shop, where they are machined, drilled, tapped, and inspected in a single setup on five-sided CNC machines. At the same time, thousands of other parts such as Haas-manufactured gearboxes, tool changers, cartridge spindles, and CNC controls are built into individual subassemblies for the machine. The castings then receive parts that allow for XYZ movement. Haas produces all critical components inhouse, using dedicated CNC machine tools to ensure accuracy. The Oxnard facility uses automated lights-out flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) and robotic loaders, which streamline production capabilities and reduces costs. Before it leaves the plant, a typical Haas CNC machine will have been subjected to more than 300 quality control tests, including a minimum of 168 hours of actual running time while in assembly. And when that machine is not being worked on, it is set to run pre-programmed tasks to check operational tolerances and performance parameters.
Quality control follows each individual part from initial fabrication through subsequent installations. Static and operational tests continue as each component subassembly is added to the main assembly. The entire assembly, testing, and shipping processes are documented. Haas uses a ball-bar system from Renishaw to check linear accuracy and machine geometry. The system is based on a bar that responds to micron changes in length. The bar is attached to the spindle and to a fixed point on the table, the machine is put through a series of circular moves in the X/Y plane to certify synchronous movement, and a series of half-circle moves in X/Z and Y/Z planes to verify square-ness. Data from the bar is fed into a computer which compiles a chart, illustrating machine accuracy. Any deviations in square-ness or length show up on the graph as distorted circles that are easy for a technician to spot. A copy of the chart is included with each machine as an assurance that it has been accurately aligned.
Once made and tested, Haas machines are distributed through a worldwide network that provides sales, service, and applications assistance. Each Haas distributor maintains a large stock of service part, and fields a service department with factory-trained personnel. Haas Automation’s own replacement parts inventory can normally supply distributors with a replacement part in 24 hours. Haas offers customer support through a service center, a high-tech training facility, and an extensive applications engineering department.
http://www.themanufacturer.com/us/detail.html?contents_id=331
When Gene Haas founded the company, he also introduced the Haas 5C, the first-ever fully automatic programmable collet indexer. This device is used to position parts for machining with very high accuracy. It was an instant success, and during the next four years, the company expanded its product line to include a wide selection of fully programmable rotary tables, rotary indexers, and machine tool accessories. In 1987, Haas Automation developed its first vertical machining center, a machine designed to perform such operations as milling, drilling, tapping, and boring. The VF-1 was introduced at a price that made it a realistic alternative to machine tools made by foreign manufacturers. The first prototypes were completed in 1988 and displayed at that year’s International Machine Tool Show in Chicago, Illinois.
The company now offers a wide range of VMCs. Its travels range from 16" x 12" x 10" (XYZ) on the Mini Mill and Super Mini Mill, to 120" x 40" x 30" on the VF-11T. Tables range from 12" x 36" to 28" x 120". The range of possible applications is just as wide, including 7.5 hp Mini Mill, 15 hp Super Mini Mill, 20, and 30 hp motors, with speeds up to 7,500 rpm and options for 10,000, 15,000, and 30,000 rpm. The torque ratings range up to 450 feet per pound. The machines are flexible enough for both high-torque, heavy-duty cutting and the finest high-speed machining operations. The Haas CNC control makes each machine extremely easy to operate. It has features like word-processor editing, one-button features, multi-function jog handle, and Visual Quick Code programming. A wide choice of options, accessories, and rotary products allows the machines to be tailored to any specific need.
The HMC range is just as wide. Each machine has the strength to cut alloy steels, stainless steels, cast iron, high-nickel alloys, and aluminum alloys. Haas has launched a series of extra-large travel machines that offer fully supported X-axis travels that can handle extremely heavy loads and feature high-torque 50-taper spindles for metal removal. Each machine comes equipped with a 30 hp vector drive and 38-tool side-mount tool changer to handle heavy-duty cutting. The company has also introduced a new line of CNC lathes. The SL Series has massive headstock castings with symmetric ribs for rigidity and stability, embedded chip trays, increased-volume roll-out coolant tanks, and a double-wall door on precision bearings.
The Haas manufacturing process begins at local foundries, where Haas-designed cast-iron components are poured and readied for shipment to Oxnard. Once received, they are staged and organized before moving into production. They then go to the machine shop, where they are machined, drilled, tapped, and inspected in a single setup on five-sided CNC machines. At the same time, thousands of other parts such as Haas-manufactured gearboxes, tool changers, cartridge spindles, and CNC controls are built into individual subassemblies for the machine. The castings then receive parts that allow for XYZ movement. Haas produces all critical components inhouse, using dedicated CNC machine tools to ensure accuracy. The Oxnard facility uses automated lights-out flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) and robotic loaders, which streamline production capabilities and reduces costs. Before it leaves the plant, a typical Haas CNC machine will have been subjected to more than 300 quality control tests, including a minimum of 168 hours of actual running time while in assembly. And when that machine is not being worked on, it is set to run pre-programmed tasks to check operational tolerances and performance parameters.
Quality control follows each individual part from initial fabrication through subsequent installations. Static and operational tests continue as each component subassembly is added to the main assembly. The entire assembly, testing, and shipping processes are documented. Haas uses a ball-bar system from Renishaw to check linear accuracy and machine geometry. The system is based on a bar that responds to micron changes in length. The bar is attached to the spindle and to a fixed point on the table, the machine is put through a series of circular moves in the X/Y plane to certify synchronous movement, and a series of half-circle moves in X/Z and Y/Z planes to verify square-ness. Data from the bar is fed into a computer which compiles a chart, illustrating machine accuracy. Any deviations in square-ness or length show up on the graph as distorted circles that are easy for a technician to spot. A copy of the chart is included with each machine as an assurance that it has been accurately aligned.
Once made and tested, Haas machines are distributed through a worldwide network that provides sales, service, and applications assistance. Each Haas distributor maintains a large stock of service part, and fields a service department with factory-trained personnel. Haas Automation’s own replacement parts inventory can normally supply distributors with a replacement part in 24 hours. Haas offers customer support through a service center, a high-tech training facility, and an extensive applications engineering department.
http://www.themanufacturer.com/us/detail.html?contents_id=331