Interested in utilizing horizontal machining center (HMC)? If you have been using vertical machining center till now but contemplating using HMC then the information we will provide here will help you take the decision. In the following sections we will briefly look at what are HMCs and benefits of using them.

 

What are Horizontal Machining Centers

Horizontal machining is also called milling depends upon rotary cutters for removing metal from work piece. A horizontal machining center (HMC) makes use of a spindle positioned parallel to ground floor.

In HMC tools tend to stick out from the sides making it possible to cut across sides of any work piece and allowing the chips to easily fall away. This is an important feature in applications where it is important to get the chips away from the cut for achieving desired part quality and for maintaining reliability of tool.

Additionally, HMCs let you utilize 2-pallet changer integration for reducing part cycle times and for facilitating unattended operations.

 

Benefits of HMC

Decrease Leadtime | Achieve Greater Flexibility

  • Different torque selections and spindle speeds for materials spanning from titanium to aluminum.
  • Three, four and five axis capabilities give you infinite possibilities with regards to part shapes which can be processed.
  • 2-pallet changer for increasing spindle utilization.
  • On board probing for facilitating feature inspection and part location in a cutting cycle.
  • CNC controls for increasing productivity as well as simplifying programming.
  • Large capacity of tool storage facilitates part production.

If you want to increase productivity, add flexibility in operations and reduce lead times then HMCs are certainly the right option.