Five-Axis Machine Demos Challenging Aerospace, Medical and Mold Applications

Grob Systems Inc. demonstrates a range of five-axis machining applications on its compact G350 Generation 2 Universal Machining Center at IMTS 2022. At its shared booth with YG-1 Tool Co. (booth #431400), Grob says attendees will be able to see how the company meets and exceeds the demands of aerospace, medical and die/mold machining. Personnel will also be on hand to answer specific customer application questions.

Grob machining centers are made in the U.S. at its Ohio-based, 400,000-square-foot Grob Systems production facility, and can include advanced automation solutions for increased productivity. The Grob G350 on display at IMTS includes a dynamic rotary table with a 200 rpm B-axis with infinite rotation, and a maximum rotation of 360° in the A-axis. The G350 Generation 2 is equipped with a Siemens 840D sl control, 16k rpm spindle, 117-tool holding capacity and an HSK-A63 tool interface. The Grob G350 features a pyramid fixture holding three parts at once — one each for an aerospace, medical and mold part.

Multiple machining demonstrations will be held throughout each day on the G350 five-axis universal machine, and three applications will be featured:

• Aerospace IBR/Blisk Segment machined from titanium will showcase the ability to rough and finish on the same machine resulting in high precision. Fast and accurate rotary axes will reportedly produce an excellent finish on the leading and trailing edge of the blade, and accurate tool-to-tool blending will generate a smooth blade-to-hub blend.
• Medical Bone Plate machined from titanium will also demonstrate the ability to rough and finish on the same machine to produce a complete part in one setup. The finished part will be held by two small tabs, so part removal by hand is fast and easy. With the machine’s  part accessibility via its tapered spindle nose and positive angle reaching capability, Grob says challenging features can easily be reached.
• Injection Mold machined out of P20 mold steel has many adjoining part features that require high machine accuracy for smooth surface blending. The G350 machining center’s horizontal spindle design and multiple coolant functions will also prevent the recutting of chips during the machining of a pocket feature.