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THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT HELPS CNC MACHINES TAKE THE HEAT

THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT HELPS CNC MACHINES TAKE THE HEAT
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THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT HELPS CNC MACHINES TAKE THE HEAT - 1

THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT HELPS CNC MACHINES TAKE THE HEAT Typically, machining accuracy varies significantly due to ambient temperatures around the machine, heat generated by the machine, and heat generated during machining. Thermo-Friendly Concept automatically compensates for temperature changes, so high accuracy can be achieved without interventions from the CNC machine tool operator. Thus, machine accuracy is increased while decreasing costs and maximizing profitability for manufacturers. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In a world where manufacturers must deliver perfection (or near perfection) for every part produced, the process for managing thermal deformation has historically been highly imperfect. CNC machines must be warmed up, which wastes time, energy and money. As production is underway, heat generation is unavoidable and is typically managed by making manual adjustments for temperature changes. These adjustments produce variations in CNC machine accuracy over long continuous runs, providing ample opportunity for quality variation and bad parts. Thermo-Friendly Concept (one of Okuma’s Intelligent Technologies) combines control technology with machine design to both minimize the amount of heat generated and deal with heat that cannot be eliminated. This is possible given Okuma’s 30-year history of testing and analyzing actual machine data to create thermal maps. From this, designs for machine castings and spindles have been optimized for thermal deflection, and CNC control technology (Okuma’s Thermal Active Stabilizer – TAS) has been developed to manage spindle temperatures and machine thermal characteristics. Thermo-Friendly Concept (TFC) is an excellent example of Okuma’s ability to leverage the mechatronics approach to design, blending mechanical engineering and electronic control development to assure harmonious communications between the machine and control – thus maximizing profitability for manufacturers.

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THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT HELPS CNC MACHINES TAKE THE HEAT - 2

OKUMA THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT OKUMA THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT THE BENEFITS OF TFC • No need for the CNC machine warm-up operation • Eliminates manual adjustments by the operator to compensate for temperature changes • Saves time – improves productivity • Saves money – reduced energy usage and labor (time) costs • Enables the machine to cut submicron-precise surfaces • Enables durable, high-precision manufacturing THE COMPONENTS OF TFC WORK IN TANDEM CNC Machines Designed for Temperature Balance The way the CNC machine is designed sets the stage for temperature balance THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT...

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THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT HELPS CNC MACHINES TAKE THE HEAT - 3

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THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT HELPS CNC MACHINES TAKE THE HEAT - 4

OKUMA THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT OKUMA’S MECHATRONICS APPROACH: THE FOUNDATION FOR THERMO-FRIENDLY CONCEPT The foundation for Thermo-Friendly Concept lies in Okuma’s longstanding commitment to the mechatronics approach to CNC machine design. This full-circle methodology involves a blend of mechanical engineering and electronic control development, thus assuring optimum communication between the machine and the CNC control. This commitment to mechatronics led to the establishment of a thermal testing room in 1987, and accumulation of thermal data for over 30 years. Only actual CNC machine test...

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