Micro Machine With Maximum Material Removal

18 October 2012

At the recent AMB Exhibition, Bavarian machine tool manufacturer KERN launched its new KERN Micro machining centre with an HSK40 spindle. This new ultra compact all-rounder excels with its constant manufacturing quality in the high precision range.

The introduction of an HSK40 spindle to the KERN Micro range gives this market leading machine tool company for micro manufacturing the capacity for a wider range of toolholders and improved productivity levels. Complemented by a 15Kw motor with through spindle coolant, this new development is already attracting attention from manufacturers who demand the utmost in precision machining. With a speed range from 500 to 42,000rpm, the KERN Micro delivers a balanced combination of torque with high spindle speeds, a pre-requisite for machining small parts.

The KERN Micro has full simultaneous 5-axis machining that makes it perfectly designed for a diverse range of production demands. This agile machine with a compact footprint of only 4m² can manufacture parts up to Ø350mm and 220mm high. For such a compact machine this large working envelope is a credit to the intelligent configuration of the fourth and fifth axes that provide a wide swivel range to utilise the full working area.

For an optimised chip removal rate, the new HSK40 interface offers improved performance with larger tools that result in shorter machining times. The new HSK40 designation provides the end user with the option of either 18, 90 or 186 tool positions whereas the HSK25 model provides 20, 101 or 209 tool stations. KERN also offers great flexibility for tool selection with its new 'tool cabinet' that presents all tools for automatic changing. Thanks to the separately patented quick-change pallets, complete tool sets can be put together for each job and stored in an additional cabinet.

Housed in a clear glass cabinet to improve operator visibility, this innovation significantly improves tool change times and thus reduces non-machining times. This cabinet offers ideal automation conditions and therefore makes the KERN Micro the perfect machine for serial production. To demonstrate the KERN Micro's automated production credentials, the HSK40 machine was recently demonstrated at AMB with a compact Erowa Robot Automatic Workpiece Loading System.

As expected from the leader in precision machining, the Micro offers a positional accuracy of +/-0.5microns that is far beyond the realms of everyday machines. To achieve such exceptional tolerances, the important elements of the Micro, such as coolant, electrics, spindle and all axes, are all maintained at a constant temperature of 20°C.