CNC Polymer Specimen Milling Machine Four Axes

Basic information

This machine ZHIYI-901-4 is a sample preparation equipment designed according to the principle of CNC milling and specialized for specimen required for plastic pipe material testing. You can select the machining type through the touch screen of the industrial computer and input corresponding parameters to process dumbbell specimens, long strip specimens, and circular specimens. This machine allows an automatic thinning of materials.

This machine can make dumbbell splines for tensile tests, strip splines for impact and bending tests, splines for heat deflection temperature tests, square splines for Vicat temperature tests, circular specimens, and other special shape specimens.

This machine is composed of three coordination axes (X, Y, Z) and a rotation axis. The three coordination axes are responsible for milling cutter positioning, and the rotation axis is responsible for rotating the material, to realize automatic sampling in each direction of the pipe and to prepare multiple specimens of different shapes on the material at one time.

Main technical parameters

1.       Number of moving axes: 4 axes (X, Y, Z, A).

2.       Maximum moving speed: 500mm/min.

3.       Minimum moving speed: 10mm/min.

4.       Spindle positioning accuracy: 0.02mm.

5.       X-axis movement range: 550mm.

6.       Y-axis movement range: 350mm.

7.       Z-axis movement range: 220mm.

8.       A-axis movement range: 360°.

9.       Spindle power: 2.2KW.

10.   Spindle speed: 24000RPM.

11.   Spindle cooling method: water cooling.

12.   Cutter blade diameter:φ6mm, φ3.175mm.

13.   Material cooling method: natural cooling, water cooling.

14.   Maximum diameter of processed pipe: 400mm.

15.   Maximum length of processed pipe: 530mm.

16.   Maximum thickness of processed pipe: 50mm.

17.   Machine size: 1397*680*1473 (mm).

18.   Power supply: 220V±10% 3000W.

19.   Weight of host: approx. 480kg

Equipment structure

This machine adopts a 4-axis structure, which expand A axis on Y axis. The three-dimensional machining is realized through the collaboration of X axis, Y axis and Z axis. The A-axis drives pipe rotation and realize automatic machining along the axial and circumferential direction of the pipe.

The self-designed ultra-thin stainless-steel plate (patented product) allows the installation of φ50-φ400 pipe. The stainless-steel plate is designed to be adapted to humid, water-cooled environment.

The double brake Y-axis loading mechanism (patented product) ensures stable material clamping during processing and ensure processing quality.

This machine is equipped with a high-speed spindle motor and a milling cutter that is suitable to cut polymer materials, providing an unhindered cutting, a smooth debris discharge during processing, less heat and non-stick blade.

This machine uses the three-axis proximity limit switch. The machine will restore to the zero mode and automatically reach the designated position when it starts. The position of the X-axis limit switch can be adjusted to avoid collision accidents caused by the machining graphics size exceeding the material size.

Water-cooled components are equipped. The water-cooling device can be leveraged during the machining process to spray and cool the material as needed.

This machine is equipped with an electronic handwheel for precise position adjustment. The spindle motor position can be easily adjusted by the crank handle.

An industrial computer with touch screen is leveraged to enable interaction. The self-designed control board is stable and has strong anti-interference capability, with the protection of multi-level isolation to prevent from interference signals and the advantage an optimized protocol to communicate with the industrial computer.

Software introductions

1.        Dumbbell spline

The system has built-in dumbbell-shaped graphics specified by common international standards and national standards. This machine can conduct a variety of processing methods, such as processing along the dumbbell-shaped contour at one time, or processing two parallel parts of the dumbbell first and then processing two sections of the dumbbell.

If you have special processing needs, it’s easy to learn how to compile dumbbell processing model files (a very simple combination of instructions). You can also contact the manufacturer to make processing model files for free.

The machine provides a thinning option before going into the machining process. If selected, the operations of thinning and processing are automatically completed.

2.        Rectangular spline

Choose to produce rectangular spline in the software and input the length and width required. Since the milling cutter occupies a certain width, you can choose whether the input dimension is an outer or inner contour. Rectangular splines are usually used for impact test and Vicat test.

The machine provides a thinning option before going into the machining process. If selected, the operations of thinning and processing are automatically completed.

3.        Circular spline

Choose to produce circular spline in the software and input the radius required. Since the milling cutter occupies a certain width, you can choose whether the input dimension is an outer or inner contour. Circular splines are usually used for special test and Vicat test.

The machine provides a thinning option before going into the machining process. If selected, the operations of thinning and processing are automatically completed.

4.        Customization

You need to write a model file if you want to produce customized splines. A model file usually includes 5 instructions to control the equipment to complete processing, together with parameter settings. The file writing is easy to learn and use. Welcome to contact us for free training if you are interested. For customers who use it occasionally, we recommend you give the graphic to the manufacturer, and our technical staff will write the file for free.

5.        Thinning function

The thinning function equipped can mill the pipe to a certain thickness. This function can be selected before machining dumbbell, rectangular and circular splines. It can perfectly match the thinning requirement for thick pipe materials to conduct impact tests.

Note: The thinning process is conducted on the outer wall of the pipe and is unavailable to be carried out on the inner wall due to the structural design.

6.        Producing multiple specimens at one time

The software can add multiple arbitrary graphics along the axial and circumferential direction of the pipe, such as adding 3 8804-2 standard dumbbell shapes, adding 4 8804-3 standard dumbbell shapes, and then adding 5 rectangles, etc. During the process, you need to choose whether to distribute them axially or circumferentially along the pipe. You can start machining after setting the graphics, and the specimens will be produced at one time. (Provided that the intercepted pipe segment can accommodate these specimens)

7.        Parameters setting

To reduce operation complexity, the software only provides a few necessary data settings for adjustment, and the rest are automatically generated by the system. The main parameters include material thickness, pipe outer diameter, cutter blade diameter, cutter passing speed, connection point width and thickness, layer depth, etc.

Major operation steps are listed as below:

1.       Install the pipe.

2.       Set parameters (No need to reset if no change in material selected and graphics of specimen).

3.       Cutter alignment in the Z axis.

4.       Fill in the cooling water.

5.       Start machining.

6.       Remove the processed specimens from the original material.

7.       Clean the machine.