Eric reviews the Dugard GTX620 5 axis simultaneous VMC

Our 5 axis range is growing and it now includes the impressive Dugard GTX620, a 5 axis simultaneous machining centre designed for precision and efficiency.

Paul Jones from MTDCNC came to talk to Eric about the features on the GTX620, take a look at what he had to say in the video below.

Travelling column trunnion table 

Our other 5 axis models all have a B axis tilting head on a rotary table, but as Eric points out, more and more customers are asking for the trunnion type arrangement featured on the Dugard GTX620.  Eric was heavily involved the machine, including the decision to use the travelling column style trunnion table, giving the GTX620 stability and rigidity as well as improving the accuracy.

Hands on design and development of new products

At Dugard we’ve got a very hands on approach to the design and development of new machines in our range.  This approach is key to make sure we can always give our customers exactly what they need.  The travelling column trunnion table was a result of this process as were many other important features.  The GTX620 has heavy duty roller ways, lots of spindle power as well as a very simple direct drive system with 12,000 or 15,000rpm (which makes maintenance and use of the machine very simple for the customer).

Large capacity machining

The video shows off the impressive size and capacity of the machine very well.  The B axis tilting table has a range of -40° ~ +110°, it’s got a 650mm diameter and the loading capacity is 300kg level as well as 300kg when it’s tilted at 90°.  At 8500kg it’s a very rigid machine, Eric points out in the video “We were looking for something very strong, you’ve got roller ways on all axes so the weight of the machine lends itself to heavy machining with a nice big capacity table.”

Excellent access

Once again, when designing the GTX620, many options were considered for access to the table.  All our current 5 axis machines (and those from other suppliers) just have one door opening on the front of the machine.  Access to the table on the GTX620 is excellent – with 2 front doors opening individually on the front corner of the machine means you’ve got a huge angle for loading and unloading jobs to the table.  With two doors opening in this formation we’ve been able to completely avoid having a post in the front corner, which on other machines can be quite restrictive when you’re loading the machine.  The doors both have big windows, which is really important for those customers who want to be able to see the working envelope, a feature Eric really likes in the video, “customers like to be able to see what’s happening, especially with a 5 axis trunnion machine it’s quite difficult to see what’s happening around the job, especially when you’re setting and getting all the clearances right for the clamps and so on.”

Options on the Dugard GTX620

Variety of options are always a feature on Dugard machines.  With the Dugard GTX620 there are plenty to choose from.  Standard spindle speed is 12,000rpm with an option for 15,000rpm; the tool capacity is an already generous 40 tools, increasing to 60 tools in the options; through spindle coolant is 20 bar as standard and 50 bar as an option.  We also offer an impressive set of control options, Heidenhain 640i or Siemens 840D, both giving full 5 axis simultaneous.  Some of our customers though are just looking at 5 sided machining (4+1) so for them we can offer Siemens 828D or Fanuc 0iMF which gives an impressive 20% saving on the overall machine price.

The range is expanding

Dugard customer demands were calling for this style of machine and very shortly we’ll be adding an 800mm to the range, which gives even bigger capacity.  The next step up from that is our Dugard DBM1200 with a 1200mm size table, the first of which has just been installed in Essex (look out for our review).  As with all our Dugard machines, we always have a rolling stock programme – which gives us and our customers the advantage of having machines available quickly. If you’d like any more information, or you’d like to arrange a demonstration, give us a call on 01273 732286.