CHAPTER 24

Machining and Turning Centers,

Machine-Tool Structures, and Machining
Economics

Kalpakjian • Schmid
Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-1
 Examples of Parts Machined on Machining
Centers
Figure 24.1 Examples of parts that can be machined on machining centers, using various processes
such as turning, facing, milling, drilling, boring, reaming, and threading. Such parts would
ordinarily require a variety of machine tools. Source: Toyoda Machinery.

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Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-2
 Horizontal-Spindle Machining Center

Figure 24.2 A horizontal-spindle

machining center, equipped with an
automatic tool changes. Tool
magazines can store 200 cutting
tools. Source: Courtesy of
Cincinnati Milacron, Inc.

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Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-3
 Five-Axis Machining Center

Figure 24.3 Schematic

illustration of a five-axis
machining center. Note that in
addition to the three linear
movements, the pallet can be
swiveled (rotated) along two axes,
allowing the machining of
complex shapes such as those
shown in Fig. 24.1. Source:
Toyoda Machinery.

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 Pallets

Figure 24.4 (a) Schematic illustration of the top view of a horizontal-spindle

machining center showing the pallet pool, set-up station for a pallet, pallet carrier,
and an active pallet in operation (shown directly below the spindle of the machine).
(b) Schematic illustration of two machining centers with a common pallet pool.
Various other arrangements are possible in such systems. Source: Hitachi Seiki
Co., Ltd.

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 Swing-Around Tool Changer

Figure 24.5 Swing-around tool changer on a horizontal-spindle machining

center. Source: Cincinnati Milacron, Inc.

Kalpakjian • Schmid
Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-6
 Touch Probes
Figure 24.6 Touch probes used in
machining centers for determining
workpiece and tool positions and
surfaces relative to the machine table or
column. (a) Touch probe determining
the X-Y (horizontal) position of a
workpiece, (b) determining the height
of a horizontal surface, (c) determining
the planar position of the surface of a
cutter (for instance, for cutter-diameter
compensation), and (d) determining the
length of a tool for tool-length offset.
Source: Hitachi Seiki Co., Ltd.

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Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-7
 Vertical-Spindle Machining Center

Figure 24.7 A vertical-spindle

machining center. The tool
magazine is on the left of the
machine. The control panel on
the right can be swiveled by the
operator. Source: Courtesy of
Cincinnati Milacron, Inc.

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Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-8
 CNC Turning Center

Figure 24.8 Schematic

illustration of a three-turret,
two-spindle computer
numerical controlled turning
center. Source: Hitachi
Seiki Co., Ltd.

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Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-9
 Chip-Collecting System

Figure 24.9 Schematic illustration of a

chip-collecting system in a horizontal-
spindle machining center. The chips
that fall by gravity are collected by the
two horizontal conveyors at the bottom
of the troughs. Source: Okuma
Machinery Works Ltd.

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 Machining Outer Bearing Races on a
Turning Center
Figure 24.10

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 Machine-Tool Structure and Guideways
Figure 24.11 An
example of a machine-
tool structure. The box-
type, one-piece design
with internal diagonal
ribs significantly
Figure 24.12 Steel guideways
improves the stiffness of
integrally-cast on top of the cast-iron
the machine. Source:
bed of a machining center. Because
Okuma Machinery
of its higher elastic modulus, the steel
Works Ltd.
provides higher stiffness than cast
iron. Source: Hitachi Seiki Co., Ltd.

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Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-12
 Chatter

Figure 24.13 Chatter marks (right of

center of photograph) on the surface
of a turned part. Source: General
Electric Company.

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Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-13
 Internal Damping of Structural Materials

Figure 24.14 The relative damping capacity of (a) gray cast iron and (b) epoxy-
granite composite material. The vertical scale is the amplitude of vibration and the
horizontal scale is time. Source: Cincinnati Milacron, Inc.

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 Joints in Machine-Tool Structures

Figure 24.15 The damping of vibrations as a function of the number of components on a

lathe. Joints dissipate energy; the greater the number of joints, the higher the damping
capacity of the machine. Source: J. Peters.

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Manufacturing Engineering and Technology © 2001 Prentice-Hall Page 24-15
 Machining
Economics

Figure 24.16 Graphs

showing (a) cost per
piece and (b) time per
piece in machining.
Note the optimum
speeds for both cost
and time. The range
between the two is
known as the high-
efficiency machining
range.

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