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        I spend a lot of time (at least a decent amount of time) standing next to a CNC router, producing parts for prototypes and models for project review meetings and industry meetings. I don't work at the forefront of machining technology, but I have nearly a decade of experience with this type of machine tool and have been following many very interesting developments in machine tool technology.
       While explaining to a visitor how a machine "knows" where the parts are, it occurred to me one day that many people are unfamiliar with the machines that actually build the world around them, including so many watch parts.
        After revisiting my previous articles on 3D printing, types of machines, and what they are good at (and not so good at), I thought it would be great for watch lovers to learn more about machining and turning, which is responsible for how they watches are being made. modern era.
       While I won't go into the details of some of the details that I cover in my 3D printing article, I want to break down milling machines and turning centers where multi-axis machining has become a cornerstone of modern manufacturing.
        Thanks to our co-founder Jan Skellern, Quill & Pad readers quickly figured out what is 350 processors and 90,000 watts of CNC machines just to mill a curve? This article expands on the topic, focusing on the technical details that I love to talk about. So let's start with what multi-axis machining is and why it's so important.
        For all practical purposes, multi-axis machining applies to most milling machines. "Multi-axis" literally means "multiple axes". The simplest machines have at least three axles (or two, but we'll get to that) and are usually not strictly designed for one operation.
        These types of machines are found on production lines where the parts (or raw materials) are fed onto a conveyor belt or placed by robots and only one process will be performed on them. This may be drilling or planing the surface to a certain depth, but no more.
       CNC machines in the background and automatic lathes in the foreground at the Romain Gauthier Manufactory.
        In this case, it provides limited functionality as part of a larger manufacturing process. We are not talking about these machines.
        Multi-spindle machines start with basic milling and basic turning machines and expand from there. Milling machines, both manual and CNC (Computer Numerical Control), have at least three cutting directions: X, Y, and Z.
        X and Y (in most cases) describe the directions of movement of the support from side to side, forward and backward; the workpiece and vise are securely fixed on the base frame during the milling process. The Z-axis refers to the vertical movement of a spindle that moves up and down while holding a cutter, drill, tapping tool, or other specialized tool (even a stylus).
       This automatic lathe at UWD Dresden looks ready for some downhill racing (or the next Star Wars movie).
        A basic lathe is technically very similar to a milling machine with one significant difference: the arrangement of the parts. On a milling machine, the part is clamped in place as the tool rotates in the spindle. On a lathe, the workpiece to be milled rotates in the spindle while the tool slides side to side and back and forth on the carriage and cross slide to come into contact with the workpiece.
        The names of the axes have changed, but the reality is very similar. There are (technically) three more possible axes of motion, but only the Z and X axes are used, and Y is usually considered static on a basic lathe. Reasoning can help you better remember why each axis is labeled the way it is.
        On basic lathes and milling machines, the Z-axis is always parallel to the axis of rotation, whether it be a spindle holding a tool on a milling machine or a part on a lathe. X and Y are always perpendicular to each other and perpendicular to the Z axis.
        The working end of the Nomos Glashütte automatic lathe, where the turning part rotates and the cutting tool is stabilized.
        On a lathe, things are a little different. The carriage (where the cutting tool is mounted) runs along the Z axis (which, as you can see, moves from side to side on a lathe) parallel to the rotation of the spindle. The cross slide (adjustable carriage on top of the main carriage) moves along the X axis, moving back and forth from the workpiece, perpendicular to the Z axis. The Y axis then raises or lowers the tool from the carriage.
        This axis is stationary on the base lathe because the tool must be centered and securely fixed on the centerline of the rotating part. Therefore, the basic lathe is actually considered a two-axis machine.
        This is where things get really interesting, and multi-axis processing gets a bit magical. On a milling machine, you can create a fourth axis of rotation, which is usually parallel to the X axis.
        If only the fourth axis is used, this can be achieved by adding a turntable aligned with the X-axis and perpendicular to the Y-axis. This is called the A-axis.
        This rotary table, controlled in conjunction with other axes of rotation, allows you to index the part (rotate it by a certain number of degrees to obtain equal divisions), and then machine it using standard three-axis programs. Or it moves with real-time rotation during machining (known as a continuous fourth axis), allowing you to mill off-axis components and features or complex 3D circular shapes.
        The CNC machine at UWD Dresden mills the base plate while keeping the part firmly on the turntable.
        This can also be achieved with a trunnion table, which is a U-shaped table supported at both ends, on which a horizontal vise can be mounted. It can rotate around the A-axis like a turntable, but supports the part in a different way.
        On a lathe, the situation is more complicated. To install a fourth axle (and that annoying third axle) on a lathe, you need live tools. By "driven tool" is meant a second spindle that rotates with the second cutting tool.
        Four-axis lathes add a second X-axis to the Y-axis, usually referred to as X2 (no, it's not actually a fourth axis), which allows driven tools to be moved in and out of the part, and to be raised above and below the center line. Sounds great, but it actually differs very little from a conventional lathe in that you need to control the exact rotation position of the workpiece in order to use it properly. Technically, this is where the fourth axis comes in, and it's called the C axis.
        The C-axis allows the lathe to index or rotate continuously (like the A-axis on a 4-axis mill) while the driven tool moves and creates geometry that could not previously be machined on the base lathe, such as slots (horizontal or parallel to the axis of rotation) , planes, transverse holes and other interesting features.
        Now, being literal, I would venture to say that this lathe technically has five axes of motion, but only if the power tools are mounted on their own carriages separate from the Z and X axis tools. If not, then the X2 axis is actually negative with respect to the original the X axis, because when one moves in, the other moves out. There's an example with two machines, so it's really more about the functionality of the programmer than the capabilities of the machine.
        With these two setups in mind, the best way to think about a 4 axis lathe with Y and C axes is to look at a standard 2 axis lathe with the added capabilities of a 4 axis mill on the same machine.
        Marco Lang, CTO of Tempus Arte, looks at a state-of-the-art UWD CNC machine that actually consists of two CNC machines (5-axis on the left, 3-axis on the right) surrounded by a central common tool manager
        Many people (non-industrial) consider the fifth axis to be the pinnacle of multi-axis machining technology. We'll talk a bit about why it's not, but why it's really the way you want it, unless you're making very specific parts of very complex and possibly weird geometry. But I was ahead of my time.
        The fifth axis of the milling machine is the rotation of the second vertical axis (Y axis). This is usually achieved with a two-axis rotary table. Like the previous four-axis trunnion table, this is a U-shaped table, but in the center of the table is a rotary table that allows the part to rotate around the A axis, and now around the B axis.
        This allows the machine to machine five of the six sides of a typical part in one setup, greatly reducing set-up time (important) and maintaining positioning accuracy because the operator does not have to manually move the part to machine each individual part. side.
        Needless to say, this capability has revolutionized the manufacturing industry as it has made it very easy to machine off-axis features on any axis. There are very few parts that cannot be made with this setup, and if needed, a five-axis machining center can save significant setup time for downstream operations.
        On a lathe, as I said before, the five-axis specification comes into play. If the power tool is controlled separately from the static tool, the machine does indeed have a fifth axis along the X2 axis. The machine does have more options than a true 4 axis lathe, but again, it's about programming parts and being able to do two things at the same time. It really isn't as good as a 5 axis milling machine and you'll soon see why.
        The frame that attaches the UWD to this CNC machine contains various inserts and tools for drilling and milling that are automatically replaced as needed.
         behind the fifth axle. . . for a minute. Yes, I'm talking beyond the fifth axis! When we talk about the sixth axis, we mean the Z-axis on milling machines and the Y-axis on lathes, capable of rotating perpendicular to that axis. Thus, the spindle of a milling machine can rotate left and right, just like the working tool of a lathe.
         This axis is called the C-axis on milling machines and the A-axis on lathes, although at this point some programmers and manufacturers will actually disagree with this name (at least I've noticed it, though the "accepted" definition can be used).
         The frame, attached to the CNC machine, contains various drilling and milling inserts and tools that automatically change as needed.
         Regardless of the designation, this sixth axis of rotation is where the lathe is finally catching up with the geometric capabilities of the milling machine, as it can now make holes and features at any angle to any axis, just like a five-axis milling machine.
         A six-axis router isn't necessarily much more powerful, though it can now be specifically programmed for the exact point it wants the cutter to make contact with the workpiece, and vice versa.
         This may not seem like such a big deal, but with complex cavity shapes and maintaining tool life, surface finish, proper feeds and speeds, it becomes very important.
         Note to machining nerds: Feed and speed refer to how fast the tool is turning, how fast it travels over the surface of the material (measured in inches per minute on a milling machine or feet per minute on a lathe) and the amount of material (depth or revolution). ) removed by each cutting tooth (inch/mm per tooth on a milling machine or inch/mm per revolution on a lathe).
        Things got really crazy after the sixth axis as the machines added more tools moving at the same time and more clamping solutions for multiple setups at the same time. Machines can have 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 axes of motion, possibly more, allowing for multiple locations and multiple parts to be machined at the same time (sometimes referred to as reverse side machining). These machines moved out of the category of milling or turning machines and became machining centers.
        This is the universe of swiss type screw machines, where multiple fixed point tools and multiple active tools interact with the part at the same time. These multi-axis machining centers can have multiple turning spindles and are able to automatically transfer parts from one to another to perform additional operations at other angles that were previously not available while another spindle is turning another part.
         After hearing about all these machines and seeing some incredible demos, I think the utility of multi-axis machining is obvious, but if you still don't get it, let me recap. These machines make it possible to process everything that can be machined in our physical world. For any component, just about anything you can imagine, there is a machine that can process it in one way or another.
        This means that the most complex watch cases can be machined in less than a minute on a straightening machine (well, that's an exaggeration of course, but these machines are capable of creating very complex parts in minutes, taking many other factors into account). ). See comments for details). This means that with a sufficiently precise machining center and a sufficient number of axes, even a balancing assembly with all functions can be produced automatically on a single machine.
         Now we know that we don't want the entire component to be of the same material, but it's possible. And we know that Rolex uses highly specialized multi-axis machines to manufacture nearly every component to ensure precision and reproducibility.
         In fact, multi-axis machining is mainly just to save production time, since almost every part made on these ultra-modern machines could be (and probably at some point was) made on "simple" three-axis machining by experienced machinists. machine using his knowledge, a lot of math, hours (or days) of patience and manual adjustment time. These machines do all this work for us.
        These Gatling gun tubes from Nomos Glashütte create internal rods of brass and other alloys that are fed to automatic lathes to be converted into components.
        Considering your profession, this may be considered good or bad. As a mechanic, as an aspiring watchmaker and designer, I understand the reality of both. Being able to take advantage of these machines can speed up the product development life cycle, but it is no substitute for skilled knowledge and experience. They go hand in hand.