Process-reliability with flexible powerful horizontal milling machines
Their stable construction and great versatility make horizontal milling machines indispensable instruments in the mechanical processing of demanding materials. This means that they have always been indispensable in equally demanding industries, for example aerospace engineering or automotive engineering. Large, complex workpieces such as cylinder heads and engine blocks can be manufactured on them just as efficiently and precisely as small series components on clamping towers. With decades of experience in the diverse application areas of horizontal milling machines, DMG MORI designs application-specific manufacturing solutions. Our portfolio includes a total of seven series, so users can find a suitable model for almost any industry.
Overview
Optimal design for high precision and good surfaces
Horizontal milling machines are characterised by a horizontally arranged spindle, with which the workpiece is machined from the side. A major advantage here is optimal chip fall. This means that even demanding components can be manufactured dependably and with process reliability. Since the tools for horizontal milling are usually shorter and wider than those of vertical milling and the distance between the spindle and the workpiece is also smaller, deeper cuts can be milled more quickly. The stable machining with minimised vibrations also ensures better surfaces.
Equipment options for maximum machining flexibility
Horizontal milling machines with a rotary table significantly reduce the throughput time of complex workpieces, as they can machine four sides in a single clamping position. A swivel rotary table extends this flexibility to productive 5-side milling in a single clamping position. Equipped with a rotary table, horizontal CNC milling machines are also powerful tools in series machining on clamping towers. Combining them with pallet handling and set-up stations enables downtimes to be reduced to a minimum. Intelligent control systems such as the app-based CELOS X from DMG MORI make it easier to operate such highly-automated manufacturing systems.
Horizontal milling machines for heavy machining and series production
With its broad portfolio in the area of horizontal milling, DMG MORI has been demonstrating its expertise in this discipline for many decades. The dynamic precision machines in the NHX, NH and NHC series play a major role in this. They can be perfectly integrated into linear pallet pools (LPP), which enables efficient production of small series parts and large housing components depending on the size. The NHX 10000 offers travel paths of 1,700 mm in the X-axis, 1,400 mm in the Y-axis and 1,510 mm in the Z-axis. In the production of cylinder heads and blocks, the i 50 also impresses with its extremely compact design. DMG MORI implements 5-axis horizontal machining of even more complex workpieces with the INH models as well as the DMC H linear and DMU H monoBLOCK series.
Important questions about horizontal milling
What is horizontal milling?
In horizontal milling, the spindle is horizontal to the table, so milling operations on the workpiece are carried out from the side. If the horizontal milling machine has a rotary table, the component can be machined from all four sides without re-clamping.
What are the advantages of horizontal milling?
A decisive advantage of the horizontal alignment is unhindered chip fall, which allows for process-reliable manufacturing. The short distance between spindle and workpiece and short tools also enable faster machining of deep cuts. The design also minimises vibrations, which increases the surface quality of the components.
What applications are horizontal milling machines suitable for?
Horizontal milling machines show their strengths in the machining of complex workpieces with high chip volumes, for example engine blocks and cylinder heads in automotive engineering. They can also be used productively in series production of small parts, because the pallets can be equipped with clamping towers. This means that the machines are used to their maximum capacity while further pallets are being prepared at set-up stations.