Haas Offers Line of High-Speed VMCs for High-Precision Industries (HAAS)

OXNARD, CA- Haas Automation, Inc., offers a line of VMCs designed for the mold making, tool & die and medical industries. Called the VM Series, these high-performance VMCs provide the accuracy, rigidity and thermal stability required for high-precision work. Available in three frame sizes, each VM-Series machine features a 12,000-rpm spindle driven by a 30-hp vector dual-drive system, a 24-pocket side-mount tool changer, a high-speed control with full look-ahead and a unique, multi-fixturing table.



The smallest of the VM Series is the VM-2, with a 30"x20"x20" work cube and a 36"x18" table. The VM-3 features a 40"x26"x25" work cube and a 54"x25" table, and the VM-6, the largest of the VM machines, has 64"x32"x30" travels and a 64"x28" table. For maximum fixturing versatility, each machine's cast-iron table features T-slots in both the X and Y directions, as well as precision dowel-pin bores and an array of drilled and tapped holes.



All Haas VM machines feature massive cast-iron construction, with extensive internal ribbing to increase rigidity and damp vibrations. High-precision linear guides on all axes further increase rigidity, while offering low-friction and long-term reliability. High-speed brushless servos, fine-pitch ballscrews and high-resolution encoders ensure precise positioning and extreme repeatability.



The 40-taper spindle of the VM machines uses a unique inline direct-drive system that couples the motor directly to the spindle to reduce heat, vibration and noise. This results in smooth, quiet operation and extreme thermal stability. On-the-fly wye-delta switching provides plenty of low-end torque, as well as high rpm for high-speed machining



To further ensure thermal stability, coolant is circulated through the head castings of VM machines to remove heat generated by the spindle. To prevent radiated heat from affecting the casting, the headstock is insulated and cool air is circulated through the entire assembly. An electronic thermal-compensation algorithm in the Haas control accurately models ballscrew heating from high-duty cycles and automatically corrects for any expansion that could cause positioning errors



VM-Series machines come standard with a 24-pocket side-mount tool changer that swaps tools in 2.8 seconds. Also standard are an automatic chip auger, remote jog handle, programmable coolant nozzle, automatic air gun, high-speed machining software with look-ahead, hard drive with Ethernet interface, USB port, Visual Quick Code programming and expanded program memory to 16 MB.