How FAST is High Speed Machining?
Traveling at 180 kilometers per hour in Germany makes one realize everything having to do with velocity is relative. Just then, a vehicle screamed past moving from head to tail lights in a split second. Ten years ago, cutting carbon graphite electrodes at 20 IPM made me feel great! That was until our managers went to Chicago and were introduced to a FAST machining center. You know how those trade shows are, plenty of flash and trash, but often lacking in detail. The next morning, these folks delivered. Months later, we had too many chips; our conveyer broke due to the volume. Would you believe machining at 1500 IPM? My former teammates from the tool room called me names even I didn’t recognize. “No way, it can’t be done” my old team member lamented. Achieving unheard velocities, plus much more, only came after joining R & D. Steps we had to implement for exceptional velocity: • Buy a machining center with a high-speed spindle. Ours was 40,000 rpm. • Convert the tool paths to a Nurb for
