Discussion on the Structure of Spindle Supports of Numerical Control Machine Tools
Chinas numerical control industry has developed rapidly in recent years. As a key component of numerical control machine tools, spindle supports play an important role in increasing the machining accuracy and machining efficiency. With the development of numerical control industry and the emerging of new materials, the design and application of spindle supports began to vary in structure and performance. As a technical backbone of the industry, spindle supports with different structures must be studied thoroughly in order to provide a better numerical control machine to meet the increasingly high demands from customers.
The most commonly seen structure in spindle supports of numerical control machine tools is the box structure. This structure closely follows the vertical box structure of traditional vertical machining centers, featuring a heavy machine base and a relatively light spindle head. This structure is simple in structure, convenient in installation and debugging, and easy to maintain. The box structure spindle support allows the spindle drive motor to be installed directly above the spindle head, thus minimizing the impact of the load on grinding accuracy and improving the accuracy of machining center. However, in high-frequency or high-precision applications, the box structure is not suitable due to the large overall weight and the presence of vibration caused by the spindle drive motor mounting above the spindle head.
Another commonly used structure for spindle supports of numerical control machine tools is the gantry structure. Compared to the box structure, the gantry structure spindle support is characterized by a heavy spindle head and a relatively light machine base. Compared with the traditional box structure, the gantry structure spindle support not only increases the rigidity of the machine tool as a whole, but also has the advantages of convenient installation and disassembly of tool magazines and improved maintenance convenience. Especially in the ultra-fine machining process, the gantry structure enables large-amplitude fast feed rate, which can improve the machining surface quality and further improve the machining accuracy. However, one shortcoming of the gantry structure is that it requires higher requirements on the size of the machine tool and requires more space for installation compared to the box structure.
The third structure, the indexing structure, is a relatively newly developed structure. Unlike the box and gantry structures which are mainly composed of metal materials and components, the indexing structure is mainly composed of mechanical and electrical encoders, enabling even higher performance and accuracy. Although the indexing structure may increase the cost of the machine tool, its application in high-end machine tools enables even higher performance and accuracy.
In general, spindle supports of numerical control machine tools are designed and manufactured according to the requirements of the machining process. The box, gantry, and indexing structures each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the appropriate structure must be determined by their respective machining centers. It is hoped that with the development of numerical control technology and the continuous emergence of new materials, the structure and performance of spindle supports will continue to improve, and more perfect numerical control machine tools will be provided to meet the more stringent machining requirements.
