The HYBRID machine incorporates the best of Davenport’s mechanical versatility with the CNC Technology you need to address today’s most difficult manufacturing challenges.
This article highlights some of the new technologies incorporated in the HYBRID machine, and speaks to some of the parts it is better able to produce.
Revolving Heads
The Hybrid utilizes proven High Precision (HP) Head technology. With over 200 HP Heads in operation, counting for a combined total of nearly 1,600 years and over 3 million hours of run time, this technology has stood the test of time, and produced outstanding results for our customers. Every customer who has bought a revolving head has bought more. Even the first HP Heads installed over 25 years ago are still making parts today, and 80% of them have never required any maintenance whatsoever.
The Hybrid comes in 7/8″ and 5/8″ models, offering HP Head configurations with Aligning Gears or Spindle Stopping.
High Pressure Coolant
Many of today’s parts are being produced from difficult to machine materials. Whether it’s pre-hardened materials, tool steels, stainless or lead-free alloys, each present a challenge for screw-machine operators.
When we looked at ways to improve chip control and tool life, one of the most promising methods was using high-pressure coolant. Traditional flood coolant may work on brass and 12L14, but it doesn’t do the job when you are turning A286. You need directed streams of coolant, at high pressure, to be able to break through the vapor barrier created by the high cutting temperatures on these materials. Because the HYBRID has multiple tools engaged with the part simultaneously and since screw machines use wide tools with unconventional chip geometry, special considerations need to be made to effectively use high pressure coolant in the HYBRID machine.
We turned to Chip Blaster, a market leader in high-pressure coolant pumps, and integrated their 1,000 PSI, no reservoir pump into our machine. ChipBlaster can deliver up to 10.5 gallons per minute to a ceiling-mounted manifold, which can direct coolant to up to 8 tools at any point in the cycle. It’s fully programmable, so it’s only flowing coolant when the tool is in the cut. The pump fits nicely under the stock reel.
Hybrid Design Machine Features Infographic
CNC Capabilities
The HYBRID delivers shorter setups by using its CNC capabilities to digitally replace and store many of the “mechanical adjustments” from older platforms. We eliminated mechanisms like the side cam banks and turnbuckles. Saved programs now contain information like speeds, feeds, and tool lengths, so you can quickly reset a job on the second run, and make parts that are in-tolerance on the first cut. Dialing in the sizes has never been easier. Many major adjustments are tool-free, precise, and take seconds.
When running families of parts, we suggest designing ZERO-POINT DATUM tooling, a concept where the cut-off is the same distance from the spindle face for each part in the family. Inserts and tools can be swapped without the need to mechanically re-align tools, further reducing setup time and complexity.
Targeted Parts
What kind of parts are we targeting on the HYBRID? Essentially, parts that couldn’t be done effectively on a Davenport before.
Features like angular trepan grooves where the tool needs to make 2 axis movements are perfect for this machine. The HYBRID will excel at holding tight tolerance OD’s, with a particular improvement in overall length (OAL) control over previous models. The thrust ring no longer holds the head in place. The Revolving Head’s axial position is held by the bearings, and does not vary from index to index, so tool lineup, and OAL capabilities have all been dramatically improved. This also improves the ability to hold very fine finishes on cut-offs and seal faces. The HYBRID’s high degree of pre-load and stiffness is critical, and will give you an advantage over other screw machine platforms when making parts from difficult to machine alloys, or with thin walls.