The cylinder is a critical component of an automobile engine, connecting various parts and exhaust systems in a single unit. It ensures that all components remain properly aligned and move in coordination. The cylinder block, being a complex and precisely cast part, demands high dimensional and positional accuracy. Machining such parts is challenging, as traditional machine tools often result in low precision and efficiency. Additionally, the quality of machining can be affected by the operator's skill and inherent machining errors. To address these issues, users have called for fully automated processing of cylinder parts in mass production.
Our company's VMC2180s vertical machining center is designed for high-precision machining of plate, disc, housing, and mold parts with complex geometries and multiple processes. It supports continuous milling, drilling, tapping, boring, and precise machining of 2D and 3D curved surfaces, significantly reducing the production cycle. One machining center can replace three conventional machines, offering users better economic returns.
To meet the automatic machining requirements of engine blocks and improve productivity, it's not enough to rely solely on the machine’s automation. The fixture must also be designed for automatic positioning and clamping. Some users require top surface machining of the engine block, which measures 1062mm × 260mm. This necessitates a face mill with a diameter of at least 260mm. In practice, a φ315mm wiper face mill was used (see Figure 2), but this large tool exceeds the VMC2180s' tool loading and change capabilities. The machine has a tool magazine capacity of 32, a maximum tool length of 400mm, a maximum cutter diameter of 125mm, and a weight limit of 20kg. The selected tool, however, has a diameter of 315mm, a length of 340mm, and weighs 31.6kg—making it incompatible with the machine’s automatic tool change system.
To solve this, we implemented a solution involving a custom tool holder and a fully automatic hydraulic clamp. The VMC2180s worktable is 2000mm × 800mm, with the tool holder placed on the left side and the automatic fixture on the right (see Figure 3). The fixture uses two holes on the bottom surface of the engine block for positioning, along with a pin-and-two-pins setup. It presses the sides of the cylinder body, allowing for accurate and fast positioning without manual intervention.
The fixture includes a pre-positioning device, a support plate, guide supports, and hydraulic cylinders. When the cylinder part is placed on the support plate, the pre-positioning mechanism aligns it. Once the start button is pressed, the hydraulic cylinder pushes the part toward a non-contact switch, triggering a signal to the machine system. The system then retracts the cylinder and activates the positioning pin, followed by clamping the part securely. All steps are completed automatically, ensuring reliable and safe clamping.
For large tool changes, the tool holder is fixed on the left side of the worktable. A check rod is installed on the holder, and a probe on the spindle finds the center position of the rod. This value is stored in the machine coordinate system, defining the tool change point. The tool is then programmed like any other, and during machining, the spindle retrieves the appropriate tool from the holder, enabling full automatic tool change for the large face mill.
In conclusion, the entire cylinder processing process utilizes the VMC2180s machining center, a fully automatic hydraulic clamp, and a custom tool holder that allows unconditional automatic tool change. This setup eliminates manual intervention, ensures reliable workpiece positioning, and simplifies the clamping process. As a result, processing efficiency is significantly improved, achieving highly automated and informationized manufacturing.
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Zhejiang Huafeng new material Co., Ltd. , https://www.cnhfpipe.com