United Equipment Accessories (UEA) recently added a new DMG Mori NT5400/1800 multi-axis turn-mill to our rotary union department. The addition of the DMG Mori NT5400/1800 is pivotal to the anticipated growth of our rotary union line. This machine will be paired with another NT5400/1800 that has been in production for several years to produce our small- to medium-size rotary unions. We use our NT series machines to machine rotary union parts from rough stock to finished part in one setup, instead of using multiple machines with multiple setups.

The NT series machines are multi-axis turn mills that have two chucks (twin spindles), a B-axis head with live tooling, and a lower turret or steady rest. The twin spindles are used as chucks when it comes to a turning operation, and in a milling operation, they are used to index the part to specific location for a machined feature. The B-axis head has 240 degree of travel with a live tool spindle that allows us to use tooling for turning and milling operations. We can go from a turning operation straight to a twenty-two-inch drill in just a few seconds. The lower turret is mainly used both as a center drill and a live center. We use the live center on our hydraulic swivel spools to support the part in turning operations. In addition, the live center also helps with getting rid of tapper in the part when it is turned. Because the part is supported, it allows us to ramp up our speeds and feeds in a safe manner.

During the implementation phase of installing the machine, we have worked closely with DMG Mori to bring this machine online promptly. With DMG Mori having a tech center in Iowa, we were able to have an application engineer on site to do training within a week after final installation. During the training, the engineer from DMG Mori showed us a preferred coding that would help optimize our programming when using the lower turret. These training sessions are beneficial to our machine operators. These sessions allow them to cross train on other machines and provides a unique opportunity to ask pertinent questions about the machine.

The prep work that goes into purchasing a machine like the NT5400/1800 would be incomplete without considering another aspect: tooling.

We work with tooling suppliers to build new machine tool packages that allow us to expand our capabilities with new tooling technologies. For this machine, we purchased a 140-tool capacity toolchain. We focused on matching the list to our current machines. We purchase inserted SAE port tools, specialty deep hole drills to our specifications, inserted flat bottom drills, and carbide tooling that enables us to make parts to our customer's requirements.

With the now added ability to store 140 tools on the machine, we can effectively cut setup time and human interaction. Ultimately, this pushes us to produce in a timely fashion.

UEA has added several machines to their line-up recently. Learn more about another machine we recently added, a DMG Mori NVX7000 3-axis mill.