Page 45 - Modular design for machine tools

16 Modular Design Guide and Machine Tools Description

Within a system machine context, the processing complex has been
on the market since the late 1990s, as already shown in Fig. 1-5, and
we must be aware that these cells and machines are of modular type.
It is especially emphasized that the processing complex is expected to
take over the role of the conventional MC and TC (turning center) of
present day to a larger extent, although forcing perhaps some marked
changes in the modular design (refer to Chap. 2).
Intuitively, an extreme problem in the processing complex lies in the
design of the structural body component (module), which must have
sufficient stiffness against all the resultant cutting forces loaded by
various machining methods. With respect to the planer and planomiller,
for example, the cross sections of their columns are, as widely known,
of narrower width and larger depth, and rectangular, respectively,
because the directions of the resultant cutting force are completely dif-
ferent from each other. As can be readily seen, the difficulty in design
increases duly in the case of the column of the planer with milling head.
The same scenario is a burning issue in designing the structural body
component, e.g., bed and headstock, of the processing complex. In accor-
dance with the experience so far, the processing complex shows very com-
plicated thermal behavior beyond the prediction of the machine tool
designer.
To deepen the design knowledge, Fig. 1-10 reproduces the proposal of
Koenigsberger, in which machine tools of various kinds can, in principle,

Columns Spindle heads Spindle drives Tool posts

Drilling Milling Turning

Feed drives Beds Tables or slides
Figure 1-10 Concept of different-kind generating modular design (courtesy of
Koenigsberger).