5-AXIS Gantry Machines Large Non-Ferrous Parts

Triumph Aerostructures is installing two of these 5-axis Precision Mill-and-Trim vertical gantry mills for machining large composite or non-ferrous parts on existing X-axis rails as part of its Hawthorne plant modernization.

Triumph Aerostructures’ Vought Commercial Division (Hawthorne, CA) has ordered two Precision Mill/Trim (PMT) gantry systems from MAG (Hebron, KY) for its Hawthorne plant modernization to keep pace with strong market demand. The two high-speed PMT gantries – inaugurating a new high-performance router platform – will be used to produce aluminum wide-body fuselage skins for next-generation commercial aircraft.

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The two machines will be installed in Q2 2013 on an existing 140 ft X-axis rail set at Triumph, where two 1995-era Cincinnati (now MAG) gantries are being decommissioned in a phased installation that will allow at least one machine to process parts at all times on the multi-workzone system.

The new modular PMT is a 5-axis gantry machine tool for high-speed multi-processing of large non-ferrous components such composite structures, aluminum skins and fabrications, molds, patterns, and post-cure cutouts in foam and sandwich structures. In addition to machining, the highly configurable PMT is designed to use various special heads, such as waterjet, sawing and other finishing tools, including a system for precision control of countersink depth.

“The two vintage routers being replaced at Triumph just cannot match this new design, which will set an industry standard for precision large-part machining,” said Chip Storie, an executive vice president of MAG. “These new machines will equip Triumph to produce more parts, with improved accuracy, in less time, to keep pace with the company’s rising production rate for fuselage skins.

“Modular engineering, utilizing proven component designs, allows us to build these large systems quickly and cost effectively,” Storie continues. “As the size of parts increases with each new generation of aircraft, there is increasing need for similarly sized automation to finish the details on the parts. We’re getting interest in these machines from all corners of the globe, as well as from other markets, such as marine and wind energy.”