Honda Engineering is developing high-speed and high-precision machine tools for die cutting

It was learned a few days ago that Honda Engineering (Honda Engineering, Haga-cho, Tochigi Prefecture) is developing high-speed and high-precision machine tools for car body mold processing. The news was announced by Hidemura Taoka, executive director of the company's motorcycle and automotive general body molding division, at a speech hosted by the Japan Metal Stamping Industry Association. In the past, the company has been introducing digital technology to improve speed and accuracy, but to further reduce mold processing time, 'existing machine tools have reached their limits' (Taoka Hidemura), so began to develop new models that can meet higher speed and accuracy. machine tool. The company's goal is to develop a machine tool with a machining accuracy of less than ±0.01mm and an average cutting feed rate of more than 10m/min. The goal is thus to automate tooling including finishing, ie to eliminate manual finishing operations. If the machining time of the existing machine tool is shortened, the surface roughness increases, the machining drop is affected by tool wear and machining temperature changes, and the possibility of small defects occurs when the cutting conditions are not suitable, so manual finishing work is required. . According to the company's survey, even the world's highest-level machine tool has a machining accuracy of only ±0.03mm and an average cutting feed rate of only 6.8m/min. If the speed is further increased, the movement of the beam will increase, the tip of the tool will wobble, and the ball screw will deflect. Although reducing the cutting speed allowed high-precision cutting without manual finishing steps, this method was eventually abandoned because machining time could not be shortened. Honda Engineering plans to develop a new type of machine tool by solving the problems of high-rigidity positioning and minimization of driving weight, as well as the development of high-performance end mills and high-speed NC (Numerical Control) one by one.