digital rotary table pricelist

Digital Rotary Table can be mounted horizontally or vertically to the milling table for machining a wide variety of precision parts. One revolution of the handwheel rotates the 4" diameter table 5 degrees. Table has rotational accuracy of 10 seconds (0.0027 degrees). Digital readout unit can be set to display in degrees and minutes or in decimal degrees. Readout resolution: 1 minute (0.0166 degrees). Table has a MT2 hole and includes an adapter plate for mounting our #82512 3-jaw lathe chuck and #82505 4-jaw lathe chuck (available separately). For use with MicroLux R8 Milling Machine.

Digital Rotary Table can be mounted horizontally or vertically to the milling table for machining a wide variety of precision parts. One revolution of the handwheel rotates the 4" diameter table 5 degrees. Table has rotational accuracy of 10 seconds (0.0027 degrees). Digital readout unit can be set to display in degrees and minutes or in decimal degrees. Readout resolution: 1 minute (0.0166 degrees). Table has a MT2 hole and includes an adapter plate for mounting our #82512 3-jaw lathe chuck and #82505 4-jaw lathe chuck (available separately). For use with MicroLux® R8 Milling Machine.

Sherline offers one of the finest small rotary tables on the market. It is available in manual or stepper motor drive modes. It can even be purchased with its one controller to be used as a programmable indexer. Below are links to the pages on the various versions of the Sherline 4″ rotary table. The table is driven by a worm gear with a 72:1 ratio making each turn of the handwheel equal to 5°. Fifty laser engraved handwheel marks indicate positions 1/10 of a degree apart. A 90° fixture is available to position the table in a vertical position. Our P/N 3750 Tilting Angle Table is also available for positioning at any angle from 0° to 90°.

Sherline’s rotary table is one of the most popular accessories in the tool line. Its popularity extends from the home shop to the professional machine shop due to its compact size, solid construction, and long-lasting accuracy. The handwheel is calibrated in 1/10° increments with marks every 5° around the table’s periphery. Included is a set of hold-down clamps, T-nuts, and a threaded center fixture for attaching Sherline chucks with a 3/4-16 center thread. Read more about the Sherline manual rotary table.

P/N 3700-CNC 4″ CNC-Ready rotary table with stepper motor mount: In place of the manual handwheel, a NEMA 23 stepper motor mount is attached, allowing use of the rotary table as a 4th axis on Sherline CNC mills or for whatever CNC application a customer may have where a small but accurate rotary table is needed. Read more about the Sherline CNC-Ready rotary table.

P/N 8730 4″ CNC rotary table with stepper motor mount and NEMA 23 stepper motor: This takes the above rotary table one step further with the inclusion of Sherline’s own NEMA 23 stepper motor already attached to the rotary table and including a 5-pin plug that connects directly to the Sherline 8760 4-axis driver box. Read more about the Sherline CNC rotary table with stepper motor.

Sherline offers the answer to your small rotary indexer needs by providing a programmable control box with its own power supply and driver for running the rotary table. Inputs can be entered by either degrees (to 3 decimal points) or by divisions of a circle (up to 999 divisions). Also programmable are the direction of rotation, the speed of rotation and backlash compensation. In the PROGRAM mode, two different programs of up to 40 blocks each can be entered that control rotation speed, direction and degrees or divisions plus the option to continue or pause at the end of each block. Read more about the Sherline programmable rotary indexer.

The mill rotary table is one of the main accessories of milling machine. As a precision work positioning device, it is widely used for indexing drilling, milling, circumferential cutting, boring, etc. The rotary turn table for milling machine is made from casting with high quality, can work with a set of dividing plate.

Both vertical and horizontal with two functions. Circle cutting, indexing drilling, milling and more complicated work are possible when the vertical position of the table is used together with the tail part.

This horizontal / vertical rotary table is made of precision machined cast iron and has a 2 Morse taper center hole. The rotary table is furnished with lock down clamps.

The table is 2.87" high when horizontal, and the centerline is 2.68" above the table when in the vertical position. The body of the table is 5" (crank handle to back) by 5.5" (mounting slot to mounting slot).

1. The rotary table is a precision piece of equipment that has been designed to work with MTI EC400 saw and any precision rotating operation whenever the small 4-inch size would be an advantage.

2. The table is 2" high and 4" (100mm) in diameter. The main components have been machined from solid bar stock steel, and the complete unit weighs seven pounds.

3. The table has been engraved with a laser, giving sharp and precise lines every 5""4X, numbered every 15""4X. These lines are calibrated with the 72-tooth worm gear that is driven by the handwheel.

4. The handwheel is divided into 50 parts, making each line on the handwheel 1/10""4X. This allows a circle to be divided into 3600 increments without interpolation. Seventy-two revolutions of the handwheel rotate the table one revolution.

... approximation of the motorized table, automatic advance of the rod, square guides on Y / Z axes, tilt front / rear of 45 ° and centralized lubrication as standard.

... stainless steel structure, these machines feature multi-station rotary tables for optimized processing time, and automatically manage the unwinding and winding of the cloths; the moving ...

One thing that is sorta misleading about the CNC tables unless you"re seen one first hand is just how big they are. I"ve got a Tsudakoma THNC-301, which is a 320mm (12"+) table thats rotary powered and manually tiltable from horizontal to a bit past vertical. It weighs somewhere between 400 and 450 lbs, and I guess the new cost now is somewhere north of $16,000. They have positioning accuracy within a few arc seconds, and are capable of holding accuracies like this with a part that weighs a couple hundred pounds and cutting forces that can generate several hundred ft-lbs of torque.

Pricewise, assuming my 16K current estimate is accurate, that would work out to a bit less than $40/lb, because it definitely weighs over 400#. For comparison, a 10" Kitagawa power chuck for a lathe retails now for about $4000, and although I"ve never weighed one, I guess they weigh less than a hundred lbs from picking one up a "few" times. So that puts the chuck at over $40/lb. If you ever have cause to take one of these chucks apart, they are surprisingly simple. They"re accurate and repeatable, and everything is hardened and ground, but they"re still simple, especially when compared to a rotary table. A good sized collet chuck from Royal to fit an A-8 spindle nose on a lathe weighs barely over 40 lbs and costs close to $2500. Once again, its all hardened and ground, but this is the price of a pullback type chuck which is just one single piece of steel with no moving parts whatsoever, yet it sells for over $60/lb. When you compare the rotary tables and their size and complexity to other machine tool parts of similar complexity and quality, the price begins to look not so far out of line, even though its still not cheap by a long shot.

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Fig. 4—On this tilting rotary table, one servo controls rotation, another controls tilt. Both servocontrols are slaves to the CNC with RS-232 communication, providing five-axis capability from a standard three-axis CNC.

Fig. 1—Modern rotary tables such as this one from SMW Systems have large, widely spaced spindle bearings, large diameter wormwheels and built-in spindle brakes.

If you want to make parts similar to the complex valve body (upper left), an indexer using M-code, RS-232, or “full fourth axis” control is appropriate. Only positioning and rotary cutting moves are required. The center workpiece is a cam that requires simultaneous rotary and linear moves. You’ll need full four-axis control for such workpieces. If you want to do parts similar to the impeller on the right, the contour cutting will require simultaneous five-axis machining.

Earlier rotary tables and indexers didn’t have the accuracy, rigidity or control flexibility of today’s models. Many shops that tried using indexers in the past had been disappointed in the performance of the older models and abandoned their use in favor of multiple operations, multiple holding fixtures and multiple handlings of the workpiece. They decided that the manual, multiple-operation process was better than trying to use ineffective early model indexers and rotary tables. Today, the situation is different. Manufacturers now offer units that are very accurate, very rigid and have a variety of control and interface options.

Terminology in the area of indexers is not standard. Terms such as fourth axis, indexer, rotary table and so on are used interchangeably by different machine tool and accessory companies. So, when selecting and buying, you must ask a few questions before assuming you know what you’re going to get. Also, beware of terms such as “precision,” “high precision,” “accurate,” and “rigid.” Is the “brake torque” specification some absolute break away spec or the torque at which some “unacceptable” amount of rotary deflection occurs? Is the “ten arc seconds” accuracy specification certified every one degree, or is it inspected only every 15 degrees? There are no industry standards for specifications and testing. So ask questions and deal with a supplier in which you have confidence, or buy with a guarantee of performance to make your parts.

We’ll start with the mechanical hardware and discuss the electronic control options later. There are at least three common mechanical indexer/rotary table types.

These tables provide infinite positioning as well as the possibility of rotary cutting. A servomotor controlled directly either by the CNC or by a secondary servocontrol rotates a wormscrew, which drives a wormwheel on the rotary table spindle.

The absolute position accuracy of these systems is a function of the quality (precision and accuracy) of the wormgear set (wormscrew and wormwheel), the accuracy and resolution of the servosystem, and the means of servoposition feedback. Most of these servosystems utilize an encoder to monitor the position of the motor rather than the rotary spindle directly. To eliminate any inaccuracies in the wormgears and servo system, some high-end systems use a glass scale or other encoder directly on the rotary spindle to monitor actual rotary spindle position. Figure 1 (at right) shows a typical wormgear rotary table cross section.

If controlled directly by the machine tool’s CNC, they are most commonly referred to as a “full fourth axis.” A full fourth axis has the advantages of having only one CNC program, no programming required by the operator on the shop floor, minimum chance of a crash due to operator error, and the ability to make simultaneous rotary and X, Y or Z moves to do true helical milling operations as required by some more exotic workpieces.

Claims of position accuracy are often misleading since there are no industry standards. Although some manufacturers test and certify absolute position accuracy every one degree, most do not state exactly what their specification means.For all except those few expensive systems with glass scales directly on the rotary spindle, any accuracy specification is for a new table before it has been subjected to any “crashes,” which are not uncommon. Even seemingly small crashes can damage wormgear sets.

Typical infinite positioning wormgear systems utilize a friction brake to hold position against cutting forces. When cutting forces are applied directly on the rotary spindle centerline, friction brakes are generally adequate for most work. However, when cutting forces are applied to workpieces far off centerline, such as on the edge of a part on a tombstone fixture, the resulting torque on the rotary spindle can cause it to deflect. This result is especially likely when heavy cuts produce high thrust forces.

Whether you select an infinite positioning wormgear rotary system or a facegear system as the best mechanical design for your work, your next decision involves how you will control the rotary axis.

If you select a system with a servodrive, you have three choices: 1.) direct “full fourth axis” using only the machine’s CNC, 2.) an M-code command from the CNC to a separate rotary control, or 3.) RS-232 communication between the machine’s CNC and a separate rotary control. Each of these choices has advantages and disadvantages.

The single CNC constantly tracks all three linear axes (X,Y,Z) and the rotary axis. This provides the ability to do precise helical cutting with simultaneous rotary and X, Y or Z moves.

While a few machine builders offer a full four-axis control with rotary table for about 10 percent of the base price of the machine, most charge more than 20 percent.

Very few machine builders make it easy to retrofit a full four-axis rotary table. For most builders, retrofitting is a complicated process, and the cost typically exceeds 30 percent of a base machine price.

The motor for the rotary axis must be matched to the servodrive of the CNC. Because cable connections are not standard from one machine builder to another, rotary tables can not generally be used on more than one machine.

An M-code actuated system provides a fourth axis of motion by combining a standard three-axis CNC with a rotary table or face gear indexer that has its own separate rotary servocontrol. The rotary program is entered and stored in the separate rotary servocontrol. The CNC communicates with the rotary control via an M-code. When the rotary control receives the M-code signal, it executes the next rotary move stored in its memory, then sends a signal back to the CNC, telling it that the move has been completed.

Typically, the rotary program includes many separate rotary moves. One move might be a simple index to position at full rapid speed. Another might be a slower rotary move to machine a groove or other feature on the workpiece. Figure 3 (at right) shows a typical rotary servocontrol system.

High quality M-code controlled systems are available from several suppliers for a price of about 10 percent of a base machine price. (For example, a 5C rotary system at $6,000; a 6-inch faceplate system at $7,000; a 9-inch system at $10,000; and so on).

Systems can be moved from one machine to another as long as the next machine can issue M-codes. A shop with multiple machines and multiple rotary systems can select the best system for each job regardless of the machine. For example, a small indexer can be used for small parts to avoid cutting tool interference problems and to minimize indexing times. A big indexer can be used for big parts. A face gear indexer can be used when the maximum in accuracy and rigidity are needed and the work can be accommodated by multiples of 5 degrees of index.

The machine operator needs to enter the rotary program into the rotary servocontrol, or select the right program if it’s already stored in the rotary control’s memory. This takes some time, and there is the chance of an error.

If the machining cycle is ever interrupted in mid-cycle, such as to inspect a workpiece feature or replace a worn cutting tool, the operator must be sure to back up the rotary program and the CNC program to a point that keeps the two programs in sync. This step can be confusing, and any error can result in a “crash,” with a cutting tool coming down to a workpiece rotated to the wrong position.

Although it is possible to perform simultaneous rotary and X, Y or Z moves, they are not recommended. If you have patience and can afford to scrap a few parts, you can use trial and error to find the right rotary speed to match the linear move and determine starting points that match.

Recently developed, RS-232 communication between a three-axis CNC and a rotary servocontrol offers advantages of full four-axis and M-code operation. RS-232 is the commonly used, standard electrical interface for connecting peripheral devices to a computer. Personal computers often use the RS-232 communication protocol to send information to a printer. Another common use for RS-232 communications is connecting a PC to an external modem.

Nearly all CNC units have an RS-232 port, and it is commonly used to exchange CNC programs between a computer system and the CNC. More recently, RS-232 connections have been used by CNCs to communicate with robots and rotary tables. To communicate with the rotary table’s control, a special line of code is inserted into the CNC program. This line of code sends a string of numbers and letters through the RS-232 port to the rotary table control, which translates the string of code into rotary moves.

RS-232 communication between a three-axis CNC and a rotary servocontrol provides much of the best of both worlds of full four-axis and M-code operation. Both the linear and rotary moves are stored in the CNC as part of the workpiece program. When a rotary move is required, the CNC sends the commands for that one move (rotary speed and angle of rotation) through an RS-232 line to the rotary control.

The rotary control executes that one move and sends back a signal to the CNC, indicating that this move has been completed. The CNC then commands its next linear move. The separate rotary servocontrol simply works as a slave to the CNC. The machine operator turns the rotary control on in the morning and does not need to attend to it the rest of the day. Figure 4 (at right) shows a tilting rotary table system utilizing two rotary servocontrols with RS-232, providing five-axis capability from a standard three-axis CNC.

Crashes are nearly as unlikely as with a full four-axis control. The correct rotary program is always selected because it is part of the total workpiece program stored in the machine’s CNC. Note: Rotary moves should be programmed in “absolute position” so that if the machining cycle is interrupted, the operator can back up the CNC program to just in front of a rotary move, then safely resume the program.

With RS-232, two rotary controls can be operated by most three-axis CNCs with only one RS-232 port. Five-axis capability with a tilting rotary table setup can be retrofitted to a three-axis machine for about $25,000 (a new, full five-axis VMC option is typically priced at $95,000).

Both the work you need to do and the machines you own or intend to purchase will influence what you select for a rotary axis. These guidelines summarize what you should consider.

When buying a new machine, get prices on everything the builder offers, no matter what kind of workpieces you’ll be machining. If the builder offers a full four-axis system with a high-quality, infinite-positioning rotary table at a price of about 10 percent off the base machine, this system will probably be your best choice.

If you’re doing a variety of work that requires simultaneous rotary and linear helical moves, you’ll probably want a true four-axis system regardless of the cost. However, you should consider a more economically priced RS-232 or M-code system when you are retrofitting an existing machine and have only a couple of jobs requiring these moves, especially if these jobs are long run and you can afford some extra programming and setup time. These systems are worth considering if you simply can’t afford the price of a true fourth axis.

If you’re retrofitting existing machines, especially if you have several and want to do rotary work on more then one of them, check with the builder on the cost of upgrading to full four axis. You may conclude that the cost and flexibility advantages of RS-232 or M-code will make one of them the best choice.

Adding a rotary axis to a VMC is worthwhile whether you want to do full four-axis simultaneous machining of exotic workpieces, simple indexing of parts that need machining on surfaces not at 90 degrees from each other, or tombstone processing of rectangular parts that benefit from a longer unmanned machining cycle. Today, many good options exist. If you’re buying a new machine, have the builder quote the optional systems it offers. If you’re going to retrofit an existing machine, contact either the original supplier or the companies that offer complete indexer and rotary table systems. Retrofitting is highly affordable. (Systems from SMW Systems, for example, generally cost a little over $1,000 per inch of faceplate diameter, including installation and training.) MMS