Facilities

R&D Laboratory and Conference Room

Overview

We are always trying to keep our research area perfect.

Office Floor space:
900 ft²

Conference Room Floor space:
500 ft²

SOFTWARE

1. ESPRIT 2012 CAM
2. HYPERMILL 2011 CAM
3. SOLIDWORKS 2011 CAD
4. SOLIDEDGE ST3 CAD
5. I-DEAS
6. ADAMS
7. VISUAL NASTRAN
8. MATLAB/SIMULINK
9. LABVIEW
10. BUNDLE SOFTWARE of MENTOR GRAPHICS
11. ABAQUS

Traditional Machine Tools

Mori Seiki NT4250

Integrated Mill-turn Machining Center

  

The Mori Seiki NT4250 is an Integrated Mill-Turn Center, which was developed based upon an entirely new concept that doubles productivity. This machine fully combines a lathe with a machining center. With this machine, a great variety of applications can be simultaneously finished, such as 5-axis machining, turning and drilling. All machining capabilities have been dramatically improved by integrating past multi-machine processes into one, single setup machine.

 

Mori Seiki NMV5000

5-axis Vertical Machining Center

Sodick HS150L

High Speed 3-axis Vertical Machining Center w/ Pallet Changer

The Sodick HS150L is used extensively for undergraduate student research projects, which teach fundamentals of high speed machining process optimization while simultaneously planning automated part processing by using the machine tool’s automatic workpiece changer (AWC). In addition to the AWC function, which allows for automatic changing of 20 work pallets, the machine has an E32 style, 40,000 rpm spindle and linear motor drive systems on all 3 axes, which allows for extremely high feedrates to be applied. Since there are no ball screws or couplings, backlash is eliminated. This provides several advantages, including improved positioning and cutting accuracy, while providing smooth and vibration free table movement.

Sodick MC430L

High Speed 3-axis Vertical Machining Center

EDM Machine Tools

The Sodick AQ327L has Sodick’s linear motor technology, which provides instantaneous servo time, which maximizes cutting efficiency. Since there are no ball screws, backlash is completely eliminated. This provides several advantages, including improved positioning and cutting accuracy, while providing smooth and vibration free table movement. This machine is used to cut small intricate precision parts as well as provide hands-on training for undergraduate students and current IMS Lab members.

 

The Sodick AG35L enables high quality and high precision parts to be machined in difficult-to-machine materials such as nickel-based alloys or titanium alloys. Also, hardened materials can be processed with no influence of a material’s mechanical properties, such as hardness or toughness. The AG35L dramatically improves the discharge frequency by constantly maintaining the optimal discharge gap with linear motor drive systems, which are equipped on all 3 axes.

Sodick ASX350L

6-axis Horizontal Wire-cut EDM

The Sodick ASX350L is a unique wire-cut EDM in that the horizontal feeding of the wire allows for mounting of small workpieces on the column side of the machine, which is particularly useful for the fabrication of complex tool geometries. While the column side of the machine can easily position a workpiece in 3 linear axes as well as rotationally, the wire feeding can also be rotated and swiveled in order to create helical cuts, which are needed for micro tooling geometries. Using this machine, research is conducted on optimizing the fabrication of custom micro PCD tools, which are then used on a nano machining center for milling of hard/brittle materials such as tungsten carbide or silicon.

 

The Sodick K1C can create deep through holes or blind holes using pipe electrodes through any conductive material. The machining time is extremely short and allows for the creation of small hole diameters (0.3mm minimum) through hardened materials where mechanical drilling cannot be done efficiently.

Other

Sodick PF00A

Electron Beam PIKA Finish Machine

The Sodick PIKA Electron Beam Finish Machine uses energy produced by forming argon gas stored in the vacuum chamber into plasma, then a high power electron beam of a large area pulse shape is generated to melt the metal surface. The uneven surface is smoothed through evaporation and solidification. This machine can drastically shorten manual polishing of fine detailed parts by applying an electron beam. More importantly, tools, such as electrodes, are not required and consequently manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Okamoto ACC DX3

Automatic Surface Grinder

Metrology Equipment

Hitachi TM-1000
Tabletop SEM

The Hitachi TM-1000 is a compact table top scanning electron microscope (SEM). This SEM is used for confirming the detail of machined surfaces.

Mitutoyo Inspection Equipment

1. Surftest SV-501:           Surface Roughness Tester

2. Surftest SV-402:           Surface Roughness Tester

3. Roundtest RA-211:        Roundness Measuring System

4. ATK-1000:                     Rockwell Hardness Testing Machine

5. AVK-C200:                    Vickers Hardness Testing Machine

6. TM300:                         Toolmakers Microscope

7. PJ303:                          Profile Projector