Redex gears revolutionise the versatility of vertical lathes

Versatility is the key issue for manufacturers of multi-axis milling machines and vertical turning lathes. The same machine must be able to perform various milling and lathing operations so that machining operations can be carried out with high accuracy (without part disassembly) and high productivity. Until now, these heavy constraints meant that manufacturers had to use drives that were generally complex and did not necessarily meet every technical requirement. Redex stands out by offering two complementary integrated drives for tables used on milling machines and vertical lathes. They are easy to use and allow designers to choose the right drive for each application and based on their priorities of speed, power, accuracy and rigidity.

They simplify the design of the mechanical transmission systems of both large rotary tables used on vertical lathes (over 2000mm) and smaller tables used on milling machines. They also improve machine accuracy and allow for smaller machine footprints.

With these two complementary offerings, Redex once again provides machine-tool manufacturers with cutting-edge turnkey drives that are innovative, more user friendly and easier to maintain.

The high-speed versions of the DRP, KRP and KRPX drives use the heart of Redex high-performance planetary reducers. Widely recognised by the most demanding manufacturers, they have extensively proven their worth amongst other drives for large-capacity machine-tools.

When meshed with a drive gear, the two reducers on Redex TwinDrive and DualDrive systems cancel 100 per cent of backlash. This guarantees the exceptional accuracy and momentum of Redex drives, which have extensively proven their worth on linear rack-and-pinion systems for many years.

These high-speed reducers have been "hardened' (using in particular Redex know-how in spindle gearboxes) to allow continuous operating cycles and meet the specific requirements of rotary tables. As a result, Redex high-speed TwinDrive and DualDrive units can achieve rotational speeds of up to 28rpm.

Although the Redex MSR range offers higher rotational speeds, the high-speed versions of its DRP, KRP and KRPX drives offer far greater accuracy, rigidity and momentum. They are the standard drives with the highest positioning accuracy (a few arc-minutes).

Speed, power, accuracy and rigidity

The complementarity of both units allows manufacturers to design the right rotary-table drives for specific applications and thus their priorities of speed, power, accuracy and rigidity.

Redex is the only manufacturer of one-of-a-kind integrated drive systems for rotary tables on vertical turning lathes. Before, rotary tables were designed to use two different types of drives when a C-axis was required: a main drive for turning operations, driven by a large spindle motor, and a feed-preloaded gearbox to cancel the backlash during C-axis mode and which needed to be clutched and unclutched to the crown in order to shift to milling. In addition, the main drive would have to be shifted to neutral ratio.

Thanks to the exclusive features offered by the quality of their high-performance reducers and the association of these reducers in TwinDrive or DualDrive mode, the Redex systems offer high positioning accuracy. They also make it possible to execute additional functions on the C-axis without any additional mechanical devices or the use of position locking. This accuracy is maintained during milling and/or positioning operations particularly by the electrical or mechanical preload system, which continuously manages the counter-torque between the pinions.

Systems that use two reducers, and thus two motors, are more cost effective and easier to manage in most cases. Compared with heavy-duty rotary tables used in conventional configurations that require a 160kW motor, the TwinDrive unit uses two 80kW motors, which are more standard and often less expensive (even accounting for the cost of both units). Maintenance and spare-parts management is also simplified by the use of the smaller, standard motors.

Last but not least, this simplifies rotary-table design because it eliminates the need for machine-tool manufacturers to design and build their own gearboxes with all the necessary components.

The high-speed DRP, KRP and KRPX options extend the Redex range of drives, particularly for high-speed milling table. To learn more about the new drives for rotary tables of multi-axis milling machines, please go to www.andantex.co.uk.