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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-09-09 Origin: Site
As the core load-bearing component of an engine, engine cases integrate complex structures such as bearing holes, oil passages, and mounting flanges, demanding extremely stringent dimensional accuracy, geometric tolerances, and surface quality. Traditional lathes and milling machines perform different operations separately, often requiring multiple disassembly and re-clamping, resulting in poor control of cumulative errors and failing to meet the high-precision and high-efficiency demands of modern engine manufacturing. CNC turning and milling machines, with their technological advantages of integrated turning and milling, multi-process integration, and high-precision control, have become irreplaceable equipment in engine case manufacturing, significantly improving machining quality and production efficiency.
Engine cases have complex structures, encompassing rotating surfaces such as the outer diameter and end faces, as well as non-rotating features such as bolt holes, oil passage holes, and special-shaped grooves. CNC turning and milling machines combine turning and milling capabilities, enabling them to complete multiple processing steps in a single setup. This ensures a stable reference surface and avoids repetitive positioning errors caused by disassembly. The turning spindle in the machine tool first smoothes and machines the housing's end faces. A live turret or milling spindle then drills, reams, and borrows holes, and performs high-precision milling of the mounting flange surface and oil channel grooves.
Especially for circular bolt holes, the combined spindle indexing and milling head of the turning-milling machine work together to achieve precise hole positioning, significantly reducing the risk of hole position deviation caused by multiple clampings. Furthermore, multi-axis simultaneous (such as the coordination of X, Y, and Z coordinates with the spindle's C-axis) enables the single-step formation of three-dimensional curved oil channels. This highly integrated machining process effectively simplifies the manufacturing process and improves overall efficiency.
The bearing holes and mounting flange surfaces of the engine housing require extremely high coaxiality and perpendicularity, typically within a range of 0.01-0.03mm. Multiple clampings on traditional sub-machines can easily lead to accumulated errors, affecting the final part's assembly and performance. The mill-turn machine tool adopts a "one-clamp, full-process" model, fundamentally reducing sources of error caused by clamping and changeover.
The machine features an extremely rigid bed and integrated spindle design, significantly reducing turning vibration and improving positioning stability. Equipped with a high-precision linear scale feedback system, it achieves high accuracy. The CNC system provides real-time error compensation for core machining steps, including radial runout and guideway clearance correction. During machining, the turning spindle first completes the bearing hole datum surface, followed by high-precision boring using the milling spindle, ensuring roundness and coaxiality specifications while also ensuring consistent flange flatness, thus reliably meeting engine assembly requirements.
The traditional machining process for engine casings is complex, requiring more than ten steps. Transferring between multiple machines not only delays delivery but also increases the risk of workpiece damage. The mill-turn machine tool integrates these multiple processes into one, allowing the previously separate turning, milling, drilling, and boring steps to be completed uniformly, directly shortening production cycle time. The efficient automatic loading and unloading system and online workpiece inspection device further automate the machining process. Automated loading and unloading significantly reduce manual loading and unloading time, while real-time measurement of workpiece dimensions ensures tolerances are met, effectively reducing scrap rates. In practical applications, CNC turning and milling center have demonstrated over 40% higher efficiency than traditional processes in the mass production of engine casings, while also saving equipment space and labor costs, making them an ideal choice for high-volume precision manufacturing.
In conclusion, CNC turning and milling machines, with their multi-process integration and high-precision control, are perfectly suited to the complex structures and stringent dimensional tolerances required for manufacturing engine casings. While ensuring machining quality, their efficient production capacity drives advancements in engine manufacturing processes, significantly reducing manufacturing costs and cycle times. CNC turning and milling machines play a key role in both the automotive and construction machinery sectors, and are essential core CNC equipment for modern engine manufacturing.
