SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF A HYBRID ULTRASONIC ASSISTED HIGH SPEED MACHINING CENTRE (ESIF FUNDED)

Tender description

TENDER FOR THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF A HYBRID ULTRASONIC ASSISTED HIGH SPEED MACHINING CENTRE. REFERENCE: SC6834/18 This project is funded by the European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF) and the procurement is dependent on the final funding agreement. The University of Birmingham invites tenders for supply of a hybrid ultrasonic assisted high speed machining centre. The machine tool will form part of a physical demonstrator, i.e. facilities created as part of the ESIF project, which will be used to facilitate/support the take-up of high impact manufacturing technologies by the SMEs in West Midlands. In this context, the machine tool will be used to develop new applications for the technology in collaboration with technology providers and undertake feasibility studies and pilot projects to address the specific requirements of local SMEs. Therefore, it will be required as part of the project to build strong partnerships with the technology providers and define a joint co-funded R&D programme for the benefits of local businesses. The machine tool should be capable of operating as a high speed 5-axis vertical machining centre for realising a range of conventional machining operations with high accuracy and repeatability, i.e. milling and drilling as well as perform hybrid ultrasonic assisted cutting on hard/brittle/abrasive materials such as ceramics, hardened alloys and composites. The machine should have high performance linear X/Y/Z drives and precise NC controlled swivel/rotary table. It should also include fast automatic tool changing capability with storage magazine capacity for at least 20 tools. The ultrasonic transducer must be integrated within the spindle system and be capable of generating axial vibrations with frequencies of at least 20 kHz and corresponding amplitudes of up to 10 m. The system should also have automatic resonance frequency finding capability and vibration amplitude setting / detection. Cutting fluid can be delivered both internally through the spindle as well as externally. The machine tool should have a PC-based controller that supports G-code programming, the execution of full 5-axis processing strategies and ultrasonic parameter setting. Finally, the machine tool should incorporate hardware and software tools for workpiece and cutting tool measurement / setup. Overall budget for this item is up to £396,000.00 excluding VAT.