FANUC RoboDrill a-D21SiB5

The FANUC Robodrill α-D21SiB5 Plus combines a 21-tool changer with the Series 31i-B5 Plus, the control FANUC lists as 5-axis capable, on a compact frame with 300 mm (11.8 in) of X travel and 330 mm (13 in) of Z.

The two belong together. Once a part is being turned to present several faces, the operations that used to be split across setups land in one program, and the tool list grows with them: spot drills, drills, taps and chamfer tools for every face, plus the mills. Fourteen tools, the capacity of the Robodrill α-D14SiB5, fill up fast under that kind of program. Twenty-one give the programmer room to finish the part in one clamping.

Check two limits before planning that way. FANUC's table lists the control as 5-axis capable but lists no rotary axes, so the rotary table is a separate item and its weight counts against the 100 kg (220 lb) table load. And the 500 x 300 mm (19.7 x 11.8 in) table, with 330 mm (13 in) of Z above it, has to hold that unit, the fixture, the part and the tool. Where height is the problem, the Robodrill α-D21SiB5ADV lists 400 mm (15.7 in) of Z.