Heller HF 3500

The Gebr. Heller HF 3500 is a 5-axis horizontal machining center combining the productivity advantages of Heller's horizontal architecture with full simultaneous 5-axis contouring capability. Built around a 500 mm pallet and a swiveling B-axis spindle head, the HF 3500 addresses aerospace structural components, complex die-mold work, turbine components, and medical implants that demand both 5-axis contouring accuracy and the chip-evacuation benefits of a horizontal spindle orientation.

The HF concept uses a swivel head rather than a tilting table, which means the workpiece stays fixed on the pallet throughout all 5-axis operations. This is significant for large, heavy components where a tilting table would impose severe moment load constraints. On the HF 3500, the B-axis swivel is in the spindle head, allowing the machine to reach all five faces of a part mounted on the 500 mm pallet without moving the workpiece mass through additional axes.

Heller's engineering approach to the HF 3500 prioritizes production-oriented 5-axis machining rather than the one-off complex part machining that characterizes many high-speed 5-axis centers. The twin-pallet shuttle, high tool capacity, and robust casting construction are all oriented toward shops running 5-axis parts in production quantities — not prototyping. Aerospace first-article and series production, automotive die machining, and energy sector impellers are typical workloads.

The HF 3500 supports Siemens Sinumerik 840D sl and Heidenhain TNC controls, with TCPM (tool center point management) and extensive 5-axis compensation cycles as standard. Heller's applications team in Nürtingen provides dedicated 5-axis programming and process development support for customers transitioning complex families of parts to the HF platform.