Hurco BX40i

The Hurco BX40i is a high-speed vertical machining center with 1,020 x 700 x 500 mm (40.16 x 27.56 x 19.69 in) of X, Y and Z travel, a 20,000 rpm HSK-63A spindle rated 35 kW (47 hp), and a 30-tool changer that runs 1.5 sec tool to tool. The table is 1,050 mm (41.34 in) × 700 mm (27.56 in) and carries up to 1,000 kg (2,204.6 lb).

The spindle sets the character of the machine. 118.9 Nm (87.7 ft-lb) is a modest torque figure, but 35 kW (47 hp) at speeds up to 20,000 rpm is a lot of power available for small and medium cutters, which is what high-feed finishing in aluminium, die and mold steel and graphite asks for. HSK-63A gives a short, stiff taper that holds up at those speeds. For comparison, the VMX42i offers 238.7 Nm (176.1 ft-lb) on a CAT 40 spindle but stops at 12,000 rpm; that is the machine for heavy roughing, the BX40i the one for speed.

The Y travel of 700 mm (27.56 in) is deep for a machine with about a meter of X, so wide plates and two-row fixture layouts fit. Table load, though, is 1,000 kg (2,204.6 lb), against 1,800 kg (3,970 lb) on the VM20i, so heavy steel blocks and multiple vises need a weight check. The machine itself weighs 9,100 kg (20,062 lb), a sign of a rigid base for its envelope.

The tool changer takes tools up to 80 mm (3.15 in) in diameter, 300 mm (11.8 in) long and 7 kg (15.4 lb), which suits the small cutters this spindle is built for. The minimum spindle nose to table distance is 178 mm (7 in). Shops needing 5-axis work in the same size class can look at the BX40Ui, which has a 398 mm (15.7 in) × 398 mm (15.7 in) table. The BX40i runs Hurco WinMax with conversational and NC programming.