Škoda Machine Tool FC

The Škoda Machine Tool FC is a travelling-column milling machine built around a ram instead of a boring spindle. A 480 x 550 mm (18.9 x 21.7 in) ram carries a 43 kW (57.7 hp) main drive that turns up to 6,000 rpm and delivers 920 Nm (679 lb-ft). ŠMT, as the maker abbreviates itself, describes the FC as a milling machine for fabricated structures, castings and other medium-sized components, and names transport engineering and mold making as examples.

The working space is ordered by length. Column travel in X runs 3,000 - 20,000 mm (118.1 - 787.4 in) and headstock travel in Y runs 2,000 - 5,000 mm (78.7 - 196.9 in), both in steps of 1,000 mm (39.4 in). Ram out-travel in Z is 2,000 mm (78.7 in) whatever the other two are. A buyer therefore picks how long and how tall the machine is, while the reach into the part stays the same on every size.

All three axes feed at 25,000 mm/min (984.3 ipm), and the maximum feed force in X, Y and Z is 25 kN (5,620 lbf). The frame uses what the maker calls the Box in box system together with pre-stressed linear rolling guides on all motion axes. The headstock sits low, which allows a shallow machine base. A pair of drives lifts the headstock, and according to the maker that pair compensates the drop of the ram at the same time.

The main drive sits directly in the ram, works on the Direct Drive principle and has a single gear range. That explains the shape of the figures. 6,000 rpm suits modern milling cutters, but 920 Nm (679 lb-ft) without a reduction stage means low-speed work with very large cutters is not where this machine is strongest. Milling heads are optional and are driven through the same main drive. The maker's table states no tool magazine size, control or machine weight, so those belong in the quotation.