Modig event introduces new BarMill

Bill Mara, president of EMEC Tools, Inc., and David Modig, president of Modig, are shown with the HHV BarMill at the Operation Game Changer event held at Hartwig Inc. in Irving, Texas.

More than 150 manufacturers from across North America traveled to Irving, Texas, to see a demonstration of Modig’s new HHV BarMill. The three-day “Operation Game Changer” event was hosted by Hartwig Inc., one of the company’s U.S. distributors.

David Modig, president of Modig Machine Tool in Virserum, Sweden, said that this was the first Modig equipment demonstration in North America since 1947, but a full line of new equipment and the capabilities of the machine make it the right time.

“When we do presentations like these, everyone is surprised by the cycle time and raw material savings. Without seeing an aluminum part, we promise a 40 to 60 per cent faster cycle time and a minimum of 20 per cent material savings,” said Modig.

EMEC Machine Tools Inc., Mississauga, Ont., became a Modig distributor about a year ago.

Bill Mara, president of EMEC Machine Tools, said, “We are going to take the BarMill outside of its traditional aerospace environment. We will be turning our customers on to this technology so they can maintain their competitive edge.”

In addition to aerospace, the milling machine is expected to be well-received by the automotive, agriculture, construction, defence, medical, transportation, and power generation industries, the company states.

The concept is similar to bar-fed lathes.

Mara explained, “It takes the same principle and adds it to a 4-axis milling machine that has a 7- by 7-in. bar capacity. With milling you need a tombstone, a fixture; with the BarMill you don’t need any of that so there is also an incredible tool savings.”

Bar stock up to 240 in. long is automatically pulled into position and rotated as the cutting head stays on one side. Twenty-four tools are standard in the automated tool changer. Finished parts are delivered into a parts catcher.

Keith Lopez, recently appointed president of Modig North America based in Chicago, said, “Once the bar starts through the machine, and programming has predetermined what and how many parts you will get from the bar, the milling happens very fast. The BarMill keeps making and feeding parts so the operator only has to monitor the machine.”

Speeds quoted by the company include 2,400-IPM feeds and speeds, 1G acceleration, 30,000 RPM, and 5-second tool change time from chip to chip.