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Three-Axis Hybrid Machine Expandable to Five Axes

March 11, 2021

Diversified Machine Systems (DMS), a designer and manufacturer of three- and five-axis CNC routers and other machining products out of its Colorado Springs, CO, location, brings additive manufacturing (AM) into the fold by employing its subtractive expertise to produce hybrid machines.

Its hybrid roster includes the small-footprint Hybrid 2 Cubed, with five-axis capabilities added to expand on the original three-axis format. A five-axis table, mounted on linear rails, allows users to choose the machine’s original 2 by 2 by 2-ft. three-axis wire-fed build volume or the 15 by 15-in. cylindrical five-axis build volume. Engage or withdraw the five-axis table in less than 30 sec. Engaging the five-axis table removes the 30-45-deg. overhang limits, thus expanding possible geometries.

In one case study forwarded by DMS officials, using the Hybrid 2 Cubed significantly improved the manufacturing of propellers and impellers, where low-volume production runs make casting cost-prohibitive, and yielded a propeller ready for finish machining in a build time of 15 hr. (pictured). This hybrid process, as compared to traditional subtractive machining from billet, reportedly uses far less material, and machining between AM intervals allows for more-complex designs. And, again compared to casting, time and cost from design to testing are significantly reduced, with no special tooling required.

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