Vajra Techno logoVAJRA TECHNO

HMC Machining (Horizontal Machining Centre Work)

Vajra Techno performs horizontal machining in-house at Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, with fourth-axis rotary indexing for multi-face castings, gearbox housings, pump bodies and valve bodies in grey cast iron, ductile iron, aluminium, mild steel and SS304/316. Finished parts ship pan-India.

What is the horizontal machining envelope?

Stated as capability, not equipment:

Send the casting envelope and the faces that need machining. You get written confirmation of fit and of the indexing route before quotation.

Why route a part to horizontal machining?

Because the part has features on several faces that must hold position relative to each other. A gearbox housing with bores on opposing faces, a pump body with a flanged inlet at ninety degrees to the outlet, a valve body with ports on three sides: all are single-setup jobs on a horizontal cell and multi-setup jobs on a vertical one.

The rotary table indexes the part between faces without releasing the clamp. Positional relationship between faces is then held by the rotary axis rather than by re-clamping and re-picking a datum. That removes the largest single error source in multi-face prismatic work.

How does indexing improve tolerance?

Each time a part is unclamped and re-located, the new setup introduces its own location error. Across three setups those errors stack. True position between a bore on face A and a bore on face C then has to absorb the whole chain.

With fourth-axis indexing there is one clamp and one datum pick-up. Face-to-face relationships are held to the rotary table's own indexing accuracy, which is a fixed machine characteristic rather than a variable operator-dependent one. Repeatability between parts in a batch improves for the same reason.

What about chip evacuation on cast iron?

The horizontal spindle orientation drops chips clear of the cutting zone under gravity. On grey cast iron this matters: iron produces fine abrasive chips that, in a vertical pocket, sit in the cut and re-cut, degrading both surface finish and tool life.

Horizontal machining of iron castings therefore gives more consistent bore finish on deep features and more predictable tool wear across a batch, which in turn makes in-process dimensional drift smaller and easier to correct.

What parts are machined on the horizontal cell?

How is a casting fixtured for horizontal work?

Castings are located on a tombstone or angle plate mounted to the pallet, on either as-cast datum pads or a first-operation machined face. Clamping is arranged clear of every face that will be machined during the indexed cycle, so the cycle completes without operator intervention.

Where a family of related castings shares a datum scheme, one fixture is designed to take the family with changeable locating pins. Fixture cost is quoted separately and stated on the quotation, with ownership terms in writing.

What tolerance and finish are achievable?

On indexed multi-face work, true position between faces is held by the rotary axis rather than by re-clamping, which is what makes the face-to-face relationship repeatable across a batch. The band we commit to on your part — true position, bore diameter and bore finish — is confirmed against your drawing at quotation, because it depends on the casting, the datum scheme and the fixturing route.

Mark which face-to-face relationships are critical on the print. Those become the features checked on first article and at agreed frequency in production.

What quantities are run horizontally?

Horizontal setup time is higher than vertical, so the route pays back across a batch rather than on a single piece. Prototypes are still accepted and quoted; the setup cost simply sits on one part instead of being spread. For repeat annual schedules, fixtures stay built and setup drops to a pallet change.

How is the work inspected?

First-article inspection covers every print dimension, with particular attention to face-to-face positional relationships, since those are the features the horizontal route exists to control. In-process checks then run at agreed frequency on critical bores. In-house inspection equipment is listed on the capabilities page.

How do I get a horizontal machining quote?

Send the casting drawing or model, the raw casting source if free-issue, material grade, batch quantity and delivery schedule via the RFQ form. State which face-to-face relationships are critical and we will confirm the route before quoting.