Travelling Column Milling Machines

If your business deals with heavy components and tough materials, our selection of travelling column machines can help.

These machines maximise productivity. Expect multiple work zones for offline setup and a range of head and spindle configurations to facilitate spindle changing, such as high-torque, low-speed options for roughing, and high-speed options for finishing.

Our travelling column machines range from 2.5m to 40m in the X-axis and 1.5m to 7m in the Y-axis.

What are travelling column machines?

Travelling column machines, sometimes called moving column machines, are large CNC machines designed to mill huge and difficult components.

Unlike smaller standard CNC setups where a table carrying the component traverses across the X and Y axes, travelling column machines move the head and column along the X-axis. The workpiece remains fixed on a large table.

These are machines designed exclusively for large, heavy and awkward components that would be impossible to machine effectively on smaller machines. While some travelling column machines trade rigidity for flexibility, the options offered by Kingsbury are exceptionally well-made, robust and highly precise.

Applications

Travelling Column CNC machines are used for their ability to deal with heavy and large parts. They are a machine of choice for the following industries:

Defence and aerospace

Construction and mining

Energy generation

Automotive industry

Applications:

Large transportation and machinery components

  • Engine blocks.
  • Gearboxes.
  • Train and truck frames.
  • Chassis.
  • Mold and die.

Power generation, oil, gas, mining and construction equipment

  • Mining equipment.
  • Excavator parts.
  • Turbines.
  • Pressure vessels.
  • Valve bodies.

Structural parts and molds

  • Frames & Beams.
  • Masts.
  • High security.
  • Housings.

Marine

  • Large heavy components for ships, like engines and propellers.
  • Nuclear power plants for ships and submarines.

Benefits

Offline setup

Travelling column machines can machine across multiple tables. While the machine works on one table, setup can continue on others, maximising spindle utilisation and productivity.

Greater flexibility

Workpieces can vary hugely with travelling column machines – they can be long, short or tall. For complex features, the options for head changers and turning tables provide true process flexibility to complete a greater proportion of the component in a single setup, thus reducing operator workload and increasing component accuracies.

Heavy duty applications

These machines lend themselves well to heavier metals and tough applications.

Proven German quality

Our travelling column machines are supplied by SHW, a leading manufacturer of machines from Germany who have been perfecting their technologies over the last 80 years. They have a true wealth of experience and have forged a well-deserved reputation and trust among our clients and partners.

Travelling Column CNC machines

SHW UniSpeed 2500

SHW UniSpeed 3500

SHW PowerSpeed Cube

SHW Powerspeed 2000 travelling column machine

SHW PowerSpeed 2000

Powerspeed 4000 travelling column machine

SHW PowerSpeed 4000

Uniforce 4000 travelling column machine

SHW UniForce 4000

SHW UniForce 7000

Still have unanswered questions?

No two large part machining applications and installations are the same, and you will have plenty of questions of your own. But we’ve created a dedicated FAQ page to help cover some of the more frequently asked ones.

View FAQs

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Download our free guide:

5 things to consider for large part machining of difficult materials

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Need more information?

To help you decide, speak to a member of our team today and we’ll be able to guide you through your options.