At the ILA 2016 in Berlin (1 to 4 June), one of the world's leading aerospace trade fairs, F. Zimmermann GmbH will be presenting its first 5-axis horizontal machining centre. The new model range is particularly useful for cost-effective machining of standard components for the aircraft industry. The machining centre has two patented features, applying to pallet handling and the travelling column.

The key element of the new FZH400 5-axis horizontal machining centre is a robust water-cooled travelling column. Its rigidity increases with increasing penetration into the material. This ensures a perfectly constant geometry along the Z-axis as well as maximum rigidity in sensitive areas of the workpiece. The user can thus work very quickly and obtain excellent surfaces.

Already in the standard version, the machining centre features a pallet handling system with an area for setting up pallets during machine time. The handling system, also newly patented, enables reliable transport of pallets without sagging. This makes it very suitable for long pallets. Zimmermann supplies this production solution in a turnkey state.

To ensure excellent results, Zimmermann offers an innovative family of milling heads that have proved their worth throughout the world. One of them is the patented M3 ABC 3-axis milling head, which increases the efficiency of the horizontal machining centre even more because it has to perform only very small swivelling movements, especially when milling pockets in workpieces. This makes it possible to maintain a constant advance rate.

F. Zimmermann GmbH is headquartered in Neuhausen a.d.F., Germany, and is one of the world's leading suppliers of high-tech portal milling machines. The machines have huge working areas, tremendous dynamic performance and enormous cutting capacity. The innovative company has one primary goal for its range of products: being able to offer the right solution to its customers and so ensure high profitability: "Quality made in Germany". Its specialised machines are in use throughout the world in the aeronautical and automotive industries and find many special applications.