Since the start of 2023, the first compact gantry milling machine of Fooke's new ENDURA^® 400LINEAR series has been producing high-precision casting moulds in Pentas Moulding B.V.'s in-house mould shop. This acquisition of the machine marks a first for both companies. The Pentas team is employing its new 5-axis gantry milling machine to achieve the requisite surface quality in the production of aluminum moulds for rotational moulding. This provides Pentas, an experienced specialist company for rotational moulds, with a distinct advantage. At Pentas, intricate aluminum moulds are produced, starting from the planning stage through to the design and creation of milling programs. A modern milling machine, as supplied by Fooke, is vital for maintaining high-quality standards and achieving excellent geometries. The new ENDURA^® 411LINEAR provides new opportunities and competitive advantages: large moulds can now be produced in a single piece, eliminating the need for individual production and assembly steps. This not only saves time but also gives Pentas a unique selling point in the industry. In addition, their many years of experience and expertise in this field significantly contribute to reducing downtimes.

Pentas manufactures high-quality, custom plastic parts using the rotomoulding process for various applications. The process's possibilities are diverse: from fuel tanks for agriculture, body plastic parts for commercial vehicles, agricultural and construction machinery, to container construction for a wide range of industries.

Responding to the ever-increasing demands in terms of surface and quality, Pentas has made a strategic decision and invested in Fooke's new innovative milling technology: The ENDURA^® 400LINEAR compact gantry milling machine. This modern 5-axis gantry milling machine is known for its excellent motion control quality for high-precision machining of demanding workpieces, such as those produced by Pentas. To achieve these qualities, the structural components of this machine series are manufactured as a trussed welded steel construction, unlike the standard profiles often used in simpler, lower-precision machines. All linear axes are equipped with state-of-the-art linear motors, i.e., without mechanical drive elements like ball screw or rack and pinion drives. The rotary axes have torque motors. All linear and rotary axes work with direct measuring systems. This combination of top-tier drive technologies and high-quality measuring systems allows a Fooke ENDURA^® 400LINEAR to mill significantly more accurately than other machines available today, even with high machine dynamics. Pentas can now produce CNC-milled aluminum moulds with significantly better surface quality, reducing regrinding work by 90%.

A key selling point for Pentas was the machine's ability to be set up without a foundation and, despite its compact design and small footprint, provide a large machining area optimally designed for the moulds Pentas needs to machine. With travel speeds of up to 90m/min, the Fooke ENDURA^® 400LINEAR is one of the most advanced high-speed milling machines.

Reducing machining times requires a well-coordinated milling process. A custom milling process is essential for reducing machining times and improving surfaces. FOOKE's in-house technology center worked with the Pentas team to analyze and evaluate customer-specific requirements to make the process more efficient. The right milling strategy, tool selection, and individual clamping technology, in combination with the ENDURA milling machine, complete this turnkey solution. It was crucial for the Dutch company to have the machine operators and programmers accept the machine and the process, hence, they were involved in all decisions from the very beginning.

In order to optimally utilize the new high-speed milling machine with modern strategies and tool paths, it was necessary to switch to more modern CAM software. For efficient applications, it is always essential to consider the entire process of manufacturing a component, as the quality of the milling programs is also crucial. Pentas evaluated several CAM solutions and decided on Work NC's software, as it enables programming even complex geometries with minimal effort. The software's ability to detect toolholder collisions and automatically eliminate them by changing the settings was also impressive.

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Revolutionizing production at Pentas - click here for the video clip.