MATEC Web of Conferences 318, 01019 (2020) https://doi.org/10.

1051/matecconf/202031801019
ICMMEN 2020

Design and Analysis of a 5-Axis Gantry CNC

Machine Tool
Esra Yuksel1, Emre Özlü1*, Ahmet Oral2, Fulya Tosun2, Osman Fatih İğrek2, Erhan Budak1
1
Manufacturing Research Lab, Sabanci University, Tuzla, İstanbul, Turkey
2İgrek
Makina Döküm Inc.,OSB A.O. Sönmez Bulv. No:10 16140 Bursa, Turkey

Abstract. In this study, design and analysis of a gantry-type 5-axis CNC

machine tool is presented with experimental results on a manufactured
prototype. Critical points in the design of a large-scaled and heavy-duty
machine tool is discussed. Moreover, FE analysis results is also presented
with detailed discussion. The measurement results on structural dynamics
is shown together with the FE results. Furthermore, the final performance
of the machine tool is demonstrated thorough position and velocity
measurements of the axes.

1 Introduction
The fast and competitive development of aerospace, automotive and die/mould industries
drive machine tool companies to offer better solutions for heavy-duty machining
applications. Gantry-type machine tools are one of the most suitable structures with
expandable machining span, significant structural rigidity properties and motional precision
and accuracy promises [1]. A competitive heavy-duty 5-axis gantry milling machine can
process workpieces that are ranged from 16 to 20 tones, with 8 to 10 µm axial precision at
X and Y of machine coordinates, while positional accuracy ranges from 10 to 15 µm for
these axes. Generally, fork head spindle structures are employed for heavy-duty 5-axis
gantry-type milling machines with 95 to 120 degrees rotation capacity at A-axis, while C-
axis can rotate 360 degrees. Axial and positional accuracy/precision of Z column can
change between 3 and 5 µm.
In this study, the subjected 5-axis milling machine has X-axis (gantry) with length of
6700 mm. Similarly, Y-axis has a length of 3500 mm Thus, there must be three main
considerations as well as the other considerations mentioned in [2]: i) production technique
of the machine tool components and material selection, ii) structural reliability and
stiffness, iii) thermal behaviour and robustness.
Generally, welded or casted components are employed for the construction of gantry-
type milling machines. The usage of welded components and joints-especially during the
construction of machine base and main frames- is an emerging trend due to lower
manufacturing costs compared to casted complex machine tool parts [3,4]. Moreover,
welding techniques allow usage of carbon-fiber based composites in machine tool
*
Corresponding author : emre.ozlu@sabanciuniv.edu

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
MATEC Web of Conferences 318, 01019 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202031801019
ICMMEN 2020

structures which can be structurally reliable as casted components [5,6]. However,

anisotropic properties of these composites cannot maintain the required stiffness levels for
long structural components and spindle structures of machine tools [5]. In addition, Gas
Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW) and Laser Arc-
Hybrid Welding (LAHW) are employed for welding of thick metal components [7], and
welded materials with these techniques reaches their melting points which can cause
distortion, porosity and weak material properties [8]. As a result, Y-axis strokes between
2500 and 3000mm are accepted as standard lengths for large-scaled 5-axis gantry-type
machine tools which are produced with welding techniques. Thus, to be able to extend the
stroke of X and Y axes, casted components with superior damping properties are required
to maintain the desired stiffness properties [9]. Another way to forecast and maintain the
required stiffness values is employing FEM and structural optimization techniques [10],
such as topology, shape or crossbeam optimizations [1,10,11]. Modelling of mechanical
interfaces in FE analyses is critical during the simulation and structural optimization for
even regular-sized machine tools [13]. Thus, massive component sizes and weights make
contacts more critical for large-scaled machine tools. Moreover, thermal compensation
techniques are not very effective for large-scaled machine tools, and thermal
design/optimization requires advanced techniques for thermal distortion detection and
compensation even for a medium gantry-type 5-axis CNC machine [10]. Therefore, thermal
distortion preventing designs are more effective on large-scaled machine tools.
Regarding the above-mentioned facts, this study demonstrates casting method-benefited
design strategies for a 5-axis gantry-type CNC machine tool. The effectiveness of the
proposed strategies is evaluated with FE analyses and experiments on a prototype machine
tool manufactured.

2 Design of the Machine Tool and Control System

The casting-method benefited design strategies are as follows: The main frames are
designed as casted mono-block parts, which makes this design unique compared to other
CNC structures in the machine tool industry. The mono-block main bodies will imitate a
single-volume structure when geometric and dynamic behaviours are considered. The
superiority of the casted materials over the welded ones is their ability of damping.
Especially, damping ability of Gray iron is at least threefold of steel structures [14]. Frames
of X and Y axes and machine base is made of GG25, and GG50 is employed to build Z-
axis. The base part of the milling machine is also casted as a mono-bloc piece which weighs
24 tons. Therefore, the first mode of the structure is expected to demonstrate a mode shape
of a single-volume structure. The targeted features of the machine tool are shown in Fig.1a.
The X-axis of the machine (gantry) which is longer than the usual standards, thus, the usage
of casted components may not enough to maintain the required stiffness. Therefore, the
internal structure of the gantry is supported with special ribbing elements. Additionally,
pretensions are directed to the gantry surface during the casting process. Moreover, rails of
the linear guides are casted with these mono-block components to avoid structural
deformations on X and Y axes of the machine. The pretensions and casted railways are
indicated in Fig.1b. Additionally, a rack and pinion mechanism based linear motion system
is employed instead of classical drive screw systems. This type of a linear motion system
exposes lesser efficiency losses. Moreover, the structural configuration of the rack and
pinion mechanism on the gantry provides an additional support for the Z column as shown
in Fig.1c.As mentioned earlier, thermal distortion preventing designs are more effective
compared to thermal compensation techniques during design stage of large-scaled machine
tools. Thus, as a cooling precaution, there are pipelines for water circulation under the
slideways of X and Y axes, to keep the temperature change in the minimum. These pipes

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MATEC Web of Conferences 318, 01019 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202031801019
ICMMEN 2020

are inserted during the casting process. The pipeline locations for main frame cooling can
be seen on the manufactured prototype in Fig.1d.

Fig.1: CAD data of the 5-axis CNC with general machine coordinates, a.) Target features b.) The
pretensions on the gantry surface due to casting, and casted rails of linear guideways, c) The rack and
pinion system used for linear motion system, d) The pipeline locations for the cooling of main frame.

3 FE Analyses
The CAD model of the assembly is simplified and composed of 377 parts in total.
14,117,354 pyramid mesh elements are employed with 2,538,140 nodes after Jacobian and
skew ratio checks. The pure penalty algorithm (prone to assign higher contact stiffness
values [13]) is employed with 0.2 relaxation tolerance on the contact interfaces.

3.1 Static Analysis

The gravitational force is applied at the- Z-axis direction of the machine tool coordinates.
The structure is fixed from the pads under the machine base. The FE model is positioned at
the least stiff position to be able to detect the maximum deflection amount. The total
deflection of the CNC structure is shown in Fig.2i.a. which is 0.164 mm. Fig.2i.a. indicates
that spindle-gantry connection is the weakest point of the structure. However, the total
deformation of the gantry structure is predicted as 0.109 mm while these deformations are
detected as 0.002 mm for X-axis. Deflection values of 0.03 mm and 0.09 mm are obtained
for Y and Z axes, respectively. The directional deformations are illustrated in Fig.2b, c and
d. The maximum deformation is found as 0.002 mm on the X-axis, and it proves that the
mono-block casted frames behave like a single volume. 0.07 mm and 0.149 mm
deformation are detected on the Y and Z axes, respectively.

3.2 Dynamic Analysis

Subsequently, a modal analysis is employed to find the natural frequencies of the structure.
The results indicate a natural frequency range between 20 and 70 Hz, which is smaller

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MATEC Web of Conferences 318, 01019 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202031801019
ICMMEN 2020

compared to regular-sized machine tools. However, it is an expected result when the large
sizes of the CNC structure are considered.

Fig.2: i.) a) The total static deformation of the CNC under gravitational force at the worst position.
The directional static deformation results b) X-axis, c) Y-axis, d) Z-axis. ii.) The mode shapes of the
FE analysis. a) 1st Mode (21.8 Hz), b) 2nd Mode (23.9 Hz), c) 3rd Mode (41.8 Hz), d) 4th Mode (43.8
Hz), e) 5th Mode (64.2 Hz), f) 6th Mode (69.3 Hz) shapes.
The mode shapes are indicated in Fig.2 ii.) a, b, c, d, e and f. The 1st mode shape is 21.8
Hz and makes a swinging motion along X-axis. The 2nd mode shape is 23.9 Hz, and it
demonstrates a leaning motion along Y-axis. These two adjacent modes prove the casted
mono-block structures behave like a single-volume structure. The 3rd mode is around 41.8
Hz and shows torsional features which is undesired for machine tool design. The 4th mode
shape is 43.8 Hz which caused from the gantry structure. The 5th and 6th modes are detected
as 64.1 Hz and 69.3 Hz, respectively. These mode shapes are related with the Z column and
gantry structures. The natural frequencies predicted by FE is expected to be lower after the
4th mode due to contact parameters, since the related modes are related with linear guides
and connection elements, however, the used contact algorithm is prone to assign higher
contact stiffness values [13].

4 Experimental Investigation

4.1 Modal Analysis

FRF measurements from 25 points on the body columns are conducted by impact hammer
testing. The results are presented in Table 1 together with FE results. Table 1 indicates that
the natural frequencies calculated by FE analyses are close to the measured data of tests. As
a result, the body components of the machine tool are produced at the predicted dynamic
rigidity values. Impact Hammer tests were also conducted on the gantry which correlates
the motion between Y-axis and the Z column. In these measurements 20 FRF data is
collected in total. The natural frequencies and dynamic parameters obtained from the
modal tests are tabulated in Table 2 together with FE analyses. As can be seen in Table 2,
the 1st Bending Mode was calculated with a lower error rate compared to the 2nd Torsional
Mode by employing FEM.
The hammer tests were performed on the Z column which carries the spindle. All
measurements were repeated in the XX and YY directions results in total of 36 FRF data.
Impact hammer test results can be seen in Table 3. The spindle has close natural
frequencies to those of the machine tool structure at the X and Y directions. However, the

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MATEC Web of Conferences 318, 01019 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202031801019
ICMMEN 2020

most flexible mode of the spindle in the Y direction is 2 times weaker than the most flexible
mode in the X direction.
Table 1: The Comparison of the results obtained from the FE and impact hammer tests for the body
columns (PCB 626B03 accelerometer, PCB 086C05 oversized hammer)
Natural
The results obtained by the Impact Hammer Test
Frequencies
Modes
obtained by Natural Frequency Modal Stiffness Damping Ratio Receptance of
the FEM (Hz) (Hz) (N/m) (%) FRF (µm/N)
1st Bending 21.8 18.4 3.6 x 108 2.1 0.022
1st Torsional 41.8 48.8 4.8 x 109 0.9 0.011

Table 2: The Comparison of the results obtained from the FE and impact hammer tests for the gantry.
(PCB 626B03 accelerometer PCB 086C05 oversized hammer)
Natural The results obtained by the Impact Hammer Test
Modes Frequencies
obtained by the Natural Modal Stiffness Damping Ratio Receptance of
FEM (Hz) Frequency (Hz) (N/m) (%) FRF (µm/N)
1st Bending 43.8 50.1 2.46 x 1010 0.15 0.028
1st Torsional 64.2 84.6 1.33 x 1010 1.30 0.005

Table 3: The top 3 most flexible modes of the Spindle and Z column measured by Impact Hammer
tests. (PCB 353B33 accelerometer, PCB 086C05 hammer)

The results obtained by the Impact Hammer Tests

Modes
Natural Frequency Modal Stiffness Damping Ratio Receptance of
(Hz) (N/m) (%) FRF (µm/N)
1st Bending 26.9 2.63 x 107 4.92 0.392
XX 2nd Bending 89.5 1.31 x 108 3.92 0.115
direction 3rd Bending 171.9 1.50 x 108 3.42 0.122
1st Bending 23.7 2.44 x 107 2.81 0.823
YY
2nd Bending 106.5 8.58 x 107 4.89 0.048
direction 3rd Bending 190.9 4.98 x 108 3.31 0.037

4.2 Motion Performances of the Axes

The physical capability tests were carried out to measure the velocity, acceleration and jerk
behaviours of the X, Y, Z, A and C axes of the machine tool by laser sensor. The results can
be seen in Figure 3.a, 3.b and 3.c for linear axes. From Figure 3.a, it can be concluded that
the feed rates given to the linear axes can continuously go up to 1500 mm/min axial
velocity, and the axes can reach 1600 mm/min axial velocity as the maximum for the feed
rates that are higher than 1500 mm/min. This is caused by the 5-mm measurement
distances. A competitive regular-sized CNC with a processing capacity of - 500 mm x 500
mm x 500 mm- volume can go up to 3500 mm/min axial velocity at a 5-mm distance.
Therefore, the measured velocities in Figure 3.a can be considered as satisfactory when the
large sizes of the machine tool are considered. The acceleration and jerk behaviours of the
linear axes are indicated in Figures 3.b and 3.c, respectively. The measured maximum of
accelerations and jerks are accepted as normal values compared to other competitive large -
scaled machine tools. The values obtained for the rotary axes can be seen in Figures 3.d, 3.e
and 3.f. As can be seen from Figure 3.e, C-axis can reach 2000 mm/min feed rate properly,
while A-axis could not catch this value.

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MATEC Web of Conferences 318, 01019 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202031801019
ICMMEN 2020

Fig.3: a.) Linear Axial Velocities, b.) Linear Axial Accelerations, c) Linear Axial Jerk profiles of X,
Y, Z axes for a 5-mm translation; e.) Rotational Axial Velocities, d.) Rotational Axial Accelerations,
f) Rotational Axial Jerk profiles of A and C axes for 3° rotation.

5 Conclusions
Design and analysis methods are presented for a gantry-type machine tool with large sizes.
The significance of casted mono-block components is emphasized to enable the structural
rigidity during the manufacturing of these massive structures. Casting-method benefited
design strategies are proposed to maintain the stiffness values to build a large-sized gantry-
type CNC machine tool. The effectiveness of the proposed methods was evaluated by FE
analyses and experiments special to machine tools on the manufactured prototype. The
results indicate competitive performance by using the proposed casting-method benefited
design strategies.

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