The MF1650/5P EVO by I.M.S.A. is a new machine designed for deep drilling and milling of large blocks, intended for a manufacturer of aluminum and magnesium die-casting molds. Thanks to its rigidity and automatic tool changer, it allows precise and safe operations autonomously, optimizing time and ensuring high performance.
Article from the Italian technical magazine COSTRUIRE STAMPI (Publitec publishing) – May 2025
Manufacturing aluminum and magnesium die-casting molds: this is the core business of the buyer of this machine. This mold maker, already equipped for years with an I.M.S.A. gun drilling machine with tool changer, recently decided to expand its production range to larger dimensions and needed a production unit that could perform roughing and deep drilling for blocks up to 40 tons. The mold maker therefore turned to their trusted manufacturer, requesting a new production unit that combined already known technical solutions with increasing demands in size and performance.
The MF1650/5P EVO by I.M.S.A. is a gun drilling and milling machine for blocks up to 30/40/50 tons, depending on the chosen table (40 tons in this first example). The extended transverse travels and the translating table increase the reachability of the workpiece surface: the horizontal and vertical travels allow working on the entire face of a mold 3,000 mm wide and 2,000 mm high; the table translation moves the table away from the ram, facilitating the rotation of large molds away from the machining unit area. Compound-angle machining is performed by combining the table rotation with the inclination of the tool-holder ram.
Now that we have defined the dimensions of the workable piece, let’s look at the possible operations with engineer Luca Picciolo, Sales Manager at I.M.S.A.
“All our technical solutions, based on solid experience always in contact with customers, contribute to the machine’s autonomy with total process safety. Separate spindles for gun drilling and milling, fully automatic switching; compound-angle machining with advanced RTCP; single origin for managing the two spindles on the 4 faces of the mold; tool changer for the gun drilling spindle, ISO 50 tool changer for the milling unit; maximum machine rigidity thanks to our Gantry structure column.”
A series of features to see in detail. Can you describe them to us?
Let’s start with the most evident feature of the MF1650/5P EVO: its size must necessarily guarantee rigidity to offer performance.
Our vertical Gantry column structure, which has distinguished us since 2000, on such a large machine involves guiding the column at the back instead of at the top end of the vertical travel. The Gantry structure of the column results in sixteen times higher rigidity compared to a machine structure with a column supported only at the bottom.
The high rigidity of the structure allows the use of the latest generation gun drills with chip breaker inserts, to drill diameters up to 50 mm from solid without pre-hole. The rigidity of the structure and rapid feeds of 20 m/min allow this drilling center to also be used for heavy-duty milling. I would also like to point out that it is the structure of the machine itself that is rigid, without requiring very expensive foundations with channels and the like: our customer will install this machine on a simple flat support with 400 RCK resistance.
In deep drilling, what is the working range?
The ram houses two independent spindles, one for gun drilling and one for milling with ISO 50 tools, with fully automatic switching. The MF1650/5P EVO has a 15 kW gun drilling spindle with a rotation speed of up to 4,200 rpm. The maximum drilling depth is 1,650 mm, the optimal drilling diameters are from 4 to 50 mm, from solid without pre-hole, with classic brazed gun drills or the more recent insert type.
The I.M.S.A. deep drilling unit has six anchoring points for the gun drill. Unlike drilling machines with chip boxes and removable steady rests, we solidly align these elements to the head structure, once, directly during machine assembly. This results in a level of rigidity that allows drilling on average six to eight times longer than on deep drilling machines with chip boxes and removable steady rests.
The machine is equipped with the Heidenhain TCN 640 CNC, which includes specific I.M.S.A. functions for gun drilling process control.
The deep drilling equipment is completed by cooling systems for the spindle and the coolant oil, multi-stage filtration system, inverter high-pressure pumps, and chip conveyor.
The most distinctive feature of this machine is the tool changer for the drilling spindle, with five cassettes for gun drills. What does the “gun drill changer” consist of, as conceived by I.M.S.A.?
Performing 30-40 meters of drilling in typical mold materials is now a consolidated standard on I.M.S.A. machines, before it becomes necessary to intervene to re-sharpen or replace the gun drill. The adoption of the Gun Drill Changer system allows extending the drilling autonomy with a single diameter or managing up to five different diameters directly on board the machine.
The I.M.S.A. Gun Drill Changer System involves the replacement of the entire gun drill cassette. Each cassette contains all the elements necessary for deep drilling: chip box with guide bushing, self-spacing “autofocus” steady rests, ISO 50 spindle for clamping the gun drill. This is a solution that I.M.S.A. developed for the first time in 2009.
Since 2016, we have revolutionized our gun drill changer system. This customer has a smaller I.M.S.A. machine already equipped with this recent system, which is now based on axial sliding along the ram axis.
This presents two important advantages: the first is complete protection against dirt, as the cassette inserted in the ram remains completely protected by its covers during operations.
Moreover, our first system anchored the cassette to the machine head with “zero point” systems, which inevitably work transversely to the main direction of effort, generating additional stresses on the cassette clamping system.
In our recent system, however, the pressure exerted by the guide bushing towards the block to be drilled will positively contribute to the clamping of the cassette itself.
And what about milling?
The ram with independent axes for gun drilling and milling allows us as machine builders not to compromise on technical aspects: the gun drilling spindle is optimized for gun drilling, and the milling spindle is optimized for other machining operations.
The MF1650/5P EVO has an ISO 50 milling spindle with 45 kW power, a maximum speed of 4,500 rpm, and 430 Nm torque.
Regarding the transitions from milling to deep drilling and vice versa, no operator intervention is required for the changeover, which is completely automatic. The advantage, as with many other machines we manufacture, is to work for a long time without operator supervision.
The operations that can be performed on this production unit are those on the mold mechanics: roughing, facing, enlarging with helical drills, chamfering, threading, etc. The spindle has a system for passing cutting oil (the same used for deep drilling) through the milling tool center (50 bar) or externally (6 bar), and an external air cooling system for the tool.
The milling capabilities are completed by an ISO 50 tool changer, which is available in different capacities. Our customer chose the version for 60 tools.
Would you say it is a comprehensive solution?
Yes, certainly. The MF1650/5P EVO is a complete and solid solution for the machining of large molds. A machine designed to ensure efficiency, operational autonomy, and flexibility, supporting manufacturers of large and complex molds.
