vhf E5 Milling Machine Guide

The vhf E5 is a compact 5-axis dry mill with one standout feature: it needs no compressed air. A patent-pending airtool replaces the shop-air supply that most production mills require, so the E5 can run as a self-contained 5-axis machine on a normal bench. It mills the dry material list, including titanium and CoCr, with full angled access.

The two things that define the E5 are the fifth axis and the dry, air-free design. They decide both what it can mill and how easy it is to install.

Specifications at a glance

Five axes in a compact body

The E5 runs five axes with a B-axis that tilts ±35°, so it has the angled access that distinguishes 5-axis milling: undercuts, angled screw channels and the inside surfaces of bridges that four axes cannot reach. What is unusual is fitting that capability into a 47 kg machine with a 472 mm-wide footprint, closer to a benchtop unit than a typical production 5-axis mill.

No compressed air, and why that is the headline

Most 5-axis mills need a compressed-air supply at several bar, which means a compressor, plumbing and noise. The E5's patent-pending airtool removes that requirement: it is the first vhf 5-axis dry disc mill that runs without compressed air. For a practice or small lab without a shop-air line, that lowers the install cost and lets the machine sit anywhere there is a power outlet.

The airtool occupies its own slot alongside the 16-tool standard magazine, so the air-free design does not cost a tool position in the working set.

Dry processing and its material list

The E5 is a dry mill. It mills the dry-compatible materials, including composites, PMMA, wax, zirconia, titanium and sintered CoCr. Running dry keeps the workflow simple, with no coolant to manage. As with any dry machine, materials that require wet milling to control heat are outside its range, so a lab that needs heavy wet glass-ceramic production would pair it with a wet machine or choose a wet-and-dry mill like the R5.

Disc and block flexibility

The E5 takes standard 98.5 mm discs from 10 to 40 mm tall, with an optional 110 mm disc holder, and can mill blocks up to 40 × 20 × 20 mm with the optional block holder. Switching between disc and block jobs on one machine gives a small lab flexibility without buying separate equipment for each format.

Where the E5 fits the vhf lineup

The E5 is the compact, install-anywhere 5-axis option. Its case is angled 5-axis access without the compressed-air infrastructure that the R5 and K5+ assume, in a footprint and weight close to a benchtop machine. Choose it when the lab wants five axes and dry milling in a small, self-contained unit. Step up to the R5 or K5+ when throughput, larger changers, or wet processing become the priority.

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