MACH 2016In the UK, Makino is best known for its medium to large machining centres for producing anything from tool-steel moulds to aircraft components in aluminium and titanium.
Companies in the gas turbine business will also know the company for its VIPER grinding platforms for high-efficiency production of nickel alloy parts.
However, the company’s sole UK agent — Thames Ditton-based NCMT Ltd (
www.ncmt.co.uk) — focused on a different side of the Japanese manufacturer’s business at the show — its EDM machines, of which it produces over 1,000 per year.
At
MACH 2016, two competitively priced machines were launched in the UK: a die-sinker and a wire-cut model. New Hyper i control technology also featured; its smartphone-type user interface with touch-screen navigation helps a novice user to match the capability and productivity of an experienced operator.
Makino’s EDAF3 die-sinker is a ram-type EDM machine; and its smaller counterpart, the EDAF2, has integral thermal cooling of the Y- and Z-axis cast components to ensure long-term accuracy.
Table size is 700 x 500mm, and the dielectric reservoir is built into the base casting to improve thermal stability further — and minimise the machine’s footprint.
Unrestricted access to the work area is provided by a three-sided drop-tank system, while unattended machining is extended by automatic electrode change and automated workpiece delivery and removal options.
A fluid-cooling unit maintains the dielectric at a constant temperature for stable burning conditions. The new on-board programming system, Makino Program Generator, has been designed to simplify use of the control, while generating ‘aggressive’ machining programs to meet the demand for shortened lead times.
Moreover, ArcFree technology is standard on EDAF-series machines, while Makino’s High Quality Surface Finish technology provides improved electrical conductivity for more consistent discharging and spark diffusion.
Makino’s most technologically advanced wire-cut machines — the U3 and U6 (pictured above) — were presented for the first time in the UK.
Designed for ease of operation, versatility and low operating cost, these machines feature designs that make competitive cycle times and high degrees of accuracy and surface finish easy to achieve. With the addition of new HyperCut technology and the Hyper-i control, even novice operators can program and produce top-quality components with the most complex geometrical features.
This is a significant competitive advantage for shops experiencing difficulty replacing skilled EDM operators. The U6 being demonstrated has X-, Y- and Z-axis travels of 650, 450 and 420mm respectively; workpieces up to 1,000 x 800 x 400mm with a maximum weight of 1,500kg can be accommodated.
Other features are reduced wire consumption rates and a choice of two guide configurations for 0.1-0.3mm-diameter wire — conventional round or split V — to accommodate nearly all material types and flushing conditions.
Both the U3 and the U6 offer the option of Makino’s High Energy Applied Technology, which is designed to provide “unparalleled wire EDM speed and accuracy in parts featuring poor or difficult flushing conditions”.
Moreover, an extensive ‘library’ optimises cutting using standard hard brass wires, high-speed coated wires and high-taper soft wires, while Makino’s xHyperCut technology features a three-pass process developed to produce surface finishes as fine as 3µm Rz in standard tool steels.
NCMT also gave a UK debut to Okuma’s Multus U4000 multi-tasking turn-mill centre, which is designed for the complete machining of workpieces up to 2m long and 650mm in diameter.
The variant demonstrated was the single-tool-carrier Multus U4000 1SC, which has a 22kW 12,000rev/min (120Nm of torque) B-axis spindle that has an HSK-A63 tool interface (optionally Capto C6), 0.001deg indexing and swivels from -30 to +210deg. The tool magazine has 40 stations as standard, with options for 80 and 120.
The 22kW main spindle has a 91mm bore (optionally 112mm) and generates 700Nm of torque at up to 4,200rev/min; alternatively, a 32 kW drive can be specified. Together with the C axis on the main spindle, the machine offers fully interpolative five-axis working with SuperNurbs smoothing.
A highlight of the control was Okuma’s TurnCut software for turning machines. Already well known on the manufacturer’s machining centres, this sees the X and Y axes interpolated while the spindle carrying a turning tool rotates at the same speed and is fed forward in Z to generate straight, tapered or profiled features on inside
or outside diameters.