EMO 2011
EMO 2011
Outstanding return on investment
Makino exhibits broad range of hardware and software solutions to meet very different needs.
The whole world of machining at a single stand: visitors to the 1,150 m² Makino Stand (Hall 12, B36) at EMO 2011 (Sept. 19-24) can see a dozen new machines on show. Thanks to this broad portfolio and the wide range of industries and applications it covers, Makino can not only provide all-in solutions to very different customer needs, but also help improve a customer‘s productivity and flexibility. What all these solutions have in common is their added value and ability to bring a sustainable boost to a customer‘s business.
Improving productivity
Productivity in machining is the product of efficiency and effectiveness. To improve productivity you need to be producing more in less time at lower cost and with less energy. The solution Makino offers to this challenging equation is based on three factors: first, machine stability, reliability and precision; second, sophisticated software to enhance those three parameters; and third, automatic functions with a built-in self-learning effect.
Sophisticated software
Makino machines are renowned for the world over for their stability, reliability and precision. But what about their sophisticated software? EMO 2011 will show that Makino has a lot to offer in this field, too. For example MPmax (Machining Productivity maximizer), a machine management software tool that enables a machine to sensibly plan jobs and optimise output. By constantly monitoring many machine parameters, MPmax helps to optimise machine utilisation by simplifying its operation and enabling the operator to take the right decisions. Incidentally, since most of the twelf machines at Makino‘s EMO stand will be managed by MPmax, visitors can see for themselves what advantages this software tool brings.
Makino‘s portfolio of sophisticated software tools also includes FFCAM and FF-Five, the 5-axis version of the same software. Suitable for any machines, this 3-D CAM software is extremely easy to use and generates programs of excellent quality. Since FFCAM allows any operator to create NC data easily and quickly, it boosts operation rates and helps significantly improve productivity by greatly reducing programming time. Operators of sinker EDM machines will find EDcam a great help. Taking as input the CAD model file, EDcam automatically generates the NC program, chooses the optimum machining parameters and can reduce setup time by as much as 65% by eliminating the need for an on-machine dry run.
Error-avoiding automation
The third factor in Makino‘s equation for improved productivity is automation, as the story of the MAG1, the smallest member of Makino‘s successful MAG series of horizontal machining centres for aerospace applications, shows. Since 2000, Makino has doubled its spindle power and the material removal rate in aluminium applications. But how has the operator‘s ability to cope with a high-speed, high-power machine improved in the past decade? Since human beings unfortunately do make mistakes, Makino has focused on building machines that are easier than ever to operate and are more automated. Two examples will suffice. The Autonomic Spindle Technology in the MAG1, for example, enables the spindle to automatically detect, think, decide what must be done and react to reduce the risk of damage to the tool or spindle, avoid chatter vibration and automatically find the optimal sweet spot. The MAG1‘s Collision Safe Guard Technology is a realtime, 3-D collision avoidance system that works hand in hand with MPmax to maximise productivity.
Reducing energy consumption
The new a61nx on show at EMO 2011 is an excellent example of how Makino has taken an existing horizontal machining centre and improved its performance by (among other things) reducing machining cycle times, expanding the working envelope, enhancing reliability and, most interestingly, reducing energy consumption. The three ECO mode options available for the a61nx – automatic power on/off control of the coolant temperature controller, an economytype hydraulic device with automatic power off, and an inverterdriven TSC pump – make energy savings of up to 30% possible.
Flexibility to the fore
The economic crisis caused many firms – and particularly die- and mould-makers – to look around for new market segments where their precision expertise could be applied. But to successfully move into a new segment such as precision parts production, a mouldmaker needs a machine that delivers not just accuracy, speed and long-term stability but also flexibility enhanced by automation. Makino has the machines that meet these demands, e.g. vertical machining centres such as the D500 and the D300, which has its world premiere at EMO 2011. Makino knows that automation only makes sense in combination with machine stability; otherwise, the quality of mass-produced items will vary to an unacceptable degree. At the EMO booth an automated production cell composed of the D500 and Makino‘s own Versatile Intelligent Production (VIP) system will show how highvolume parts can be produced with utmost precision.
Solutions for every need
The Makino portfolio enables customers to enter new segments through a wide range of hardware-cum-software solutions focusing on efficiency, premium and high-end applications: from the F5 to the iQ300 in vertical machining centres; from the a51nx to the A20 in horizontal machining centres; from the DUO64 to the UPV-5 in wire-cut machines; and from the EDAF3 to the EDAC1 in sinker EDMs. The ultimate proof of Makino‘s ability to deliver solutions for different needs from a single machine is the G7 iGRINDER. This EMO exhibit combines ultra-efficient grinding of hard metals for jet engine components with excellent 5-axis milling and drilling. That‘s the kind of multifunctionality that delivers added value through enhanced productivity and flexibility.