The U6i Wire EDM delivers an extraordinary level of versatility, focused on speed and accuracy for a large-platform machine. The U6i builds on the machining performance of Makino’s precision U-Series machine family and combines the best of high-speed, high-precision finesse, and fine surface finish machining capabilities. The machine is capable of producing surface finishes down to 0.07–0.1 µm and is equipped with an expanded-capacity four-filter filtration system designed to extend the life of the filters, reduce operating costs, and includes a built-in filter air purge feature for quick and safe filter replacement. The machine utilises Makino’s dual digitally controlled high-pressure flush pumps, which provide independent dedicated flushing to the upper and lower machine heads. This advanced flushing configuration is integrated into the adaptive control technologies, providing the machine with greater intelligence to dynamically adapt to changes in flushing during machining, achieving the fastest and most productive speeds. The U6i excels in poor and difficult flushing applications and is capable of reducing rough-cut cycle time by up to 50% compared to traditional single-pump flushing systems using Makino’s H.E.A.T. (High Energy Applied Technology) technology.
 
The U6i machine is a high-accuracy expansion of Makino’s versatile U-Series product line and combines all the productive features found in the U6 and U6 H.E.A.T. models while incorporating new developments that further enhance machine accuracy and capability. The U6i’s hallmarks are its size and flexibility, making it ideally suited for high-precision applications due to its stricter build construction tolerances. Machine construction enhancements are decisively engineered to deliver a higher level of thermal stability, which directly translates to greater machine accuracy and repeatability over long periods of operation. The U6i provides generous X/Y/Z strokes of 650 x 450 x 420 mm, which are 50 mm larger in stroke than most competitors.
 
The U6i machine comes as standard with the HyperDrive Extreme wire path system. This new Extreme Wire EDM system provides increased precision over wire tension, improving part straightness and the accuracy of small geometric details. The HyperDrive Extreme system features Makino’s unique tool-less energiser indexing system, which greatly simplifies machine maintenance, and the wire guides can be exchanged without the need for time-consuming wire alignment calibration procedures. Wire threading capabilities have also been enhanced by offering programmable control of both traditional water column jet threading and jet-less threading, enabling the machine to reliably auto-thread very small start holes and even rethread the wire at the break point during unattended operation.
 
Installation of the high-accuracy U6i Wire EDM is included with each machine. The machine comes generously equipped and ready to run, including many items that competitors offer as options or not at all, such as an LED work light and a chiller unit. The U6i comes outfitted with its own transformer and power line filter, ensuring stable and consistent power for greater reliability. It also includes several operational consumable items, such as two spools of wire and two quick-change deionisation resin bottles. Makino’s U6i machine is also equipped with the unique Pro-Tech Circuit, which “protects the workpiece” by preventing and minimising oxidation (rust) when submerged in water for extended periods. The active Pro-Tech Circuit significantly reduces or eliminates the need for chemical or mechanical cleaning of the finished workpiece, achieving this part-quality and time-saving benefit without the need for harmful and expensive chemicals.
 
To attain heightened precision, the U6i is configured with a high-accuracy water chiller unit that maintains water temperature to an ultra-precise ±0.1°C. Like other Makino Wire EDMs, the U6i design integrates the dielectric reservoir into the machine’s base casting, benefiting from a smaller machine footprint and greater temperature stability across the entire structure. The precisely chilled dielectric fluid is also circulated through internal radiators, creating a stable and consistent air temperature inside the machine’s sheet metal covers and on the work tank seal plate, completing the high-accuracy active thermal stabilisation system.
      
The U6i utilises Makino’s exclusive dual 24-inch wide HD touchscreen Hyper-i control, providing the operator with a comfortable and commanding view of machine operation through its streamlined universal EDM graphical interface, used across all Makino EDM machines (Wire EDM, Sinker EDM, and EDM drilling machines all share the same control system). The Hyper-i system is designed to support both novice and expert operators, featuring an advanced E-Tech Doctor help function, integrated machine manuals and videos, and an on-board training tutorial system. The U6i comes equipped with 0.25 mm wire guides but can operate with wire sizes up to 0.3 mm or down to 0.05 mm in diameter. The machine includes a full machining condition database library covering all wire diameters and multiple material types (steel, tungsten carbide, aluminium, copper, graphite, PCD, titanium). Every condition has been developed to provide an optimal mix of speed, precision, and low wire consumption – yielding fast, accurate, high-quality results with great efficiency.

*Note: The standard specification may vary depending on the country.