Moving to a conventional 5X machine sometimes means sacrificing pure cutting performance. But not with the a800Z. Its high-performance, high-torque, jacket-cooled spindles give operators the same power as on the 4X a81nx so they can cut a wide range of materials. What’s more, the highly rigid double-slant structure brings the cutting performance to levels beyond most conventional 4X machines. The double-slant design of both the column and the table forms a highly rigid structure that efficiently transfers the high cutting forces generated during heavy-duty machining and maximises machine rigidity.
It is not just the spindles that stand out on the new a800Z. Its Z-type agility tiling table brings the centre of gravity of the table and the workpiece close to the centre of rotation of the tilting axis. As a result, inertia is minimised while positioning movements can be performed at high speed and with great accuracy. In other words, this oversized table – in itself an advantage – plays a key role in enabling fast and accurate 5X machining.
No machine operator wants chips accumulating in the machining chamber. That is why the a800Z has a high-capacity chip management system. The interior walls of the machining chamber are covered in stainless steel to minimise chip adherence. Besides, these close-to-vertical walls allow chips to freely fall by their own weight. Three evacuation channels at the bottom of the chamber ensure efficient chip evacuation to the standard high-capacity chip conveyor. Such efficiency avoids energy losses and reduces coolant tank maintenance.
Disposing of the fine chips and sludge generated in machining processes is problematic, as contaminated coolant is hardly an eco-friendly liquid. In the a800Z an agitator in the coolant tank prevents the particles from settling and accumulating. The suspended particles are then removed from the coolant by means of a large-capacity cyclonic filtration unit, from where they can be safely discharged from the machine. Besides, the a800Z is designed to be economical with coolant, which automatically reduces the amount of coolant that needs disposing.
With its low step-over threshold the a800Z offers excellent access to the machining chamber for the machine operator to perform pre-machining set-up or in-process inspection. The a800Z can be easily connected to various automation systems, e.g. pallet magazine system, robot system or jig-tool package, and is also connectable to existing automation facilities, e.g. a Makino MMC2 system in combination with an a81nx.
Makino machines are renowned for their thermal control systems. The a800Z is no exception. Spindle cooling, table cooling and ball screw part cooling ensure that, however demanding the cutting application in a production environment may be, this horizontal machining centre will not overheat or lose its cutting precision.
Urko J. Ugalde
Team Leader, Marketing and Product Planning
Phone: +49 7021 503-400
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.makino.eu