Space-saving CNC machines

Singapore has established itself as a trusted and competitive location for medical technology companies to design, test-bed, manufacture and launch innovative products for Asia and beyond. However floor space is often at a premium in  medical manufacturing facilities, according to Makino’s horizontal product manager David Ward. He said a traditional 400-mm horizontal machining centre can require upwards of 125 square feet of floor space, which is a lot to dedicate to the production of parts that can fit in the palm of your hand.

Small, high-precision products are the focus of a new series of horizontal CNC machines that Makino lately introduced. The N2 and N2-5XA are recommended for medical parts and small aluminium parts manufacturing. The machine builder, called N2 platform, is a high-productivity solution contained in a small package. Installed in a plant or shop, the machines will occupy less than 26 square feet of floor space, including coolant tank and standard chip management device.

As for performance, Makino said the new series of machines’ 5-axis N2-5XA configuration promotes productivity thanks to five-sided part accessibility and the options it offers for consolidating production work.

“The N2 platform delivers a right-sized machining solution,” he continued, “built for speed, providing a high-speed spindle, rapid positioning and quick acceleration and deceleration. With the N2-5XA, machine shops and manufacturers can eliminate set-ups and achieve finer surface qualities, making it an ideal solution for many serving the medical market.”

The N2 platform provides a sizable work zone for its compact design. The overall footprint is 45.3 inches wide by 83.7 inches long by 84.6 inches high (1,150 x 2,125 x 2,150 mm.) Despite the weight reductionresulting from this design, these machines maintain a highly rigid structure for enhanced accuracy and reliability.

The four-axis N2 offers a 400-mm high, 400-mm-diameter cylindrical work envelope with X-, Y- and Z-axis travels of 300 x 300 x 230 mm, and a 300-mm diameter direct-drive rotary table.

The five-axis N2-5XA shares the same linear axes and includes twin, trunnion-style direct-drive A and B rotary axes for producing complex, contoured parts. The N2-5XA can hold 300-mm cylindrical workpieces that are up to 270-mm high (11.8 x 10.6 inches), with a maximum payload of 66 lbs (30 kg).

Rapid production capabilities
The N2 and N2-5XA are equipped with a 20,000-rpm HSK-40 spindle that accelerates to full rpm in 0.8secs. Four spindle nozzles deliver coolant directly to the cutting zone, making cooling efficient and supportingbetter quality part production.

Both machines have a simple and efficient design for evacuating chips and coolant from the work zone. The standard coolant tank with chip pan provides effective chip removal for near net shape machining. A rear lift up chip conveyor with filtration is an available option for higher chip volume applications.

Direct-drive rotary axes of the N2 and N2-5XA achieve peak B-axis speed of 150 rpm and a 90-degree rotation time of 0.65 seconds. These systems work with a 1.4G Z-axis to reduce common drill and tap operations by as much as 40% compared to traditional 400-mm horizontal machining centers.

Both machines have a stacked axis design, placing all linear motion on the spindle side of the machine and limiting workpiece  movement  to  rotary  table motion. This configuration is conducive to automated machining, with options for auto-loading doors, robot interface, Erowa chuck interface, and tool monitoring options for unattended operation.

The N2 platform is powered by Makinos Professional-F control running on a Fanuc platform. Among the critical control features on the 5-axis N2-5XA are aNi?os