Mazak to Highlight Job Shop Automation at Midwest Event

Automation will be a key theme at Discover More With Mazak – Midwest event at the Mazak Midwest Technology Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. Scheduled for April 30 – May 2, the event will run daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and feature advanced machine tool technology paired with various levels of automation that leads to highly productive yet flexible manufacturing operations.

Single-machine automation solutions will include Multi-Tasking models such as the INTEGREX i-100, which are self-contained cells for complete processing from raw materials to finished parts. More complex automated systems will also be featured, including floor-mounted, multi-axis robots and the PALLETECH System, which increases spindle utilization by joining multiple machines and other equipment. Additionally, Mazak will demonstrate 5-axis, hard metal, Multi-Tasking and Done-in-One machining technologies.

Mazak’s wide range of advanced equipment and technologies as well as its innovative automation systems are incorporated within the company’s unique 3-4-5 The Next Level of Productivity manufacturing solution. 3-4-5 allows manufacturers to effectively identify the right level of technology, including automation, needed for improving their specific operations and advancing productivity to the next level.

The 3-4-5 solution is the industry’s most comprehensive grouping of manufacturing resources and one that encompasses Mazak’s 3 Levels of Control, 4 Levels of Automation and 5 Levels of Multi-Tasking. Within the 4 Levels of Automation, Level 1 involves simple Bar Feeders; Level 2 Gantry Loaders; Level 3 Mazak’s PALLETECH System and Level 4 Articulated Robots. All of which will immediately provide higher levels of quality and increased throughput.

Within its track of technology presentations and expert guest speakers, the Discover More with Mazak – Midwest event will feature Reshoring presentations by Harry Moser scheduled for 2:00 pm on Wednesday, May 1, and for 11:00 am on Thursday, May 2. Moser is the founder of the Reshoring Initiative and a 45-year manufacturing industry veteran. For his efforts to move lost jobs back to the United States, Moser was inducted into the 2010 Industry Week Manufacturing Hall of Fame and named Quality Magazine’s 2012 Quality Professional of the Year. He participated in President Obama’s 2012 Insourcing Forum, testified at a Congressional hearing on reshoring and manufacturing, and has been featured in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Bloomberg Businessweek

Other technology presentations will focus on topics that include Mazak’s 5 Levels of Multi-Tasking and Applying Automation. Mazak’s Value Inspired Partners (VIP) will also attend the event, with LNS, Renishaw Metrology and Sandvik Coromant giving daily productivity seminars.

Technology in Action

Because both the ORBITEC and HCN 6800 machines utilize a common pallet size, parts can undergo various turning operations on the ORBITEC 20 and then transfer over to the HCN 6800 in a PALLETECH automation system for final processing without having to be re-fixtured. In this system with Mazak’s PMC-WEB cell controller software over standard PCs and networks, shops can monitor operations, view and change schedules on-the-fly, manage part program files from anywhere on the network, track tool life/breakage and issue instructions to the shop floor. The system also allows for interrupting a planned machining queue to produce an emergency part with no cost penalty.

With a robot cell, Mazak’s VCN COMPACT 5X 5-axis Vertical Machining Center – a small-footprint, high-speed machine – runs small parts production. It is designed to provide high levels of precision and unmanned productivity as well as superior surface finishes when cutting tough materials, such as stainless steel, Inconel and titanium. The machine features Mazak’s new MATRIX 2 CNC control specifically designed for optimized 5-axis machining. The control is a Level 3 control in Mazak’s 3 Levels of Controls within the company’s 3-4-5 manufacturing solution.

Other machines demonstrated at the Discover More With Mazak event include:

•    PALLETECH System with two different types of machines: ORBITEC 20 and HORIZONTAL CENTER NEXUS 6800
•    HORIZONTAL CENTER NEXUS 8800 HM (Hard Metal) package for tough-to-machine materials and the new HORIZONTAL CENTER NEXUS 4000-III with increased speed, power and versatility for enhanced productivity
•    MEGA 8800 Horizontal Machining Center that provides powerful thrust force necessary for efficient, accurate and productive heavy-duty cutting of tough materials such as Inconel and titanium.
•    VARIAXIS i-600 highly versatile Vertical Machining Centers offering full 5-axis machining for multiple and complex curved surfaces on large, heavy workpieces in single setups
•    VERTICAL CENTER NEXUS 510C and VERTICAL CENTER NEXUS 700E Vertical Machining Centers with fast and powerful spindles and ample tool storage capacities for machining a wide variety parts without changing tool setups
•    SLANT TURN NEXUS 500M, QUICK TURN SMART 100 M and QUICK TURN SMART 300 M, all Level 1 machines within Mazak’s 5 Levels of Multi-Tasking, provide turning, drilling, tapping and milling capabilities for affordability and high productivity
•    HYPERQUADREX 150 MSY, MULTIPLEX 6200Y and QUICK TURN NEXUS 250 MY all offer milling capability and Y-axis functionality as Level 2 machines in Mazak’s 5 Levels of Multi-Tasking
•    INTEGREX j 400 Level 3 machine within the 5 Levels of Multi-Tasking that features turning spindles with C-axis, tailstock, Y-axis travel, milling headstock with B-axis and tool magazine with automatic tool changer
•    INTEGREX i 100, as a Level 4 machine in the 5 Levels of Multi-Tasking, provides all the capabilities of a Level 3 machine but with added 5-axis functionality

Attendees will also have full access to the Midwest Technology Center’s regional industry expertise and application engineering resources. Engineers and technicians will be on hand at the machining demonstrations to answer questions and discuss all aspects of the manufacturing process, including cutting tools, workholding, automation, material handling, quality assurance, chip handling, coolant, safety and software.

Discover More With Mazak—Midwest event registration information will be posted on www.mazakusa.com. Student Day for the event is scheduled for Thursday, May 2.