New a81nx HMC Improves Productivity for Large-Part Machining

"The a81nx builds on the success of the original a81 platform and sets a new standard for large-part machining performance," said Dave Ward, horizontal product line manager at Makino. "There have been enhancements made to the bed and column castings of the machine, expansions in the tool magazine and Y-axis travels, spindle design improvements for faster acceleration and deceleration times, and a host of additional features and advancements to improve ergonomics, maintenance and machine uptime."

It features a 100-mm extension of the Y-axis column, bringing full-axis travels along the X, Y and Z axes to 35..4 in., 35.4 in. and 40.2 in. (900 mm, 900 mm and 1,020 mm), respectively.

Large parts commonly contain a substantial volume of features that can range greatly in size, requiring quick accessibility to diverse tool types and sizes. The a81nx provides an automatic tool changer (ATC) that is designed to handle larger-diameter, longer and heavier tooling. According to the company, this large tool capacity ensures that manufacturers are able to efficiently machine a variety of large part features.

It is equipped with a 10,000-rpm spindle that affords 305 Nm of duty-rated torque and 45kW of extended-duty power (26 kW of continuous output). Duty-rated power levels have increased 25% over the previous model. An optional 8,000-rpm, high-torque spindle configuration is also available for manufacturers working with hard metals.

Other productivity features include a new GI servo control mode that can reduce pocketing times for aluminum billet applications, and a new chain-type, 80-tool-capacity automatic tool-change magazine for reduced tool-seek times.

For more information, visit Makino.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.