Mazak's Investment in People and Technology Delivering Socially-Responsible Machine Tools

Led by multitasking, 5-axis, and process-integration strategies, Yamazaki Mazak Corporation is continuing global expansion at a steady pace. Mazak's philosophy has always been to manufacture machine tools in the major markets of the world and to develop a closer relationship with local customers. Supporting the commitment to people and manufacturing technology is Mazak's commitment. Mazak went into detail about their commitment and technology during the three-day "Manufacturing Technologies for Global Competitiveness" event held last month.

Of great interest at the event was Mazak's announcement of relocation detectors being installed on all new Mazak machine tools. These detectors will prevent the resale of Mazak machines into countries that are prohibited under export laws of the United States and Japanese governments. "Installation of these detectors will be on every machine Yamazaki Mazak manufactures," says Brian Papke, Mazak Corporation president. "We recognize that some potential customers may be reluctant to buy our machines with these detectors in place, but we believe this industryleading action is the right thing to do."

In order for a machine to operate once it's been moved or installed, a unique password must be entered. Each time the machine is moved, the password must be reissued by Mazak. While this technology has been available for a while, this is the first implementation to prevent violation of export restrictions. According to Papke, this initiative was launched by Tomohisa Yamazaki, president of Yamazaki Mazak Corp. and will apply to all machines sold by Mazak, no exceptions.

Multitasking technologies were another key area covered, with the introduction of the Integrex i-150 – ideal for small parts (bar stock of 2.5" and below). Consisting of a single horizontal, 15hp main spindle for turning and C-axis control with a 6" through-hole chucker, the Integrex i-150 boasts bar capacity of 2.56". A 10hp, 12,000rpm milling spindle is mounted on the vertical rotating B-axis which features Mazak's roller cam, non-coupling design, and an absolute feedback scale for higher accuracy positioning and five-axis contouring through a -10o to +190o range.

"All multitasking is not equal," explains Papke. "Today, Mazak builds specific multitasking equipment choices for small precision components to large aerospace and heavy equipment parts. We're constantly refining Mazak multitasking technologies to make them more workable, so more industries benefit and grow stronger from Done-in-One machining that eliminates machines and multiple fixtures and completes complex parts in a single setup."

Localized education, application and service support is shown through Mazak's growing network of Technology Centers. Now numbering 29 throughout the world, Mazak Technology Center expansion has been most notable in North America. Within two years, Mazak's National Technology Center on its Florence, KY, headquarters campus has doubled in size and scope, with the founding of the Center for Multi-Tasking and Manufacturing Excellence and National Learning Center. New, full-function Technology Centers were opened in Hartford, CT, to support the Northeastern United States, and in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada to support all the Canadian provinces, bringing the total of Mazak North American Technology Centers to eight.

Intelligent Functions

In Kentucky, Mazak's U.S. manufacturing under the direction of Ben Schawe, vice president of manufacturing, is constantly changing. "Right now, we're looking to increase production," Schawe says. "We already have Production-On-Demand, our pull-through manufacturing system. We're evolving now to High Production-On-Demand. Our goal is to maintain the same excellent quality, the same efficiency, yet increase the number of machines we're producing in Kentucky for U.S. customers and for export."

The newest investment in production equipment is the massive double-column Mazak Versatech V140 N with a 122" x 393" table – improving machining productivity for bases, columns and other large machine members. With a nutating head that includes B- and C-axis positioning on a 50hp spindle, the machine will increase processing productivity 50%.

"One of the things we pride ourselves on is using the latest in Mazak manufacturing technology to make the latest advanced Mazak machine tools," Schawe continues. "We're doing that right now and always plan to do more."

The state-of-the-art AS/RS is capable of handling up to 50,000 repair part numbers.

Intelligent machine functions – Active Vibration Control (AVC), Intelligent Safety Shield (IS), Intelligent Thermal Shield (ITS), Mazak Voice Adviser (MVA), Intelligent Maintenance Support (IMS), Intelligent Performance Spindle (IPS), and Intelligent Balance Analyzer (IBA) – also garnered attention during the three-day event. In order to reduce vibration for high-accuracy motion in all axes and reduce machine cycle time, AVC is now standard on most Mazak machines. IS is integral in detecting any possible machine interference by showing a synchronized 3D model on the Mazatrol Matrix CNC display after an operator manually moves the machine axes for setup, tool measurement, or insert change. If the temperature in the factory changes, ITS maintains temperature stability for high-precision machining. Results performed in a temperature-controlled room show machine heat displacement of less than 0.0003" with a temperature change of 14.488o.

IMS monitors the status of perishable items such as filters, cover wipers, and the operation history of several machine units for determining a preventive maintenance program, preventing unexpected machine downtime. IPS monitors a variety of parameters with sensors housed in the spindle. These include temperature, vibration, and displacement – feeding back this information to the operator so potential machine problems in the spindle can be prevented. To prevent unsafe machine operations, as well as accuracy, IBA analyzes the balance of the table load and displays the amount of weight and in which location change is required to eliminate the unbalanced condition.

Growing technology

Mazak has opened a second factory in Minokamo, Japan, devoted to production of the highly successful Nexus II series CNC turning, vertical and horizontal machining centers. This new plant will free up capacity at Mazak's Oguchi, Seiko, and Minokamo Plant 1 facilities, reducing lead times for multiaxis and multitasking machines.

Additional investments in expansion are being made outside of Japan. The factory in China has doubled in factory floor space and the factories in the UK and Singapore are undergoing capacity improvements as well. In all, Yamazaki Mazak's global manufacturing operations stand at more than four million ft2 among eight factories in five countries.

INTEGREX i-150 is ideal for medical manufacturers and high-precision component machining involving round, square, or angular features.

Impacted by an ever-increasing base of installed machines, as well as regular new product introductions, Mazak's North American Parts Center in Florence received new investments as well. At its heart is a state-of-the-art $2 million automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) capable of handling up to 50,000 repair part numbers. The parts call center has been strengthened with an integrated order entry system and additional parts specialists. The module exchange program has expanded to not only include remanufactured spindles, but also ATC 's, tool turrets, and more. With a centrally-located inventory of more than $50 million in parts, Mazak can continue to ship 97% of parts orders within 24 hours for every Mazak machine ever installed in North America. Mazak maintains a domestic inventory in excess of 46,000 part numbers including everything from ballscrews, linear guides, motors and spindles to the smallest non-critical items including commercial parts.