#Trade Shows & Events
Mazak to display trio of turnkey automation solutions at MACH
MACH 2018
Yamazaki Mazak will be bringing three productivity-enhancing machine tending solutions to MACH 2018, to demonstrate how manufacturers across the UK can drive tangible productivity benefits from turnkey automation solutions.
With interoperability, technical assistance and decentralised autonomous decision-making, all fundamental design principals of Industry 4.0, Mazak has devised a number of new automation systems which can allow machine users across all vertical markets to improve production times and increase overall factory efficiency.
One of the stand-out attractions on display will be the UK-manufactured QUICK TURN 250MY and TA-12/200, a high performance turning centre with a ‘plug and play’ automation solution designed to appeal to customers requiring a single-source supplier for both machine tool and automation.
Ideal for applications that require lights-out unmanned running overnight or at weekends, both the machine tool and the robot are controlled from the Mazak SmoothG CNC, which provides a seamless interface and extremely fast set-up.
The FANUC M-10iA robot is capable of moving a maximum payload of 12kg and is equipped with separate grippers for loading and unloading. In addition, the automation solution has a unique workpiece stacking principle utilising interchangeable workpiece support pillars, with layout and set-up guided by a GUI (Graphical User Interface), which is also integrated into the SmoothG CNC.
The ease of integration between machine tool and robotic automation – all controlled via SMOOTH Control – is a tangible example of Industry 4.0 in action for manufacturers at all stages of the supply chain, with the turnkey solution proven to shorten lead times and lower indirect labour costs. Mazak estimates that the automation solution could have a payback period of as little as six to eighteen months.
Given the sheer variety of highly complex parts subcontractors in the aerospace sector produce, Mazak’s VARIAXIS i-300 AWC (Auto Work Changer) – a compact 5-axis automation cell developed for high mix, low volume production – is a must-see at MACH.
The machine has a gantry box structure which incorporates all of Mazak’s automation knowledge from its PALLETECH range. The side-loading AWC allows the operator access to the front of the machine uninhibited by the automation and can be specified with 32 or 40 work holders. The machine has been developed for lights-out machining and is equipped with a field expandable tool magazine that can hold up to 505 tools.
Completing the trio of automation technologies on display at MACH will be the MULTIPLEX W-300Y + GL-200, a twin-spindle, two-turret machine equipped with superfast gantry loader for ultimate productivity. Ideally suited to the demanding turnaround times associated with the automotive sector, this machine and automation configuration is equipped with a new rack and pinion drive system for the gantry loader which offers rapid rates in the A and B axes of 75 and 160 m/min respectively, realising a potential 25% reduction in load/unload time.
