“Go Beyond” in Action at IMTS

At IMTS 2012 there were some clear areas that highlighted where Okuma shines like no other in going beyond the CNC machine tool proper, bringing new technology to help manufacturers make the parts they make, better. Examples include:

Machining Navi, Okuma’s anti-chatter solution

Machining Navi has received technology awards in Japan and Europe, but has been relatively quiet in the U.S. – until now. It’s the first anti-chatter solution that actively adapts (spindle speed) real-time during the cutting process, based on feedback from acoustic sensors and vibration sensors. While most operators slow down when chatter occurs, Machining Navi speeds up (provided the tooling and workholding can handle it). Like driving over potholes … sometimes going faster is better!

THINC^®-OSP CNC Control: Power and agility for peripheral processes

Lots of attendees at IMTS really wanted to push buttons, but would get tackled before their finger actually touched a CNC machine that was cutting. Not at Okuma. And scanning the badges people wear (recording leads) is the end-all-be-all mission for exhibitors at IMTS. Every machine in the Okuma booth with OSP had a bar-code scanner plugged into its USB port. That’s the power of the THINC^®-OSP CNC Control, doing peripheral processes directly on the machine controller. While in the middle of a cut, engineers would scan a visitor’s badge, hitting buttons and performing peripheral tasks on a running machine. If we can do it at IMTS, you can do it in production.

Over 300 visitors performed the THINC “Try It” demonstrations, experiencing hands-on proof of the power and ease of OSP. The wow factor was evident: sending email alerts from a THINC simulator to the attendee’s own cell phone, setting up Advanced One-Touch IGF on a CNC lathe or mill, or actually using the THINC app AutoComp (from Caron Engineering) to simplify and error-proof gaging on a part (gage running wireless off the THINC controller).

Turn-Cut streamlines turning operations: One set-up, one machine

Running on our MA-600H-II horizontal machining center, Turn-Cut of any ID or OD shows how you can perform turning operations on a horizontal in one machine that would otherwise require multiple operations on different machines. To a plant manager, Turn-Cut translates to:

• Quality – you could mill the IDs or ODs but would not get the quality finish of turning
• Time – eliminates the time to un-chuck, move, and re-chuck the part in multiple machines
• Tolerance – eliminates the tolerance stack up from un-chucking and re-chucking the part in multiple machines
• Error-proofing – eliminates the potential for operator error between machining operations

5 + 10 Warranty

Many took advantage of Okuma’s IMTS special offer of a standard 5-year warranty on the CNC machine and 10 years on the CNC control. This warranty is the ultimate expression of going beyond confidence in our product.

There were many aha moments at IMTS. Share yours below, or contact us to find how going beyond can work for you.

Jim Kosmala is Vice President of Engineering & Technology, Okuma America Corporation