Smart CNC Energy Saver: ECO suite

CNC machines just got a whole lot smarter. With Okuma’s new ECO suite energy saving system, machine tool users can configure settings on their CNC control that monitor and adjust energy usage to suit changing conditions. While cutting, the machine uses energy, as always. However once cutting is complete, ECO suite applications on the control looks for areas in the machining processes that unnecessarily consume and waste energy. ECO suite includes four new intelligent CNC control applications that save energy, and the results can be quite dramatic.

Included At No Charge

ECO suite is now included on all Okuma machine tools with an OSP control, as a part of OSP suite. So this function is already on newer Okuma machine tools, all you need to do is use it. Following are the features you can benefit from with this system.

ECO Idling Stop

ECO Idling Stop is the world’s first application that stops machine tool idling. This energy-saving system uses Okuma’s Thermo-Friendly Concept to monitor the cooling status of the milling spindle and the turning spindle, and automatically turns off the coolers for these spindles when cooling is complete.

This application carefully stops peripheral equipment, and the benefits increase with longer machining preparation times. The result is dramatically decreased power consumption when the machine tool is not cutting, and power can even be reduced while cutting with the optional ECO Hydraulics.

RELATED: Read our white paper, Energy-Efficient Machine Tool Technologies, For Any Size Shop

ECO Power Monitor

ECO Power Monitor allows you to see how much energy is being saved – right on the machine tool’s display (see the photo above). Power consumption is shown for spindles, feed axes and peripheral equipment. You can also view the energy savings achieved by using ECO Idling Stop to manage peripheral equipment.

ECO Hydraulics

This optional feature gives you the best of both worlds: accurate control, at a very low rotation speed. ECO Hydraulics minimizes unnecessary pump rotation during dwell pressure applications. Pump rotation is optimized to match operating status by combining the servo control technology on the machine tool with high-efficiency hydraulic pumps. The result is a significant reduction in power consumption.

ECO Operation

When using the optional ECO Operation feature, peripheral equipment will only run when needed, and only for the duration required. This means that equipment such as chip conveyors and mist collectors are automatically stopped after cutting is finished.