MultiMax: Turning Performance

Courtesy of Mori Seiki U.S.A.

Multitask machines, such as this Mori Seiki NT6600 DCG mill/turn center, require careful planning prior to installation and creative reimagining of machining processes.

Over the past several years, the growing prevalence of multitask, or mill/turn, machines has caused many shops to consider investing in the technology to maintain or improve their competitive edge. As with any innovation, successful implementation of multitasking requires a shift from conventional thinking.

In looking at companies that have adopted multitasking, the greatest success stories have inevitably arisen from manufacturers that carefully planned for its integration and creatively reimagined their machining processes. Enough shops have successfully multitask machined that it is possible to construct a guide to maximizing the technology’s benefits.

The Right Choice?

Some of the best applications of multitask machines come from the aerospace and energy industries. Multitasking is certainly not limited to those fields, but the large, complicated parts produced for aircraft, power generation and oil field applications embody many of the features for which multitasking offers significant potential for improvement.

For large parts that require internal and external machining, multitask machines allow producing a completed part with a single setup on a single fixture. End users obtain several benefits by eliminating the need to move a part through processes on more than one machine. Productivity receives a significant boost, because part handling time is minimized. A shop’s work flow can also be simplified and improved, as parts do not have to be scheduled for time across various workstations. Accuracy can also improve, as each refixturing of a part creates an opportunity to introduce error.

Manufacturers that understand and utilize a B-axis-type multitask machine also stand to experience significant gains. Effective use of a B-axis allows machining of highly complex parts.

On the other hand, not every job is well suited for a multitask machine. Typically, high-production runs of relatively simple, standardized parts are most efficiently manufactured by expensive, dedicated, specialized machines that can produce them very quickly. In those instances, there will be little or no benefit from multitasking, and it may even diminish productivity.

The same can be said of jobs where production is already optimized. In some instances, a twin-spindle, twin-turret machine provides quick process times and, despite the much longer setup times, will be the optimal process for parts requiring large production runs. Determining the best way to machine a part requires careful evaluation of the part’s complexity and understanding how differing machine technologies will machine it.

Preparing Employees