Technology for the World KURAKI

Technology Spotlight
KURAKI Horizontal Boring & Milling Machine’s convenient
“W-axis machining” technology

Recent global efforts toward carbon neutrality have started to influence the machine tool industry as well. Energy-saving, long-lasting machines are becoming the standard for machine tools manufacturers. For over 70 years, KURAKI has mainly manufactured Horizontal Boring & Milling Machines and has always adapted to changes in our surroundings.

To shed a spotlight on our W-axis machining technology, we will outline its utility in energy conservation and machine life extension, as well as its excellence in operability.

     

Normally, Horizontal Boring & Milling Machines are used for drilling and tapping by moving the workpiece and the table, or its entire column. This is called Z-axis machining.
Conversely, our “W-axis machining” technology works by moving only the spindle with a stationary workpiece and table or column.

     

Compared to “Z-axis machining,” energy consumption and load on the machine can be remarkably reduced in “W-axis machining” because much less mass is moved.
For example, when we tested the drilling of 100 holes with M16 we succeeded in reducing the energy consumption by one third in the drilling cycle and by one half in the tapping cycle. In multiple hole drilling, which involves frequent and repeated acceleration and deceleration, “W-axis machining” consumes less energy and promotes machine longevity over “Z-axis machining.”

     

In “W-axis machining,” the positions of the workpiece and the coolant nozzles do not change, thus you can reduce the splattering of coolant and spray it onto the exact machining point. For this reason, the machine point is effectively cooled and the chips can be quickly removed, eliminating the inconvenience of manually adjusting the angle of the nozzle during machining.

     

With only the spindle moving, operators can process large or irregular workpieces more reliably without worrying about interference.
In addition, an attachment using the spindle feed has been used in various machining sites.

“W-axis machining” is truly revolutionary in its reduction of energy consumption, improvement of machine longevity, and excellent operability, and once tried, it is difficult to consider using previously established methods.