Japanese Cutting-Edge
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Japanese Cutting-Edge
Solutions for Metalworking
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August 15, 2024
The summer private show (PS) season for Japan’s factory automation (FA) industry has officially begun. From late June to early July, manufacturers held PS events at various locations. Here, SEISANZAI Japan reports on the PS highlights of 4 manufacturers in the industry. Each company showcased new products and the latest technologies, while emphasizing automation solutions to address the growing labor shortage in manufacturing.
TSUGAMI showcases automation including AGV for inter-process transport.
On June 20 and 21, TSUGAMI held its “TSUGAMI TECHNICAL FAIR 2024” at its Nagaoka Factory in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The two-day event attracted a total of 1,600 visitors. Under the theme of automation, labor saving and energy efficiency, TSUGAMI exhibited 21 machines, including eight new products.
A major highlight was the automation solution that included inter-process transport. This was demonstrated through a sequence from the “M08J-II” lathe for initial machining to the “G300W-500AN” cylindrical grinder for finishing. Using a collaborative robot system that operates without safety fences, workpieces were loaded and unloaded into the machine tools from the front of the machining chamber door, and then transported between processes by automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The collaborative robot attached to the lathe not only loaded and unloaded workpieces, but also changed chuck jaws.
Robot package systems that can be retrofitted to machine tools were also featured. A company representative commented, “This is the first time we have integrated AGVs into a system. We aim to gradually expand our range of automation proposals to meet the diverse needs of our users”.
MiOS4 seminar in front of a 5-axis MC (Matsuura Machinery).
Matsuura Machinery (Fukui City, Japan, President Katsutoshi Matsuura) hosted an open house at its headquarters from July 2-4, attracting about 230 visitors over three days. A total of 10 machines were on display, including automation systems combining 5-axis machining centers (MCs) with pallet changers.
The main attraction was the latest operating system “MiOS4”, which was launched in 2022. MiOS4 centralizes information necessary for automation, such as machining schedules and progress, enabling secure and reliable unmanned operation. Seminars and demonstrations were held in front of the 5-axis MC “MAM72-70V PC18” with multi-face pallet changer, where visitors could experience the MiOS4 interface firsthand.
Other features included a corner demonstrating the straightness of linear guides and a scraping experience corner, highlighting Matsuura’s commitment to meticulous machine building. Director Yuto Matsuura emphasized, “The foundation of automation is reliable machine tools and pallet changers. Combining these with MiOS4 enables stable long-term unmanned operation”.
HASEGAWA MACHINE WORKS’ new product “PM320-5X” and President Toru Hasegawa.
HASEGAWA MACHINE WORKS (Saitama City, Japan, President Toru Hasegawa) held a PS on June 17-19 at its Shirakawa Factory in Nishigo Village, Fukushima Prefecture, attracting about 400 visitors over three days. The event featured eight machines, including the newly introduced 5-axis MC “PM320-5X”.
The PM320-5X is equipped with a rotary table that provides two rotary axes in addition to the vertical MC. It offers an X-axis travel of 320mm, a Y-axis travel of 340mm, and a Z-axis travel of 380mm, making it the largest in Hasegawa’s MC lineup. Its symmetrical design ensures high rigidity, which minimizes the influence of vibration and thermal displacement, thus maintaining high machining accuracy.
President Hasegawa explained, “We have been targeting larger parts in watches and precision machines, while striving for more compact machines that are characteristic of our brand. The machine is designed for easy integration of robotic automation, with doors on the front and both sides for easy access to the machining chamber. The automatic tool changer holds 50 tools as standard, with an option for 60 tools, and includes measures for efficient chip disposal, making it suitable for long-term automated operation.
FANUC’s PS event attracted around 1,800 visitors over two days.
FANUC held its “New Products Open House Show” at the Nagoya Technical Center in Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan on June 19 and 20, attracting approximately 1,800 visitors over the two days. The exhibits were divided into areas for “FA” (Factory Automation) with CNC systems, “Robots” with vertical articulated and collaborative robots, “ROBOMACHINE” with various machine tools, and “Services”.
In the FA area, FANUC showcased the newly redesigned “500i-A” CNC, which features a compact hardware design and program input assistance functions that make it easier for less experienced operators to create machining programs.
In the robotics area, the world’s first (according to the company) explosion-proof collaborative robot “CRX-10iA/L Paint,” which is used for painting automation solutions, attracted great interest.
In the ROBOMACHINE section, FANUC displayed the high-speed rotary table with turning function “DDR-HSiB” for the compact machining center “Robodrill α-DiB Plus Series”. A demonstration of how the Robodrill can be used as a horizontal lathe caught the interest of visitors.
August 27, 2024
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