More than a few Japanese machine tool executives joked about the Osaka jinx, but they weren't exactly smiling. Historically, JIMTOF—the biennial Japanese machine tool show—has rotated between Tokyo and Osaka. In the Osaka years, the Japanese domestic machine tool market always seems to be in a slump, and this year was no exception. So no one was too disappointed that this past fall's JIMTOF will be Osaka's last, with all future shows to be held in Tokyo. Everyone hopes the change of venue will bring a better economy with it.

Electronic forms of communication are merging with traditional CNC technology.

That's not to say, however, that the Japanese machine tool industry is reeling. One must look to the world market to get a read on the health of this export-minded industry, and right now things aren't all that bad. The U.S. market has been extremely strong for years, though it did soften in the second half of 1998. Moreover, many Japanese builders were encouraged by significantly growing sales to Europe, a market that was in the best shape they'd seen since the early 1990s.

Judging by the show, Japanese product development appears to be on solid footing as well. Here's a quick look at some of the more interesting ideas on display.

Connectivity And Intelligence

Many Japanese builders showed the potential of the PC-based control. For one thing, a PC CNC integrates easily with other shopfloor systems. That certainly means the ability to quickly download large part program files with standard, direct networking technology. In combination with today's inexpensive PC memory, the old file transfer problems that once plagued die/mold machining are simply no longer an issue.

A more revolutionary idea, however, is what manufacturers can now do with information flowing the other direction. Remote diagnostic capabilities are quickly becoming standard fare, and some builders are planning to go much further. Mazak (Florence, Kentucky), for instance, emphasized their Cyber Factory concept, where the CNC functions as a window into the machining process itself. That permits remote monitoring of machine status, including such factors as cycles completed, spindle utilization rates, even cut-by-cut power consumption curves. Moreover, the builder is in the process of developing a comprehensive cutting tool database which can be used as a resource to analyze a part program's efficiency. Right now, Mazak's NC programming software has the capability to predict power consumption based on programmed feeds and speeds, and thus to suggest where more aggressive cutting may be appropriate. In the future, the database will be employed to scan programs and suggest alternative tools.

Some builders are aiming at moving such thinking out of the realm of process planning and squarely into real-time adaptive control by combining sensor technology with expert systems software. Currently underway is an "Intelligent Numerical Controller (INC) Research Consortium" comprised of machine tool builders OKK, Mori Seiki, Mazak, and Yasda; CNC builder Mitsubishi; cutting tool manufacturer Sumitomo Electric Carbide Inc.; and universities in Kyoto and Shiga Precture. Mori Seiki (Irving, Texas) had some of the early fruits of this research on display with an adaptive drilling routine. Based on power consumption profiles, the machining center could automatically adjust feed rates to compensate for variations in material hardness or cutter wear. It also could automatically apply a pecking cycle only when the buildup of chip resistance warranted the move—a feature referred to as "autonomous pecking." As it continues to develop drilling process controls, the consortium is now moving into similar work with milling and plans to look at other processes in the future.

OSG's diamond coated end mills represent one of many dry machining process enhancements.

High Speed Machining

There is little doubt that much of that development work will be aimed at high speed machining. Indeed, HSM is something many vendors have set their sights on, with application developments in a wide range of technologies. For one, several builders displayed machining centers with linear motors. Interestingly, while linear motor machines have so far been developed almost exclusively for production machining, a few builders indicated that they see the technology as viable for die/mold applications as well. Toyoda (Arlington Heights, Illinois) had one such a machine on display.

Mori Seiki unveiled its new HVM600, the horizontal production machine based on a license purchased from Ingersoll Milling Machine (Rockford, Illinois). While the machining center used Ingersoll's "box-in-box" construction and linear motor application, the pallet-changer, toolchanger and 20,000-rpm spindle were all of Mori's own design. The machine posted impressive specs with 45 kW (60hp) of continuous spindle power, traverse rates of 3,000 ipm and acceleration rates of 1g in the X and Y axes, and 1.5g in Z.

Some builders are also exploring ways to generate high acceleration rates with more conventional high-lead ballscrews. Kitamura (Wheeling, Illinois), for example, displayed a small vertical machining center (12 by 10 by 12-inch work zone) that generated 2g and 3930 ipm by having a pair of X axes—with the spindle mounted in a gantry arrangement over a moving table—that simultaneously moved in opposite directions. The unique design was complemented with a 150,000-rpm spindle that used an air bearing on the bottom and a magnetic bearing on top.

But the most unusual machine at the show had to be the "Tara" (for tarantula) horizontal machining center from Honda Engineering (East Liberty, Ohio). Referred to as an "M" style machine, X- and Y-axis move-ments are generated with non-linear mechanisms (see diagram) that appear to be derived from hexapod technology, though in a much simpler form. Z-axis feeds are executed through a conventional quill type spindle. With a light aluminum link structure, the machine is very fast with a traverse rate of 60 meters per second, 0.7-second tool changes, and a spindle that can accelerate to 10,000 rpm in 0.7 seconds as well. It has a 5.5-kW (7.3-hp) spindle motor and 15,000- or 20,000-rpm spindle. According to Honda, they've had three stand-alone models in production for a year machining cylinder blocks and heads, but the machine is obviously well suited to line applications as well.

Better Process

With Honda's M style machine, all X and Y movements are interpolated with non-linear axes.

After high speed machining, the most prevalent theme was dry (or nearly dry) machining, that both machine tool builders and cutting tool manufacturers addressed in a number of ways.

OSG Corporation (Glendale Hights, Illinois) had a range of CBN and diamond-plated end mills on display that are well suited to the process. Sumitomo Electric Carbide Inc. (Mt. Prospect, Illinois) showed a new all ceramic drill for dry, high speed cutting in cast iron. It was in operation in the booth of Hitachi Seiki (Huntsville, Alabama) where, in one of the show's most impressive demonstrations, they were drilling 8mm-diameter holes 20mm deep in 0.5 second.

There were many more interesting ideas on display, too many to mention here. So suffice it to say that Japanese machining technology providers are aggressively mixing their longstanding attention to process detail with an increasing command of process control technology. While their own economy may be down, these companies are well in step with the leading edge of metalworking technology.