The machine design begins with a unique axis configuration – featuring no overhangs – and incorporates large mineral castings for bed and column that provide a robust cutting platform for long-hours machining. It then integrates 8 mm fine-pitch ballscrews as standard equipment, enabling the f6 machine to provide superior precision. Together these features reduce variability for hours of continuous, tight-tolerance machining. The f6 offers positioning accuracies to within ±0.0015 mm and repeatability of ±0.001 mm. A key highlight is the increased Y stroke of 650 mm to accommodate more squarish workpieces.

Mineral casting along with independent chillers for structure/axis and spindle helps to maintain consistent machining accuracies for long-hours continuous machining.

Included in the standard configuration of the f6 machine is a highly productive 20,000 rpm, HSK-63A spindle, which incorporates Makino’s core-cooling, under-race and jacket spindle temperature control system. The two-range spindle supplies unique, wide-range capability with the stiffness and rigidity at lower ranges for roughing operations, and vibration/chatter-free production of small details and fine features when utilising small tools at high rpm.

The f6 utilises the Makino Professional 6 control, which has Fanuc 31i-MB+ control in the background providing a seamless graphical user interface (GUI), touch-screen selection offering instant access to information literally at your fingertip, user-friendly, efficient PC-like capability for data management and editing, and the networking and storage capability of a data centre.

Also featured in the f6 is Makino’s next-generation Super Geometric Intelligence (SGI.5) software – developed specifically for high-feedrate, tight-tolerance machining of complex, 3-D contoured shapes involving continuous tiny blocks of NC data – that ensures production rates faster than standard CNC systems while maintaining high accuracy. SGI.5 helps provide the lowest cycle times and costs achievable by reducing machining cycle times on dies, complex cavities and cores, and precision mould bases by as much as 40 per cent when compared to most other control technologies.

The machine delivers positioning accuracies and repeatability in the microns, the spindle ensures capability to address a wide variety of tooling and machining applications, and SGI.5 provides unsurpassed accuracy and speed in tough, challenging, complex geometries. This platform is an ideal choice for shops looking to get top-shelf machining performance and superior machining results at a reasonable investment – a real value proposition.

Automation from the front and right side facilitates unattended operation and with improved thermal management the machining results are consistent.

Standard specifications: 

• 20,000 rpm, HSK-A63 spindle
• 30-tool ATC
• Spindle temperature controller
• Axis temperature controller
• Ball screw core cooling
• Ball screw support bearings cooling
• Motor flange cooling
• LED lightning with splash guard
• 3 layer signal light
• Splash guard and ATC door inter-lock with lock
• Automatic air blow
• Centralized auto grease
• Portable manuale pulse generator with the handle enable button
• Rigid tapping
• Professional 6 controller
• Super GI.5 control
• Linear interpolation positioning
• User memory 2 GB + 1 GB
• 1,000 registerable programs
• Tool offset memory type C
• Tool offset 400 pairs
• Custom macro variables, 600 numbers
• Auto power out
• ECO mode functions
• Power fail monitor
• Lift-up chip conveyor (scrapper-left discharge)