Engineered for Power: NCMT puts engineering expertise on show

Although there was plenty of machining and grinding taking place during Machinery & Manufacturing’s recent visit to  NCMT’s ‘Engineered for Power’ open house, the real attraction was the engineering knowledge behind the machines.

Bringing together technology aimed squarely at the aerospace and power generation sectors, the event provided visitors with a close-up of the latest Makino models. They could view processes in action and, importantly, talk directly to the engineers responsible for turning machine tool capability into practical production solutions.

It made for an engaging event. Rather than simply presenting a line-up of new machines, NCMT used the open house to demonstrate how machining, grinding, software, metrology and process development must increasingly work together when tackling difficult materials and high-value components.

Grinding provided a pertinent example, with the evolution of Makino’s G-series machines illustrating how the technology has progressed from the original Viper grinding concept of the late 1990s to the latest G5 and G7 platforms. With more than 100 G5 machines delivered worldwide by NCMT, many as turnkey systems, the technology has considerable production experience behind it.

Some of the most interesting developments were found not in the headline machine specifications, but in the finer details.

“Coolant delivery is a really important part of the process, and there’s a lot of development gone on over the years,” visitors were told during the presentation.

That development includes the adoption of additively manufactured coolant nozzles, designed using fluid dynamics studies to deliver high-pressure coolant accurately into the grinding zone. Dressing systems have also evolved, with electric and quick-change solutions supporting greater flexibility and automation.

Software featured prominently too, including EasyGrind Max Plus and NCMT’s Adaptive Grind Solution, which uses CMM data to compensate for component and fixture variations. It was another example of the industry’s continuing drive towards consistent, right-first-time manufacture.

Elsewhere at the event, Makino’s A500 IR five-axis horizontal machining centre broadened the machining content, while the BX3 submerged fine-hole EDM drilling machine demonstrated technology developed for producing turbine blade cooling holes with consistent breakthrough control.

What made Engineered for Power a successful open house was its balance of technology and practical engineering. Visitors came away with more than machine specifications. They saw how NCMT is bringing together machines, knowledge and software to address genuine production challenges – which is exactly what a worthwhile manufacturing open house should deliver.