U-Axis
The demanding machining requirements for new energy vehicles (NEVs), e.g. even smoother surfaces of battery components, more uniform housings and less noisy NEV gears, have presented the high-end wire EDM market with new challenges. What’s more, these stricter requirements come at a time when the shortage of skilled machinists is badly affecting the industry. As an answer to these challenges, Makino has developed the ground-breaking UPX400 wire EDM machine, a machine focused on the high-end Wire EDM applications and born to be automated.
The newly designed table is insulated to reduce the time required for full voltage to be reached. The machine’s gate-type design divides the axes between the table and the head, which enables deformation and accuracies to be controlled with even greater precision. For example, cutting a steel component with five passes can achieve a roundness of 0.67 micron and a surface roughness (Ra) of 330 nm.
The new table has been designed from scratch and is insulated to reduce the time required for full voltage to be reached. This significantly reduces cycle times while improving the surface finish. The new design enables surface roughness to be reduced by almost 50% with the same number of cuts as on other WEDM machines.
The new EW200B power unit reduces the amount of hand polishing needed after machining. The new generator generates shorter and faster pulses on the wire as well as a better controlled, faster discharged spark. As a result, Rz roughness is about 40% lower than on comparable machines.
In response to the shortage of skilled labour, Makino’s R&D specialists were determined to develop a machine that is easy to operate and can be maintained in the same way as Makino’s U3 or U6 machines. U series users will be immediately familiar with the UPX400 thanks to the same top and bottom independent pumps, the same Hyperdrive Extreme system for simplified usage and maintenance of the machine, and the same Hyper I control unit to facilitate operability.
Although the UPX400 is a water-based WEDM machine, it can easily compete on the very demanding oil-based market and achieve similar roughness levels in just half the time
U-Axis
±225 mm
V-Axis
±150 mm
Maximum Workpiece Size
780 x 590 x 230 mm
Available Wire Size:
ø 0.10, ø 0.15, ø 0.20, ø 0.25
Processing fluid capacity:
700L
Ion cartridge capacity:
20L
Machine size:
2,230 x 2,779 x 2,131 mm
Machine weight:
5,200 kg
Temperature control:
±0.5°C
Best finish
Rz 0.4 μm / Ra 0.05 μm
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