White Paper Details Energy-Efficient CNC Machine Tool Technologies

Rising energy costs continue to affect profits and be a major concern for machine shops of all sizes. Hidden costs in CNC machining such as machine tool idling, unnecessary pump rotation and continuous running of peripheral equipment guzzle energy. "Having the ability to manage these costs can provide significant savings," said an Okuma spokesperson.

A white paper published by Okuma America Corporation, titled "Energy-Efficient Machine Tool Technologies, For Any Size Shop," discusses findings from a 2015 survey of metalworking companies which revealed that shops could see an energy cost increase of $21,541 in just one year. The white paper describes how Okuma's ECO suite technology, part of OSP suite, can achieve significant energy savings by reducing power consumption during machine operating and waiting times. The white paper is available for free download at http://www.okuma.com/wp-energy-efficient-machine-tool-technologies. ECO suite is available on Okuma machines equipped with the OSP-P300 control and the OSP suite application.

ECO suite reduces power consumption through four intelligent control applications:

• ECO Idling Stop - "The world's first application that stops machine tool idling, ECO Idling Stop has shown energy savings up to 74% during non-cutting operation (over a one month time frame)," said the spokesperson. Using Okuma's Thermo-Friendly Concept, this feature monitors the cooling status of the milling and turning spindles and automatically turns them off when cooling is complete.
• ECO Power Monitor - This allows operators to see how much energy is being used and saved. The machine tool's display shows power consumption for spindles, feed axes and peripheral equipment.
• ECO Hydraulics - This optional feature provides accurate machining control at a very low rotation speed minimizing unnecessary pump rotation during dwell pressure applications. Rotation is optimized by combining the servo control technology on the machine tool with high-efficiency hydraulic pumps. "Demonstrations have shown 63% reduction in power consumption," said the spokesperson.
• ECO Operation - Operators set time limits for peripheral equipment, automatically stopping them after cutting is finished.

In addition to efficient technologies, many Okuma machine tools are equipped with a PREX Motor. "PREX motors are compact and lightweight and are the first commercialized high-performance reluctance motor to make acceleration and deceleration highly responsive," said the spokesperson. The combination of horsepower, torque, thrust and lower inertial mass is designed to optimize machine performance and reduce energy consumption by 5-13%.

For more information contact:

For more information on Okuma's energy saving ECO suite visit http://www.okuma.com/eco-suite-energy-saving-cnc-control-applications.

Okuma America Corporation

11900 Westhall Drive

Charlotte, NC 28278

704-588-7000

www.okuma.com