New Machines Improve the Operator’s Experience

“Efficiency” and “optimization” are key words in the manufacturing world these days, and they were themes at DMG Mori Seiki’s Open House at the Deckel Maho facility in Pfronten, Germany, the week of February 17. Quite a few of the company’s 2014 world premieres were on display, and I was struck by the attention paid to simplify the user experience, allowing complex processes to be managed more easily.

For example, DMG Mori Seiki’s design seems to address far more than aesthetic concerns. With so much emphasis being placed on recruiting young students for careers in manufacturing, I couldn’t help but think about how much more appealing the streamlined appearance of the company’s new machines will be to the next generation of equipment operators.

They will also find the CELOS operator interface familiar, having grown up with smartphones and tablet computers with similar graphics and functions. That’s certainly what I gathered from mingling with the groups of teenagers who were wandering the expo hall. The touchscreen monitor CELOS incorporates employs many of the same navigation techniques familiar to smartphone users. Eighteen machines currently offer CELOS as part of the company’s new common design, as will all future equipment.

In addition to CELOS—originally introduced at EMO 2013—new machines and/or designs were on display. The CTX beta 800 TC offers complete turn and mill machining with a new, ultra-compact spindle, and the fourth generation of duoBLOCK 80 machines provide increased precision during five-axis milling operations. The DMU 270 P is designed for large-envelope five-axis machining, and the DMU 70 ecoline opens the door to five-sided machining for entry-level operators. A concept study featuring Lasertec 65 additive manufacturing focused on the introduction of generative laser deposition welding into five-axis milling.