More than 1,500 attendees from across North America attended Mazak Corporation’s DISCOVER 2021 event, as the company premiered its new SYNCREX Series of Swiss-style machines and presented its latest campus expansion to support these new machine tools. The event, held at Mazak’s North American Headquarters in Florence, Kentucky, from October 25-29, featured a wide variety of technologies, insights from leading industry experts and tours of the company’s facilities, including 32,000 sq. ft. of new production and aftermarket parts warehousing to accommodate Kentucky production of the new SYNCREX Series.
In addition to the introduction of the new SYNCREX Swiss-style series of machines, attendees also saw numerous North American machine premieres at DISCOVER. The Kentucky campus will accommodate manufacturing and parts supply for SYNCREX, designed for high-volume production of small, precise parts. Among the 25 machines under power at DISCOVER, other debuts included the first in-person North American showing of the compact Mazak Ez Series. Designed to support job shops, the Ez series offers Mazak quality and performance at an affordable pricepoint. Additionally, the company debuted its INTEGREX i-H Series of Multi-Tasking machines with the new MAZATROL SmoothAi CNC, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve efficiency and precision.
High attendance and new-customer interest in Mazak technologies attest to the strong momentum in the manufacturing industry, with more than 25 percent of DISCOVER 2021 attendees being new to Mazak. Customers crowded around the Mazak Ez Series and SYNCREX Swiss-type machines at the event, attracted to the barrier-dropping price of the Ez Series and the addition of Swiss-style machining to the Mazak lineup. “We knew that these machines filled important needs for job shops and manufacturers in industries from high tech to transportation,” said Dan Janka, president of Mazak Corporation. “We continue to expand our product lines and our production capacities to meet the surge in demand that’s giving manufacturers new competitive opportunities.”
A long list of focused demonstrations and walk-up presentations rounded out DISCOVER 2021 with technology previews geared to workflow productivity on the shop floor. There was special focus on MPower, Mazak’s new Complete Customer Care program, which provides single-source end-to-end support throughout the life of every Mazak machine tool. To assist with the machine acquisition process, DISCOVER also spotlighted Mazak Capital Equipment Financing (MCEF), which is the company’s one-stop solution for shops to purchase or lease their machine tools directly through Mazak itself.
“We dedicated this event to ‘Move Manufacturing Forward,’ and made it a showcase of technology and ideas that our customers can use to propel their success. Our theme reflects the ways we always want to help our customers advance,” said Dan Janka.
Tours of the Mazak iSMART Factory™, the company’s fully automated and networked production facility, gave attendees a close look at how the company uses its machines to produce its machines. As a showcase of Mazak Digital Solutions, the factory exemplifies the value of digitalized production to provide in-depth insights that manufacturers can use to resolve manufacturing bottlenecks and improve productivity. Attendees also visited the Mazak ISO 9001:2015 Spindle Rebuild Center, which guarantees the highest precision and quality in spindle service.
Beyond the over 1,500 in attendance, virtual visitors took advantage of DISCOVER ON-DEMAND to view presentations and demonstrations through a mobile app or web browser.
New Swiss-Style Machine Series
Mazak further expanded its machine tool technology portfolio with the debut of an all-new line of SYNCREX Swiss-style machines at the company’s DISCOVER 2021 event. With Mazak’s well-known performance and quality, the extremely precise SYNCREX models feature seven, eight and nine-axis configurations and are optimized for high-production of small parts.
These new Swiss-type machines use a collet plus single-motor ball spline drive for heightened accuracy and reduced material waste. A 10,000 rpm spindle and a variable vibrating system ensure the utmost in stable, repeatable performance.
“Now shops can count on Mazak quality to expand their productivity into new areas and applications,” said Dan Janka, president of Mazak Corporation. “We are excited to showcase this new technology at DISCOVER 2021 and give our customers new reasons to choose Mazak. We are also extremely proud to produce the new series in Kentucky and are in the process of adding a new building to our Florence campus specifically for that production.”
Mazak’s SYNCREX machines accommodate a maximum of 35 tools in a standard configuration: 22 static and 13 live. An exclusively designed automated tool setter checks, measures and sets up tools to optimize the process, allowing shops to reduce setup times from days to hours and regain valuable cut time.
A unique high-rigidity base casting creates greater stability, reduced vibration and thermal distortion for increased tool life, enhanced part quality and better surface finishes. A twin-screen system with built-in AutoDesk software helps further speed part setups and production.
Mazak SYNCREX machines sport the new MAZATROL SmoothSt CNC that features Mazak’s Swiss Setup Assist (MSSA) for fast and easy job setups along with Mazak Turning Chip Control (MTCC) functionality. For further ease of use, the control’s soft key PLC functions include those for tool touch off, part cut off, retract point and start position. MAZATROL SmoothSt also allows for synchronous control, rigid tapping with all spindles and cross and front simultaneous machining.
Like all Mazak machine tools, SYNCREX machines are backed by Mazak’s comprehensive 2-year warranty, industry-leading MPower complete customer care service and support program, and lifetime parts availability.
About Mazak Corporation
Mazak Corporation is a leader in the design and manufacture of productive machine tool solutions. Committed to being a partner to customers with innovative technology, its world-class facility in Florence, Kentucky produces over 100 models of turning centers, Multi-Tasking machines and vertical machining centers, including 5-axis models. Continuously investing in manufacturing technology allows the Mazak iSMART Factory™ to be the most advanced and efficient in the industry, providing high-quality and reliable products. Mazak maintains eight Technology Centers across North America to provide local hands-on applications, service and sales support to customers.
For more information on Mazak’s products and solutions, visit www.MazakUSA.com or follow Mazak on Twitter and Facebook.
