How Machine Shops Can Keep Energy Costs Down
Okuma explains how to offset a projected increase in energy costs of $21,541 in just one year.
Posted: February 23, 2016
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.
A new white paper published by Okuma America Corporation (Charlotte NC), 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 their ECO suite technology, part of the OSP software suite, can achieve significant energy savings by reducing power consumption during machine operating and waiting times. For a free download of the white paper, please click here.
ECO suite is available on Okuma machine tools equipped with the OSP-P300 control and the new OSP suite application. ECO suite reduces power consumption through four new intelligent control applications:
- ECO Idling Stop – The world’s first application that stops machine tool idling, has shown energy savings up to 74 percent during non-cutting operation (over a one month time frame). Using the 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 percent reduction in power consumption.
- ECO Operation – Operators set time limits for peripheral equipment, automatically stopping them after cutting is finished.
In addition to efficient technologies, many of their machine tools are equipped with a PREX Motor. Compact and lightweight, they are the first commercialized high-performance reluctance motor to make acceleration and deceleration highly responsive. Their ideal combination of horsepower, torque, thrust, and lower inertial mass is designed to optimize machine performance and reduce energy consumption by 5 percent to 13 percent. For more information on the energy saving ECO suite please click here.
Okuma America is the U.S.-based sales and service affiliate of Okuma Corporation (Nagoya, Japan), a world leader in CNC machine tools, founded in 1898. The company is the industry’s only single-source provider, with the CNC machine, drive, motors, encoders, and spindle, all manufactured by Okuma. The company also designs their own CNC controls to integrate seamlessly with each machine tool’s functionality. They are committed to helping users gain competitive advantage through the open possibilities of machine tools, today and into the future.
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