The Nakamura-Tome NT-Flex from Methods Machine Tools Inc. is a multitasking machine that features the two-turret, two-spindle NT-Flex for complex high-mix, small-batch production.
The NT-Flex pairs traditional turning and multitasking with Y-axis milling that the company says provides Swiss-style machining for two reasons. First, on part sizes Ø25 to 38 millimeters, the NT-Flex has the power and rigidity to succeed with cuts where traditional Swiss machining can be limited. Second, the smaller size and more accessible work envelope provide a more productive operator experience on toolholder and part changeover.
For shops seeking greater efficiency, Methods Automation Services will pair bar feeders and collection tables, while utilizing the NT-Flex’s Parts Catcher G, to create continuous operations for unattended machining.
The NT-Flex is now available for ordering directly from Methods and its dealer network including Maruka USA, Meredith Machinery, MTA Machinery Inc., and OptiPro Systems.
The NT-Flex is Methods’ third Nakamura-Tome platform released to the U.S. this year, joining the JX-200 B-axis machining center and the twin-spindle NTY3-100V series.
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Related Glossary Terms
- gang cutting ( milling)
gang cutting ( milling)
Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.
- machining center
machining center
CNC machine tool capable of drilling, reaming, tapping, milling and boring. Normally comes with an automatic toolchanger. See automatic toolchanger.
- milling
milling
Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.
- toolholder
toolholder
Secures a cutting tool during a machining operation. Basic types include block, cartridge, chuck, collet, fixed, modular, quick-change and rotating.
- turning
turning
Workpiece is held in a chuck, mounted on a face plate or secured between centers and rotated while a cutting tool, normally a single-point tool, is fed into it along its periphery or across its end or face. Takes the form of straight turning (cutting along the periphery of the workpiece); taper turning (creating a taper); step turning (turning different-size diameters on the same work); chamfering (beveling an edge or shoulder); facing (cutting on an end); turning threads (usually external but can be internal); roughing (high-volume metal removal); and finishing (final light cuts). Performed on lathes, turning centers, chucking machines, automatic screw machines and similar machines.
- work envelope
work envelope
Cube, sphere, cylinder or other physical space within which the cutting tool is capable of reaching.
