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Mazak Corp.’s announced technology investment plan of $8.5 million for its Mazak iSmart Factory operations in Florence, Kentucky, is expected to satisfy growing customer demand and minimize turnaround times. The investment encompasses the installation of a manufacturing cell with a fully automated storage and retrieval system, six of Mazak’s machine tools and the company’s Smooth Technologies.

Expected to be complete in late 2019, the manufacturing cell will include two HCN 6800 machining centers, three HCN 8800 machining centers, an Integrex e-1250V multitasking machine and one Mazatec Smart Manufacturing System (SMS). The machine tools all feature Mazatrol SmoothG control technology that is expected to increase part production speed by as much as 30 percent. The cell will also incorporate Mazak’s SmartBox for process monitoring and optimization.

Mazak says that it will use this cell setup to demonstrate the effectiveness of the company’s Smooth Technology digital manufacturing products—such as Smooth Spindle Health Monitoring—that are said to maximize productivity and machine utilization. A fully automated Mazatec SMS for both machine pallet and raw material stocking will supply the six machine tools for continuous production. The Mazatec SMS will provide more storage capacity in the same amount of floor space as well as additional room for future cell expansions.

“Mazak continuously invests in its North American operations, which have grown into a sophisticated and extremely productive Mazak iSmart Factory,” says Dan Janka, president. “At the heart of that forward-thinking concept are plant-wide connectivity, automation and optimized production flow that allow us to significantly increase machine utilization, shorten throughput times, eliminate non-value-added operations and process parts more efficiently.”