Makino Post Learning Journey
At Makino, we were first given a brief presentation of the company. Makino is a technology and solutions provider to a wide spectrum of the manufacturing industry and is a world leader in metal cutting technology. It designs and builds parts for various industries, from small parts in the telecommunications industry to large parts in the aerospace industry. Indeed, even the iPhone casing is made by the precision engineering done in Makino, showing how the technology and engineering done by the company permeates almost every product that requires metal parts today. As a company, its vision is in "defining solutions, enriching partnership", as symbolised by its logo, in which 2 ovals intersect as a symbol of partnership between customers and businesses. It believes too in putting quality first as part of its company culture.
We were then taken on a tour around the factory, where we were taken through the manufacturing process of machines. We were first shown the various parts of a machine, with a blue coating to prevent rusting/corrosion on all surfaces except critical surfaces where parts of the machine are joined together. We were then shown various machines for casting, grinding, spindle production (in a clean room) as well as milling machines (machines that machine solid materials). As emphasised repeatedly throughout the tour, all the various elements of the machine must be precise, such that bars welded together for one of the parts had to be parallel within about 5 microns, which is roughly 1/16 the width of a hair. For 3-axis machines produced by Makino (with the 3-axes corresponding to the 3 dimensions), all the axes must be exactly perpendicular to each other, and each axis must be exactly parallel to the same axis at another spot.
We were then shown various machining centres for dies, moulds etc. all of which have to be precise. As such the heat produced (controlled using a liquid coolant mechanism), the vibrations produced must all be accounted for to ensure total precision. In an instance where a laser was used to measure distance to determine if the vertical motion of the tool is accurate, the distance was precise to a small fraction of an millimeter. We were then shown into the engineer training room, where various parts were put on display to allow the engineers to learn which parts are suitable and which are defective.
Engineers from the R&D milling division then told us about research and development. In a process that lasts about a year, engineers have to create and optimise designs that meet the market demand, taking into account possible competition from other companies that would determine the the price, the features and the time the product is released. After designing, the design/concept would be tested on a simulation, and if satisfactory, a prototype would be built, and potential problems that could arise are rectified as much as possible.
In this visit, I was astonished by the precision and care Makino takes in ensuring its products are of the highest quality, and this has given me valuable knowledge and insights in the field of precision engineering and how it is so relevant in the products we use in our daily life.
We were then taken on a tour around the factory, where we were taken through the manufacturing process of machines. We were first shown the various parts of a machine, with a blue coating to prevent rusting/corrosion on all surfaces except critical surfaces where parts of the machine are joined together. We were then shown various machines for casting, grinding, spindle production (in a clean room) as well as milling machines (machines that machine solid materials). As emphasised repeatedly throughout the tour, all the various elements of the machine must be precise, such that bars welded together for one of the parts had to be parallel within about 5 microns, which is roughly 1/16 the width of a hair. For 3-axis machines produced by Makino (with the 3-axes corresponding to the 3 dimensions), all the axes must be exactly perpendicular to each other, and each axis must be exactly parallel to the same axis at another spot.
We were then shown various machining centres for dies, moulds etc. all of which have to be precise. As such the heat produced (controlled using a liquid coolant mechanism), the vibrations produced must all be accounted for to ensure total precision. In an instance where a laser was used to measure distance to determine if the vertical motion of the tool is accurate, the distance was precise to a small fraction of an millimeter. We were then shown into the engineer training room, where various parts were put on display to allow the engineers to learn which parts are suitable and which are defective.
Engineers from the R&D milling division then told us about research and development. In a process that lasts about a year, engineers have to create and optimise designs that meet the market demand, taking into account possible competition from other companies that would determine the the price, the features and the time the product is released. After designing, the design/concept would be tested on a simulation, and if satisfactory, a prototype would be built, and potential problems that could arise are rectified as much as possible.
In this visit, I was astonished by the precision and care Makino takes in ensuring its products are of the highest quality, and this has given me valuable knowledge and insights in the field of precision engineering and how it is so relevant in the products we use in our daily life.