Meet the Machine

Used Mazak HCN-4000: One Name, Four Spindles

Our 2014 Mazak HCN-4000III has a 15,000 rpm spindle and a 60-tool magazine. Mazak's standard build, then and now, is 12,000 rpm and 40 tools. Same platform, same 400 mm pallets, same travels. When Mazak launched the III, it offered four spindle types under that one name. Here is how to read the build, not just the badge.

On an HCN-4000, the model name tells you the platform: the pallet, the travels and the taper. It does not tell you the spindle or the tool count, and those two decide what work the machine was ordered for.

Where the HCN-4000 Fits

HCN stands for Horizontal Center Nexus, Mazak's modern horizontal machining center platform. The family runs from the HCN-4000 with 400 mm pallets up through larger models, and Mazak's current lineup lists the HCN-4000, 5000, 6000, 8800, 10800 and 12800 among others. The HCN-4000 is the smallest of them, built around a 15.75 inch square pallet and a CAT 40 spindle.

Mazak introduced the Nexus line at IMTS 2002, and Modern Machine Shop reported in 2004 that Nexus machines are built in Florence, Kentucky. Our Mazak brand profile covers the company, and our Meet the Machine on the HCN-6000 and HCN-6800 covers the bigger HCNs and why shops move to horizontals in the first place.

One Name, Four Spindles

When Mazak launched the HCN-4000III in 2012, its announcement listed four integral motor spindle types for the machine: standard, high torque, semi-high speed and high speed. The range ran from 12,000 rpm on the standard 40-taper spindle to 30,000 rpm on the HSK high-speed version, and Mazak listed the high torque version at 223 ft-lb.

All four went on the same pallet, the same travels and the same model name. A used HCN-4000III could have been ordered with the high torque spindle or the high speed spindle, and the badge on the door looks the same either way.

The tool magazine works the same way. Mazak listed 40 tools as standard on the III, with 60, 80, 120 and 160 tool magazines optional, plus Tool Hive magazines with 180, 240 or 330 positions. The background on how the tool changer made the machining center possible is in our automatic tool changer Machining Monday.

Standard Versus Ours

Here is Mazak's 2012 launch configuration for the III, Mazak's current published HCN-4000 specifications and the 2014 HCN-4000III on our floor.

Two rows tell the story. Ours sits above Mazak's standard on both spindle speed and tool count. The listing does not name which of the four spindle types it is, so confirm that from the machine's own records before you price it against another HCN-4000.

Resell CNC Take

Compare HCN-4000s by the build, not the badge. Two machines with the same year and the same model can have different spindles and a magazine twice the size of the other. Get the spindle type, the magazine count and the option list from the machine before you compare prices.

The Pallet Changer Is the Point

Every HCN-4000 covered here runs a 2-pallet changer. One pallet is in the machine cutting while the operator unloads and reloads the other, so the spindle is not waiting on a setup. Mazak's 2012 announcement described four-point tapered-cone clamping for the pallets.

Mazak's 2024 HCN-4000 NEO keeps the 400 mm pallet as standard and adds 500 mm and 630 mm pallet options. For how pallet automation changed what a machining center can produce, see our Next Shift on multi-pallet machining.

The Control

Mazak launched the HCN-4000III with the Mazatrol Matrix Nexus 2 control, which supports Mazatrol conversational programming, and our 2014 machine has it. Mazak's current HCN-4000 and the 2024 HCN-4000 NEO are shown with the Mazatrol SmoothG control. The history of Mazatrol is in our Mazatrol Machining Monday.

The Numbers Underneath

These are Mazak's published figures for the current HCN-4000. For an older machine, pull the build records for the serial number.

On Our Floor

2014 Mazak HCN-4000III CNC Horizontal Machining Center with 2-Pallet Changer. Mazatrol Matrix Nexus 2 control, two 400 mm pallets with full continuous 4th-Axis table indexing, CAT 40 spindle at 15,000 rpm and 25 HP, 60-tool chain magazine, Mazak SuperFlow V8M high pressure coolant at 1,000 psi through the spindle, Renishaw RMP600 probe, automatic tool length measurement and chip conveyor. Our listing describes it for aerospace, automotive and mold work.

Inventory changes, so check the Mazak brand page for what is available today.

Used-Market Value

Spindle type. The same model was sold with four spindle types. Speed and torque set what material and work the machine suits.

Tool magazine. 40 tools is standard. A 60-tool or larger magazine keeps more tools loaded, so more jobs can stay set up.

Coolant and probing. High pressure through-spindle coolant, a spindle probe and tool length measurement add value when they come with the machine.

Control. Matrix Nexus 2 and SmoothG are different control generations, so check programming, backup and connectivity needs against your shop.

What to Check on a Used Mazak HCN-4000

Build records. Spindle type and speed, magazine size and the option list, from the machine, not the listing alone.

Spindle. Run-out, noise and warm-up through the speed range.

Pallets and changer. Both pallets clean and undamaged, clamping and seating repeatable, and a full pallet change cycle.

4th-Axis rotary table. Indexing accuracy and repeatability across the full rotation.

Tool changer. Run every pocket in the magazine.

Coolant, probe and chips. Through-spindle coolant pressure, probe calibration and chip conveyor function.

Control. Version, alarm history and a full backup of programs and parameters.

A part to print. Cut one of your parts, or one close to it, on both pallets and measure it.

Who Runs One

The HCN-4000 suits production shops running parts that fit a 400 mm pallet, where the 2-pallet changer keeps the spindle cutting during load and unload and the 4th-Axis rotary table reaches multiple faces in one setup. Our listing describes aerospace, automotive and mold work. The right HCN-4000 for a shop is the one whose spindle and magazine match the work, which is why the build matters as much as the year.

Frequently Asked Questions