The Makino a61nx is a 4-axis CNC horizontal machining center with a reputation for rigid, dependable production that has made it a staple in aerospace, automotive and contract manufacturing cells. This 2022 unit carries twin 500 mm (19.7 inch) pallets on an automatic pallet changer with a 1,100 lb pallet load rating, X / Y / Z travels of 28.7 x 25.6 x 31.5 inches, 2,362 ipm rapid traverse and 1,968 ipm cutting feed. The work envelope accepts parts up to 31.5 inches in diameter by 39.4 inches tall, with 3.9 to 35.4 inches from pallet center to spindle nose. The 14,000 RPM, 50 HP CAT 40 Big Plus spindle is served by a 60-tool automatic tool changer with a 0.9 second tool-to-tool change, handling tools up to 20.1 inches long and 26.4 lbs, with an ATC broken tool sensor. A 0.0001 degree direct-drive (DD) rotary table provides full 4th axis positioning. Control is a Fanuc 310i-B with Makino Professional 6, including Geometric Intelligence (GI) control, high-speed skip, helical interpolation, 3 GB program storage, a 4 MB data server, 400 pairs of tool offsets and 54 pairs of work coordinates. Additional equipment includes 300 PSI coolant through the spindle, overhead shower coolant, a chip conveyor, ball screw core cooling, a 3-point leveling system, spindle and table crash avoidance, an IDFA6E air dryer, and one spare pallet with a 2-sided tombstone.
Compared with the original Makino a61 horizontal, the a61nx was engineered as a faster, more thermally stable 500 mm-class platform. It adds a direct-drive B-axis table for quicker, more accurate indexing, pairs 2,362 ipm rapids with a 0.9 second tool change to trim non-cutting time, and runs Makino's Professional 6 control with Geometric Intelligence for smoother high-speed contouring. The result is a meaningfully better machine, not just a newer one: more spindle time per shift and tighter, more consistent part quality than the earlier a61 it replaced.