Okuma announces green credentials

Machine tool manufacturer Okuma has announced that, since October 2022, production in its three main factories in Japan has used only carbon-neutrally generated electricity, a goal that was achieved earlier than expected. The firm's machining centres, CNC lathes and grinders are sold in the UK and Ireland through sole agent NCMT.

In a further announcement, Okuma says that from April this year it will be labelling certain of its products Green-Smart Machines if they have been shown to cut energy usage considerably. The company claims that three technologies developed in-house particularly assist in energy efficiency when its machine tools are in operation.

One is the proven Thermo-Friendly Concept applied to both the machine structure and spindle, which uses feedback from temperature sensors to deliver high accuracy machining in a normal shopfloor environment, without the need for a warm-up period. This saves not only power but also money and raises production output.

ECO Suite plus provides autonomous energy saving by monitoring spindle temperature and, when it is stable, automatically turning off the coolers. It also monitors hydraulic demand and activates the pump only when necessary, while auxiliary equipment runs when required and stops automatically. A display on the machine shows exactly how much energy is being saved.

The other power minimisation technology is Okuma's systems for spindle cooling, which it says reduce energy consumption by as much as 68% due to optimised control.

A video describing these and other energy-saving measures from Okuma is available at: www.okuma.co.jp/english/green-technology/index.html

NCMT
www.ncmt.co.uk

Company

NCMT

Related Articles

Kent engineering firm manufactures sustainable growth

Kent-based AD Engineering has invested in an ‘eco’ building which has the ability to power its state-of-the-art machinery after securing a five-figure funding injection from NatWest and Lombard Asset Finance.
3 years ago News

Building in circularity

In this article Mats W Lundberg, sustainable business manager at Sandvik Materials Technology (SMT), discusses the benefits of adopting a circular approach to designing products and using materials for a more sustainable future.
3 years ago Features
Most recent Articles

Citizen Machinery appoints new sales engineer

With 25 years' experience working in the machine tool sector, Eric Tollett has been appointed by Citizen Machinery UK as area sales engineer for territories in north-east England, where he will be responsible for sales of the company's Cincom sliding-head and Miyano fixed-head lathes and related automation solutions.
15 hours ago News

MoU signed for net zero combustion engines

MAHLE Powertrain and Clean Air Power have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to combine their efforts in providing rapid and cost-effective solutions for net-zero fuelled internal combustion engines.
2 days ago News

Login / Sign up