kitagawa rotary table factory

The MK Series is an intelligent design to meet the future requirements that the industry demands from a 4th axis rotary table. Kitagawa"s focus has been to improve the standard of their rotary tables in three areas:

The clamping torque of the MK Series has improved by 40% to 570N.m from the older standard of 350N.m of the MR200 rotary table or 1000N.m for the MK250 compared to 600N.m for the MR250 Rotary Table. In addition, Kitagawa has made the depth of the rotary table 10% thinner than the previous MR Series Rotary tables. By incorporating friction-welding procedures into their manufacturing techniques and combining this skill with their design capabilities from many years of experience Kitagawa has delivered a performance balanced new standard of rotary table to the future market. Of course, it must be mentioned that Kitagawa has other stronger (GT Series) and more compact (CK Series) rotary tables in their product range but the MK Series is designed to meet 90% of customers needs and in most cases will be suitably strong enough to withstand various machine cutting conditions demanded of it.

After rigorous testing the MK Series adheres to the same standard of clamping torque test required of ALL Kitagawa rotary tables. For example, for the MK200 a 570N.m of clamping torque is determined as the force at which 30 microns displacement of the worm wheel diameter occurs. Kitagawa determines displacement above this to be a failure as the accuracy you demand from Kitagawa tables cannot be maintained. This is markedly different from many of our competitors who use the "pull-out torque" or slipping torque figure to determine their maximum torque. Kitagawa view slipping torque as a catastrophic and dangerous failure if you have pushed a rotary table to this extreme. So you can rest assured that even if you do push your Kitagawa table to its limitations of the clamping torque indicated in the instruction manual then your Kitagawa table will maintain its accuracy where others fail. This increase to the standard clamp torque significantly increases the allowable cutting torque your machine is able to deliver to the workpiece, reducing takt time to increase your productivity. The MK Series also maintains the highest rotating/drive torque capability in its size and class of rotary tables due to a large worm wheel diameter design enabling you to produce complex workpieces with speed and accuracy.

You will notice that the MK Series rotary tables is supplied without a standard faceplate which will allow you to specify exactly what type of face plate you require - with t-slots or standard pre-drilled holes like the current MR Series rotary tables. The major advantage of this is that a chuck, trunnion bed or any workholding device can be mounted directly onto the rotary table"s spindle, reducing the distance from the spindle bearing. This compact assembly reduces the loading to the spindle bearing therefore increasing the rotary tables rigidity and longevity.

The recessed bolt mounting design shown above is a considerable improvement to reduce the overall footprint of the MK Series compared to its predecessor the MR Series. We all know that space on a machine tool bed can be extremely competitive and adding a rotary table is a big consideration. Anything that can make a rotary table take up less space to allow for more or larger workpieces to be included in the overall workholding design is an important factor when selecting your rotary table.

Above shows the MK200"s overall thinner design and recessed mounting gives up to a 40% reduction in footprint size. This design also reduces chip build up around the base of the rotary table, reducing time for any cleaning cycles and ensuring no workholding system interference caused by the build up of chips. This is a very important consideration for fully automated production cells.

The MK Series can now accommodate "Built-in" 6 +1 port rotary joints, compared to only 4 +1 rotary joints for the equivalent MR Series. This allows for more workholding on a trunnion bed arrangement to be actuated via the rotary joint housed within the large spindle bore of the rotary table. This avoids interference issues you can encounter with tubing and wear if you have to bring the workholding actuation forward of the rotary table face. The 6+1 rotary joint also includes a 12.5mm diameter multi-purpose hole through the centre for additional air or hydraulic services and it can also be used as a wiring duct for seating confirmation sensors, enabling you to enhance any workholding designs and further increasing your workholding capabilities. Kitagawa can now provide high pressure 25 MPa (4-port and 6-port) rotary joints upon request - shown below, this will enable you to further reduce fixtures sizes and to improve clamp speeds if your design requires it.

TMX160 Heavy Duty Rotary Table with increased rigidity for demanding applications. The internal air hydraulic booster gives extremely high clamping forces.

Used in CNC machining and metalwork, rotary tables, also known as indexing tables, provide fine control of a workpiece in order to cut work at specific intervals around a fixed axis. Simply put, it needs to control and rotate the workpiece that is being machined. Since precision and accuracy are so important in the CNC machining process, picking the right machine that fits your needs and requirements is so important.

Kitagawa Rotary Tables feature proven technology with high clamping torque, accuracy, and rigidity. With a wide range of tables to choose from, there is a huge amount of flexibility on offer to meet whatever needs your machine shop may require. Choosing a Kitagawa rotary table is a quick, easy, and inexpensive way of increasing the capabilities of your machining centre, allowing you to increase accuracy, decrease cycle times, and machine more complex parts.

So what are the different types of rotary tables and which is best for you? This greatly depends on what you need to get out of it and your budget. Fortunately, Kitagawa provides some of the best rotary tables on the market and supply a wide range of models for both big and small projects.

Kitagawa’s GT Series are 4-axis rotary tables that offer a higher clamping torque than standard, making them extremely capable of withstanding high cutting loads. Productivity is further enhanced by the tables’ robust yet compact design, which allows maximum metal removal rates to be combined with high indexing accuracy and repeatability. The GT Series also features a rapid clamping action for reduced cycle times and maximum production throughput.

Kitagawa’s TT Series is an example of 5-axis, ball drive rotary tables that feature tilting rotary indexers. These allow for more complex workpiece and machining configurations and make it easy to add 4th and 5th axes capabilities to standard machining centres.

All Kitagawa 5-axis rotary tables are available with a built-in rotary joint if required, simplifying the pipework that would be needed for using a power chuck. When combined with the range of rotary tables, Kitagawa’s extensive range of power chucksallows for a huge amount of flexibility in your machining environment.

Perfect for large scale projects and businesses looking to improve their productivity and efficiency, the multiple components with multiple operations simultaneously, it still possesses all the characteristics of any other 5-axis indexing table.

If you would like more information about Kitagawa Rotary Tables, you can contact us on 01725 512517 or enquiries@1mta.com and arrange a FREE visit with one of our technical representatives. We look forward to hearing from you.

Eastec 2019: Kitagawa NorthTech will be displaying its Nobel brand of workholding chucks for vertical turning lathes (VTLs), available up to 3.5 m (11.48 ft.) in size.

Kitagawa NorthTech earlier this year absorbed Itex Workholding operations, which previously held the distribution rights for Kawatatec Nobel Chucks in North America.

PMTS 2017: Kitagawa-NorthTech, a manufacturer of chucks, cylinders, steady rests and workholding accessories, provides custom turnkey workholding services.

Kitagawa NorthTech offers its Digital Grip Force Analyzer software and kit (PC version) designed to enable users to easily, accurately and quickly analyze and measure grip force performance of their CNC lathes and turning centers via a desktop PC, laptop or tablet.

Featuring robust construction and powerful clamping for high accuracy, Kitagawa’s TT-series NC tilting rotary tables are designed to handle a range of applications including shaft work requiring large through holes.

Well-suited for oilfield work, this compact rotary table has a through-hole diameter of 13.6 inches, which has previously been available only with rotary tables having a much larger face plate.

Workholding product manufacturer Kitagawa-Northtech (Schaumburg, Illinois) has established a strategic business solutions team to accelerate and streamline customer support.

At this Chicago-area manufacturer, quick-change chucks from Kitagawa added to the benefits of moving from multiple setups on multiple machines to producing parts in a single setup on Mazak turn-mills.

While the lack of young people coming into manufacturing industries has been a concern for years, the situation has yet to improve, says Bill Graham, marketing manager for Kitagawa-NorthTech. Mr. Graham believes the industry as a whole needs to better support teachers who are interested in teaching technical skills and dispelling myths about manufacturing.

Thanks to Martin Power and Robert from Kitagawa Europe, I have another guest blog. Robert looks at rotary tables and how the small manual rotary table you might have for your drill press or milling table compairs with it’s bigger brother in the industrial world. For the model engineer, the rotary table would be for cutting curved slots say for an expansion link or rounding the ends of con rods. In industry there is a much wider range of tasks for the rotary table.

Those of you that have converted your shed or garage into a workshop will probably already know what a rotary table is may even have installed one. Even if you haven’t got your own personal workshop; there is a good chance that you have at some time used or at least come into contact with a rotary table. This will most likely have occurred in the school environment when in a Design and Technology class – or similar subject. The rotary table is of course a clamping mechanism that is used in the shaping of metal parts or components, in conjunction with various machines, including lathes, drill presses and milling machines.

In its most basic operation a rotary table is used to hold the object piece firmly in position whilst holes are made in an evenly spaced fashion. The image above shows such a task being carried out on a rotary table which has been mounted on a drill press. There are however much more advanced rotary tables available on the market, which are used in various manufacturing industries.

The photo above shows Kitagawa’s popular GT200 model, which is ideal for heavy machining. The complexity, accuracy and performance levels of such machines make their shed based cousins look like mere toys.

The top end rotary tables are commonly used in the manufacture of components that are used in cars, trains, planes and boats. Every time you travel somewhere in a vehicle you will be making use of metal work that has been created by a rotary table. It is of course important that every component of a vehicle is made precisely to ensure the safety of those using it. In order to deliver this precision, computer numerically controlled (CNC) rotary tables are used in the manufacturing world.

Rather than positioning and turning the rotary table manually; a CNC driven model operates using pre-programmed commands which are entered into a control module such as the one above. The rotary table is also able to communicate with the other end of the metalworking machine that holds the shaping tools. As a result both are able to work in unison; bringing precision and safety.

Whilst rotary tables play a key role in the manufacture of parts in the transport industry, it by no means the extent of their reach. Their usefulness stretches to many other areas of business, from construction to pipe laying. In order to fulfil their role in so many different environments it is important that rotary tables are both adaptable and available in various sizes and configurations.

In the example above we see a rotary table that has a huge through-hole capacity of 345mm. This allows long bar and tube shaped workpieces to be clamped effectively and is ideal for producing pipes to be used to move gas, water and oil. For such tasks, the standard three and four jawed chucks, such as the one below, are not suitable.

Such a clamping solution cannot deliver a suitable torque to hold the piece in place whilst it is being shaped. The result will be that shaping tools will deflect from their target, thus compromising the quality of the final component. Instead a collet chucks as shown below is more suitable for use when manufacturing pipes and bars.

The final main difference between manufacturing rotary tables and those used in schools and hobby workshops centres on the ability to choose tilting options. Standard rotary tables allow for the workpiece to be positioned along 3 axis in relation to the shaping tool. In contrast many models used in manufacturing include a manual or CNC tilting device that enables the workpiece to be positioned on a 4th and 5th axis. The image below shows a rotary table with tilting capabilities being use alongside a drill press.

Performed large-diameter drilling by high-performance NC rotary table MK with large clamping torque. Contributes to high productivity with stable clamping force.

Kitagawa NorthTech offers the highest level of quality and versatility in custom design, engineering and manufacturing of high performance workholding solutions for turning, milling and grinding applications. They offer a comprehensive range of products including, standard three-jaw chucks, quick change chucks, super large bore chucks, hydraulic cylinders, work grippers, rotary tables, automated workholding systems, custom engineered, rotational and stationary workholding solutions, turning and grinding steady rests, and Nobel Brand large chucks for Oil & Gas.

Kitagawa NorthTech, Inc., a U.S. based engineered workholding manufacturer, announced that it has acquired Tecnara Tooling System"s principal product lines through strategic acquisition. The two specific product lines in the purchase include Kitagawa NC Rotary Tables and exclusive distribution rights to MST Yellow Angle Head products. Kitagawa NorthTech will be immediately stocking inventory of Kitagawa Rotary Tables and MST products to support its customers throughout North America.

"Kitagawa NorthTech and Tecnara Tooling Systems have shared a successful sales and business partnership for over 25 years, which helped facilitate the acquisition," said a spokesperson.

Based in Santa Fe Springs, CA, and established in 1979, Tecnara Tooling System has been the exclusive distributor of Kitagawa branded NC Rotary Tables in the USA since 1995. Tecnara Tooling, in partnership with MST Corporation, developed the Yellow Angle Head product line and has been exclusively representing this line for the past 30 years.

Tomo Yamamoto, President of Kitagawa NorthTech, said, "Obtaining the Kitagawa NC Rotary Table product line was a strategic and logical decision to consolidate all Kitagawa brands under one organizational umbrella at Kitagawa NorthTech, Inc. Now we truly offer North American customers comprehensive turn-key workholding solutions for both turning and milling applications."

Yamamoto added, "The inclusion of the MST brand and product line offered us additional value in the Tecnara acquisition. The MST tooling line not only expands the breadth of our workholding portfolio, but it also complements our range of solutions by adding a high quality, precision tooling brand for milling and 5-axis workholding applications. Finally, we believe this acquisition to be another key piece of the puzzle in Kitagawa NorthTech executing its long-term vision and business plan."

Over the past five years, Kitagawa NorthTech has enhanced and expanded its workholding solution sets through a range of strategic endeavors, including new product launches-which recently included a new family of collet chucks-a continued expansion of in-house engineered workholding services, acquiring the exclusive North American distribution rights of the Noble-Kawatatec brand VTL and oil and gas chucks, and a complete upgrade of Kitagawa NorthTech in-house manufacturing, machining and testing equipment.