Interview on Manufacturing

Developers Talk

Appeals of the XWT-�
CNC �-Spindle �-Turret Precision Lathe
WORK & SOUL

HAMADA Co., Ltd.
information

Asahi Plant Starts Publishing Videos
Exhibited at EMO Hannover ����Participation in the “Toshiie and Matsu” Kanazawa Castle Relay Marathon ����Strolling Through TAKAMAZ
Traveling the Hokuriku Area to Experience Craftsmanship

Visiting the front town of the head shrine of Hakusan Shrine,
where chrysanthemum sake is brewed[Cover photo]

Location: Ishikawa Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry Research Center, Forestry Experiment Station Exhibition Hall
An exhibition hall that stands in an arboretum known for beautiful cherry and camellia blossoms. This photo was takenin the building which was designed by Mitsuo Taki, who is known for architecture that coexists with nature.

Model / Misato Kimura
Also appears as the navigator in our Asahi Plant tour video.

TAKAMATSU MACHINERYPR Magazine Autumn 2023

Interview on Manufacturing
Stories of TAKAMAZ Members
Manager of Control Development Division
Technical Development Dept.

Ryo Nagata

The loader system is also new, isn’t it?
Chief of Research and Development Division
Technical Development Dept.

Shota Shinmoto

Research and Development Division
Technical Development Dept.

Kotaro Aoki

NagataThe introduction of the new loader
system is also a feature of the
XWT-�. The previous loader systems
were conﬁgured using various parts
including dedicated control boards,
display units, and ampliﬁers. The
XWT-� integrates the loader systemand the main unit system, which
reduces the number of parts andimproves maintainability.
Shinmoto

That was good, because reductionof the number of par t s andcentralization simpliﬁes maintenance.
NagataAnother point I would like to add
is that the loader is equipped witha mechanism that enables it touse energy generated during motor
deceleration as a power supply, whichhelps to reduce power consumption.

Developers Talk

CNC �-Spindle �-Turret Precision Lathe

We spoke with three developers who
led the development of the newmodel XWT-�, which is to be put
on display at the “Mechatronics
Technology Japan ����” (MECT ����)exhibition held at Port Messe Nagoya
from October �� to ��. The XWT-� hasbeen upgraded to make it a machine
tool that can be used not only inthe automotive industry, where theaims are eﬃciency and accuracy,
but also in other business ﬁelds. Thisdevelopment required a substantial
increase in ﬂexibility and workability
to address the needs of multiproduct,
variable quantity production.
In brief, what kind of model is XWT-�?

Chief of Research and Development Division
Technical Development Dept.

Shinmoto

The XWT-� is the latest redesigned
s u c ce s s o r t o t h e m u c h - l o v e d
XW-���, addressing market needs
such as “high productivity” and“compactness” required by theautomobile industry. In accordancewith the shift to electric vehicles,2

Appeals of the XWT-�the redesign for this model has
focused on machining drive systemparts such as for transmissions anddiﬀerential gears, and steering-relatedparts. It also caters to a range ofother ﬁelds including construction
machinery, agricultural machinery,
hydraulic and pneumatic equipment,
and robots, and to increase its
competitiveness in these markets,
we added speciﬁcations that takethe environment and SDGs into
consideration.
We have also prepared functions andequipment to ensure we can improve
working convenience by making fulluse of Digital Transformation (DX).

What was your intention in making themachine usable in other business ﬁelds?
Shinmoto

Production lines that are able tohandle a variety of parts are required
to respond to the diversiﬁcation ofcustomer needs in various businessﬁelds. Therefore, we focused onproviding ﬂexibility such as setupchanges according to changes inthe type of product to be machined,
and making it easy for customers
to change the loader operation
program themselves.
Please tell us the speciﬁc diﬀerences incontrol compared to existing models.
Manager of Control Development Division
Technical Development Dept.

NagataThe operation panel is a ��.�-inch
touch panel, which is large withexcellent visibility. A multi-display
format with three sections—upper,
middle, and lower—displays therequired information according
to the work situation, enabling
intuitive operation. The TAKAMAZ
OS is provided as standard, and thehome screen now allows various
information about the machine,
including the starting conditions,operation s tatus, produc tioncompletion schedule, and progressstatus, to be viewed on one screen. In
addition, the DX technology makes it
possible to automate and simplify
operations.

Are there other features that you
would like to tell us about from thedevelopers’ point of view?
Shinmoto

The XWT-� focuses on environmental
friendliness and uses our original

thermal displacement compensation
system, called “Thermony ”, asstandard. In addition to reducing
machining defects due to thermal
displacement, it also deals withheat generation inside the machine
which aﬀects machining accuracy
by adopting a mechanism whereby
temperature rise is suppressed byan air cooling structure, rather thanforced cooling by cooling ﬂuid.
This eliminates the need for thepump power and cooling ﬂuid of aliquid-cooled structure, resulting inlower running costs and improved
maintainability.
Another point is that in orderto develop the mos t suitablea u to m a t i o n s y s te m f o r t h emachine, we developed the loader
simultaneously with the lathe andhave given it a structure that diﬀers
from conventional loaders. Loaders
are proposed solutions to the issueof how to mount and dismountworkpieces at a machine tool quickly
without vibration. In order to achieveeven higher speed and vibration
control, the XWT-� has been provided
with optional speciﬁcations that
reduce weight by using newmaterials in place of s teel, andmaking s tr uc tural changes. We
are considering rolling out thistechnolog y to other produc t s in

Future-oriented 2-Spindle,
2-Turret Precision Lathewith Broad Market Applicability

CNC 2 Spindle 2 Turret CNC Precision Lathe

XWT-8

NEW

®

addition to the X W T- �.

Research and Development Division
Technical Development Dept.

Aoki

With regard to the slide structural
par ts that I was responsible for,
we used hybrid slides combining
roller and linear guides to givehigh sliding rigidity and positioning
accuracy for turning work. Alongwith the changes to the slide
structure, we expanded the slide
span that bears the machining load
to ensure rigidity equal to or greaterthan that of conventional machines.
We have also managed to reduce theamount of lubricant used.
A little over a year has passed since thedevelopment plan was announced.
Through repeated trial and error while
taking the market needs and thewishes of each division into account, amachine that has new features while
maintaining the essence of TAKAMAZ
was born. Please visit the TAKAMAZ
booth at MECT ����.
More
eﬃcient work
checking!

● Large-sized Touch Panelfor Improved Operability

A 21.5-inch touch panel providing
excellent visibility is adopted for better
operating convenience during setup.

● Shorter Loading Times
The shortest loading time is 10% faster than on existing models,
at 5.5 seconds. This increases productivity from workpiece
supply to unloading.

● New 3-axis loader system adopted
All the functions that facilitate loader setup are applied to the
3-axis loader system, improving working convenience andproductivity.

● Reductions in Machining Defects andEnergy Consumption

TAKAMAZ s proprietary Thermony ® thermal displacement
correction system can predict the eﬀects of changes intemperature on ﬁnish dimensions under various conditions ofuse and environmental conditions and apply corrections to curtail
machining defects.
Chuck size
Spindle bearing I.D.
Spindle speed
TypeMax. stroke
Rapid traverse rate
Spindle motor
L×W×H
Controller Speciﬁcations

Collet,8 inch
φ100 mm
Max.4,000 min -1
8-station turret
X:150 Z:180 mm
X:24 Z:24 m/min
AC 11/7.5 kW
1,890（Overall width：2,250）×2,187×2,400（Overall height：2,935）mm
FANUC Oi-TF Plus

3

Visiting Our Customers

In the medical ﬁeld, we startedout by supplying parts, but now
we manufacture and sell our own
products, namely clip appliers.
They are medical devices, developed
in-house together with medical
doctors, and have movement andgrasping functions at the tip thatcan be controlled without restriction
using one hand. This reduces the timerequired for laparoscopic surgery.
We are also applying our specialty
metal cutting technology in the
medical ﬁeld, to manufacture medical
components such as artiﬁcial joints
and small steel parts. Implants thatremain in the body are diﬃcult tomachine because they are made ofa biocompatible cobalt-chromium alloy.
So we are machining a material with ahigh hardness and also feels sticky.
As a result of our expansion into
the medical ﬁeld, we have acquired
electric discharge machines, laser
markers, �D printers, and othereq uip m ent, a nd w e a re now
making use of know-how about
this equipment in our machiningof automotive parts.

vol.���

Hamada Co., Ltd.

-Self-reliance-

P l a yi ng a n a c ti ve r ol e i n t h e a u t om ot i ve a n d m e di ca l ﬁ e l ds
by ma k i ng fu l l u se of s ph e ri ca l m a ch i n i n g t e ch n ol ogy .

B e h ind th i s wa s th e d evel op m e n t of pe opl e w h o t a ke on ch a l l e n ge s .

HMD clip appliers

Mirror ﬁnish parts

Making People, To Produce High Quality Products

As a professional group that supports manufacturing in Hiroshima,

their business has developed focusing on the machining of automotive parts ever since foundation.
Such technology has led to the development of their proprietary brand for medical devices.

HEART-1

Improvement Project

Improvement activities implemented
from the bottom up
Project name: HEART-1 Activities
Aim to develop Hamada s original technology as a professional【Hamada Co., Ltd.】【Right】Executive Director / Yutaka Oishi【Middle】General Manager of Manufacturing Dept.
and Production Control Dept./ Tomoya Handa【Left】Chief of Production Engineering Division / Junichi Hironaka

Hamada is a Hiroshima-based company
engaged in the machining of parts forvehicle drive and electrical systems,
engines and transmis sions. The
spherical machining reﬂected in the
motif of the logo can be said to be
the most emblematic technolog yof the company. That technolog yhas evolved to handle mirror ﬁnish
machining, and now even covers workin the medical ﬁeld. Through thisinterview, we got a closer look at thework and mindset of an executive
director and personnel with duties atthe production site.
4

1-9-41 Mokage,Fuchu-cho,Aki-gun,Hiroshima
TEL.+81-(0)82-281-6341
FAX.+81-(0)82-285-0531
President : Tadahiko Hamada
Capital : 30 million yen
Employees : 300
Establishment : April 1953
Nature of Business :Precision machining of metal, mainly for automobile
parts, and manufacture and development of medical
equipment

Firstly, please tell us about your business.
【Executive Director Oishi】Our business
uses NC lathes and machining centers
to machine automotive parts suchas for drive and electrical systems,
engines, and transmissions. We
specialize particularly in sphericalmachining, which is even indicatedin the company logo. To give an
example of our automotive parts, wedeliver parts for the focal point ofgear levers for manual transmission
vehicles. They are still used on carssuch as roadsters, but there are manycustomers who place importance on
how the lever feels, so these can be

Hamada group supporting manufacturing in Hiroshima.

Enjoy

Be strict with yourself, be kind to others, and enjoy your work!

ActiveActively engage in everything withdelicate sensitivity and bold energy.

RefineReﬁne the sophisticated and precise metal cutting technology
built up through the manufacture of automotive parts.

Try

Carry on the technological capabilities that Hamada
is proud of and accept the challenge of reaching
further heights without fear of failure.

1.(One)As people grow, so does the company. Each with our dream,
we share one feeling in our quest to become #1.

considered as parts that require ﬁnepolishing.

In recent years, you have broadened
your activities to cover the medical
ﬁeld too.
【Oishi】 We started working on thistwelve years ago. It came about when
the company president took on thechallenge in the belief that thetechnology of spherical machining
could be utilized for artiﬁcial hip
joints. A big diﬀerence in comparison
with automotive parts was the mirror
ﬁnish. A mirror-like surface must be
achieved, and that is diﬃcult.

This self-motivated attitude issomething that we can sense in thecreation of your own specialized
mac h in e tools an d d e sign ofproduction lines, don’t you think?
【Oishi】 That’s right. With factoryequipment too, we purchase machines
without accessories, make thejigs in-house, and handle everything
through to setup. We also purchaserobots without accessories, make thehands and teach them, and ﬁnallybuil d ev erything in-hous e toenable automatic transfer, whichis also something I believe to be
characteristic of us.
With that in mind, how do you
evaluate TAKAMAZ’s machines,
people, and services?
【Chief of Production Engineering
Division Hironaka】Since your sales
personnel have experience in service
work, they quickly understand ourthoughts and are very easy to workwith. This also applies to meetings

about the speciﬁcations of machines.
Added to that, the machines arealso simple and not susceptible tobreakdowns, so they are highly
rated by those on the factory ﬂoor.

【Oishi】 I also heard people on thefactory ﬂoor say that TAKAMAZ
machines are good because they
don’t break down easily. Even if
one does break down, it can beﬁxed in-house thanks to the simple
structure. The fact that the machines
are made by taking the users’
perspective is an aspect I think highlyof.

As the shift toward electric vehicles
continues, electric parts are expected to
become a ﬁercely contested sector. The
corporate culture fostered by Hamada
makes it easy to imagine the company
boldly taking on challenges in its productlineup. This interview, with smiles that
told me so cheerfully “I enjoy my work”,
has left a strong impression on me.

You have expanded into a ﬁeldthat is very diﬀerent ﬁeld fromautomotive parts. What kind of
motivation did you all have for that?
【Oishi】The employees seemed highly
motivated because the spirit of taking
on challenges is naturally instilled aspart of or company’s constitution.
Even before expanding into the
medical ﬁeld, we took on a successionof other ﬁelds including railway partsand sports equipment.

Would you say that your constitution
as an organ iz ation th at take s
on challenges stems from yourmanagement philosophy of Making
People, To Produce High Quality
Products?
【General Manager of Manufacturing
Dept. and Production Control Dept.
Handa】 I think nurturing people isundoubtedly important in manufacturing.
I am now managing ��� people inthe manufacturing department,
and I start by meeting people
one-on-one and listening to theirviews on where there emphasis is
on work. The average age of theworkforce is around ��, but whenstarting up something new or making
improvements, we create a small
team where everyone can act with asense of being in the loop, rather thana top-down team. I feel that ourcompany is characterized by the factthat we actively delegate work to
people who raise their hands, andthat the president is fully behindthose people. The HEART-� project is
an improvement initiative that takes
advantage of this characteristic. We
have made a poster for the projectand everyone is involved in it.

HP5Asahi Plant tour video
released on YouTube!

information

Scan to view video.
TAKAMAZ

Traveling the Hokuriku Area to Experience Craftsmanship

Kikuhime

CRAFT CONSCIOUS

Visiting the front town of the head shrine of Hakusan Shrine,
where chrysanthemum sake is brewed

SearchShirayama Hime Shrine

erExhibited at EMO Hannover ���� (Germany)

Shishiku Highland

157
Ted
ori R
iv

At the foot of Mount Hakusan lies the town of Tsurugi, which retains an air of prosperity as aformer lodging town on the Tsurugi Kaido road.In addition to the long-established chrysanthemum
sake brewery, the town is dotted with miso and soy sauce brewers, and has a deep-rooted culturearound fermented produce.
Walking along the tranquil approach to the shrine, you can look out over the Tedori river delta andenjoy the rich fragrance of Japanese sake.How about a trip to Tsurugi?

We published a YouTube video
that introduces all the highlightsof the [Asahi Plant] in April
����. Ms. Misato Kimura, themodel who appears on the
cover of this issue, introduces
our workplace that is conscious
about environmental friendliness
and working convenience while
actually walking around the plant.
Please check it out!

Ishikawa
Prefectural Forestry
Experiment Station

Shirayama Hime Shrine
Mt. Hakusan has been worshiped as asacred mountain since ancient times.
Shirayama Hime Shrine is the head shrineof the Hakusan Shrine, which takes thesacred mountain Hakusan as its object ofworship. Omoteya, a shop located by theentrance to the front approach, is very
popular for its oban-yaki (large oval
pancakes ﬁlled with bean jam).

EMO Hannover will be the first EMO show in four years after the ����event in Milan. In a normal year this would be a season where you need alight coat, but there was a fierce lingering heat here in Germany too,coupled with somewhat depressed economic sentiment, whichmeant that the event was scaled down a little.
However, maybe partly because we hadjust come out of the Covid-�� pandemic, it
seemed to be getting back to the old level ofHannoveractivity, with over ���,��� visitors. Our lineup
showcased a total of five models, including the
popular European hybrid machine “XYT-��” andthe show proved a good opportunity to team up
with local dealers and expand sales in Europe.

The Whole Team Attempts ��.��� km!
On October �st, in good weather,eighty TAKAMAZ volunteers gatheredat Kanazawa Castle and participatedin the “Toshiie and Matsu” Kanazawa
Castle Relay Marathon ���� [FallCamp]. They wore newly-preparedteam T-shirts in five colors for thisvery friendly event! Everyone—thosewith muscle pains from hurried
training and those who were fully
satisfied with their daily results—
competed to the best of their ability
with their own thoughts and feelings.

Strolling Through TAKAMAZ

Shishiku HighlandThis is a plateau with an altitude of 650 m.
At the peak of the mountain, reached byropeway, you can get a panoramic view ofthe delta of the Tedori River and asplendid view of the Sea of Japan. The
sight of people ﬂying in the sky withparagliders is also impressive.

Osaka Oﬃce

After working at the head oﬃce and Nagoya branch, Mr. Takahashi,
who has been with TAKAMAZ for ﬁve years, took on machine repair
and maintenance work at the Osaka branch in April this year. During
his three years at high school, he devoted himself to baseball, and he
now runs even to Tottori and Shikoku every day for his customers.

Stands of wild chrysanthemums can be found in the upper reaches of theTedori River, which ﬂows through the Kaga region of Ishikawa Prefecture, andthe water of the Tedori River that receives the water droplets that fall from theﬂowers is respected as kikusui (chrysanthemum water), while the sake brewed
with that water is called kikuzake (chrysanthemum sake).
It is said that Hideyoshi Toyotomi made the ﬁrst mention of Kagachrysanthemum sake when he held the Daigoji Temple Cherry Blossom
Viewing. Kikuhime is one of the breweries that has inherited thechrysanthemum sake tradition.

Rui Takahashi

1

2

1
2
3
6

The third month after I came to the Osaka branch. Sometimes, I drive to
Shikoku and back. I am making the most of the new location, enjoying
the view of the Naruto whirlpools through the car window, for example.
The company car that travels over a wide area is like a dedicatedpushcart. Items like my familiar tools and helmet are loaded in thetrunk as if they own the place.

TAKAMATSU MACHINERY CO., LTD.
■HEAD OFFICE & PLANT

1-8 ASAHIGAOKA HAKUSAN-CITY ISHIKAWA JAPAN. 924-8558
TEL +81-(0)76-207-6155 FAX +81-(0)76-274-1418■ASAHI PLANT
4-13 ASAHIGAOKA HAKUSAN-CITY ISHIKAWA JAPAN. 924-0004
TEL +81-(0)76-274-0123 FAX +81-(0)76-274-8530

His Favorite Places & Tools
I keep a number of pens in my breast pocket all the time, memorize assembly
drawings, and deal with machines at customers’ sites. Smartphones are alsoa must-have tool to access advice from experienced employees.

Passing through the noren curtain of an elegant wooden building and looking
for high-grade sake is a treat of a visit to Tsurugi.
About 1.2 km away from Kikuhime, we ﬁnd Shirayama Hime Shrine, the head
shrine of the Hakusan Shrine which has about 3,000 aﬃliated shrines
throughout Japan. Walking along the tranquil front approach, you will bewelcomed by a line of shrine buildings nestled among old trees.
You can reach the Shishiku Highland by going through the north gate of theshrine and climbing a hill. If you take a cable car to the top of the mountainand look down, you can see a superb view of the delta of the Tedori River.

Scan this QR Codefor more details. ▶

3

TAKAMATSU MACHINERY U.S.A., INC.
■CHICAGO HEAD OFFICE

1280 LANDMEIER ROAD ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL 60007 USA
TEL +1-(0)847-981-8577 FAX +1-(0)847-981-8599

TAKAMAZ MACHINERY EUROPE GmbH

PT. TAKAMAZ INDONESIA

JL. FESTIVAL BOULEVARD BLOK AA 11 NO.30,31 GRAND WISATATAMBUN, BEKASI 17510
TEL +62-(0)21-8261-6431 FAX +62-(0)21-8261-6430

TAKAMAZ MACHINERY MEXICO, S.A.DE C.V.

AVENIDA DE LOS INDUSTRIALES 522, LOCAL 4, INDUSTRIAL JULIANDE OBREGON, 37290 LEON, GUANAJUATO MEXICOTEL +52-477-784-0468

TAKAMATSU MACHINERY VIETNAM CO., LTD

NO.76 M HOANG QUOC VIET, PHU MY WARD, DISTRICT 7, HO CHIMINH CITY, VIETNAM
TEL +84-(0)28-3620-5671 FAX +84-(0)28-3620-5673

IM HÜLSENFELD 19, 40721 HILDEN, GERMANY
TEL +49-(0)2103-789-4882 FAX +49-(0)2103-789-4883

TAKAMAZ MACHINERY（HANGZHOU）CO., LTD.
■HANGZHOU HEAD OFFICE

NO.6800, JIANGDONG 3RD ROAD, JIANGDONG INDUSTRIAL PARK,XIAOSHAN, HANGZHOU, ZHEJIANG, CHINATEL +86-（ 0）571-8287-9709 FAX +86-（ 0）571-8215-3732

TAKAMATSU MACHINERY（THAILAND）CO., LTD.
■BANGKOK HEAD OFFICE

888/59 MOO 9, TAMBOL BANGPLA, AMPHUR BANGPLEE,SAMUTPRAKARN PROVINCE, THAILAND
TEL +66-（ 0）2-136-7831 FAX +66-（ 0）2-136-7834※Our PR Magazine Revamp

TEL（076）274-1408 FAX（076）274-8530