Musashi Precision Machining Technology has a goal that demands unswerving resolution. As MD Takao Tezuka puts it: “We are not striving to be the biggest, but the best!”
In 2002, after just over 40 years in operation, the strategic decision was taken to focus the company’s activities entirely on the subcontract production of complex components. Up to that point, the company had done a lot of machine turning. This was stopped in order to concentrate on the milling of precision parts.
Mushasi uses an in-house program (a CAS system) that is of great benefit in the frequent customer contacts that are necessary when preparing the production of components that are often extremely intricate.
The climate-controlled (± 2ºC) workshop in Menuma, Saitama, now houses 15 machining centres (vertical and horizontal) that run a three-shift system, 24 hours a day, six days a week.
Pallet changers in all 5-axis machines sharpen competitiveness.
Customers come from the aerospace, medical technology, semiconductor and automotive industries. The Japanese F1 stable features in the latter. Prototype manufacture makes up around 40 percent of the company’s assignments. The remaining 60 percent is production of short series. Seldom breaking into three figures, these are often so short that they scarcely qualify as series.
Machining is predominantly in aluminium. However, “difficult” materials such as titanium and magnesium are not uncommon. The company is, of course, quality certified.
In connection with the streamlining of operations, a Matsuura dealer recommended the introduction of System 3R’s pallet systems.
Factory Manager Kazayuki Takeuchi explains: “We chose the Macro system in the hope that the pallets would guarantee repetition accuracy, reduce retooling times, increase precision, decrease the risk of collisions and lower the consumption of materials.
“Our hopes have truly been fulfilled. Without losing precision, Macro jobs can be interrupted, taken out of the machine and completed later. This enables the changing of priorities and gives our operations great flexibility. Furthermore, material consumption has decreased by a third!”
Musashi uses Macro not only as a pallet for workpieces, but also as a reference element for its small vices.
Last summer, System 3R’s indexable Delphin for large workpieces was also introduced. The company now has pallet changers in all its 5-axis Matsuura machines. One of these has double Macro chucks on the machine table and another has the Delphin system.
Finally, as already stated, it is not necessary to be the biggest, but it is essential to be good.
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Macro
Delphin