Brother SPEEDIO S500X1N

The Brother SPEEDIO S500X1N is a compact 30-taper vertical machining center with 500 × 400 × 305 mm (19.7 × 15.7 × 12.0 in) of travel, a 16,000 rpm spindle rated 5.5 kW (7.4 hp) and a 14 or 21-position turret magazine. It runs on Brother's own CNC-C00 control. The figures point to short cycles on small parts rather than heavy stock removal.

On a machine like this the clock is set by non-cutting time, and the S500X1N is built around keeping it low. Chip-to-chip time is 1.4 seconds, so a part that calls a long list of drills, taps and small end mills loses little to the changer. Rapid traverse is listed as 50 m/min (1,969 ipm) on all axes. The same table also carries an axis-speed row of 50 × 50 × 56 m/min, which would make Z the fastest axis; the two rows disagree, so ask which one applies to the machine you are quoted.

At 16,000 rpm the spindle suits small cutters in aluminium, brass and other non-ferrous work, where surface speed matters more than torque. The 5.5 kW (7.4 hp) rating is the limit in steel: large face mills and heavy roughing passes will run out of power well before the axes run out of speed. The taper is BT30, and BIG-PLUS holders are an option for anyone who wants dual-contact tooling on longer reaches.

Table load is 200 kg (441 lb). That covers a pair of vises, a fixture plate or a small rotary unit, but a steel tombstone or a multi-part fixture loaded with steel blanks needs weighing first. The table size, machine weight and coolant figures are not in the listed table, so get them from Brother before planning the floor layout. Electrical supply is 200/220 V three-phase.

Among the X1N models, the SPEEDIO R650X1N lists a 7.5 kW (10 hp) spindle, so a buyer who needs more power on a 30-taper frame should look there rather than at this machine.