Kinetic K5000

A CAT 50 spindle on a plasma gantry is the short description of the Kinetic K5000. It is the top model of the moving-gantry combination line, listed for high-production drilling up to a 4 in (102 mm) hole, tapping up to a 2-1/16 in (52 mm) hole and boring to 8 in (203 mm), next to plasma cutting up to 4 in (102 mm) thick and oxy fuel up to 8 in (203 mm) thick.

The 50-taper spindle is the reason to choose it. Heavy plate tends to carry large holes, and here the largest drilled hole is as big as the thickest plate the plasma is rated for. The K4000, by comparison, drills to 2 in (51 mm) and bores to 6 in (152 mm) on a CAT 40 spindle. Kinetic lists the same 24 tool stations and the same automated tool change in under 3 seconds on this machine, plus through-spindle coolant and auto tool height measurement.

Table dimensions follow the rest of the line: up to 18 ft (5.49 m) wide and up to 200 ft (60.96 m) long, with a downdraft table, a self-cleaning design and travelling dross bins. Up to 2 independently driven plasma torches can be fitted on the lifter stations.

Two derivatives are built on this model, and they are worth knowing before ordering. The K5200 is this machine configured for an automated part removal system. The K5600 keeps the machining figures but pulls the plate through a stationary gantry. A buyer who expects to add unloading later should raise it at the quoting stage, since Kinetic lists both the automated part removal system and pass-through table technology as options here.

What the published material leaves out is spindle power, torque and speed. For a machine bought to drill 4 in (102 mm) holes those are the next questions to put to Kinetic.