Kiwa KH-55

The Kiwa KH-55 is a 50-taper horizontal machining center with 800 mm (31.5 in) of travel on X, Y and Z, a 500 x 500 mm (19.7 x 19.7 in) pallet and a built-in spindle that runs to 10,000 min-1. Among the Kiwa horizontals it stands beside, this is the one with a BT 50 spindle. The KH-5800kai covers the same X and Y travel with a BT40 taper.

The larger taper is the reason to choose it. A 50-taper holder carries bigger cutters and longer boring bars with a stiffer joint than a smaller taper gives, which is what heavy roughing in steel and cast iron asks for. Kiwa also lists a 6,000 min-1 built-in spindle as an option. A slower spindle is normally picked for low-speed torque, but the table gives no power or torque figure for either one, so ask for both curves before deciding.

Rapid traverse is 60,000 mm/min (2,362 ipm), against 80,000 mm/min (3,150 ipm) on the KH-5800kai. That matters least on long roughing cuts, where rapid moves are a small part of the cycle. The guideway row lists a hybrid guide as an option and does not describe the standard guideway, so ask what the option changes.

The maximum workpiece is Ø900 x 1,000 mm (Ø35.4 x 39.4 in). Both dimensions are larger than the 800 mm (31.5 in) strokes, so check that the features on a part near the limit fall inside the travel. A 630 x 630 mm (24.8 x 24.8 in) pallet is optional. Two pallets are standard, with single-pallet and 6-pallet versions listed.

The magazine holds 40 tools as standard, with 60, 120 and 240 as options, and the control is the FANUC 31i. Floor space is 5,683 x 3,006 mm (223.7 x 118.3 in) for the two-pallet machine with the 40-tool magazine and 6,168 x 3,091 mm (242.8 x 121.7 in) with 120 tools, both excluding the chip conveyor.