Makino a51nx

Est. $250,000 - $350,000 Updated 2026-08-10

Key Specifications

X Travel

560 mm (22.0 in)

Y Travel

640 mm (25.2 in)

Z Travel

640 mm (25.2 in)

Max Spindle

14,000 rpm (14K High Torque, 20K)

Spindle Taper

CAT40 (HSK-63)

Tool Capacity

60 tools (optional 40, 134, 219, 313)

Overview

The Makino a51nx is a 400 mm pallet horizontal machining centre: spindle horizontal, work carried on an indexing pallet, with a pallet changer so one part is loaded while another cuts. Travels are 560 × 640 × 640 mm (22.0 × 25.2 × 25.2 in) over a 400 x 400 mm (15.7 x 15.7 in) pallet, and the machine accepts a workpiece envelope of ø630 mm x 900 mm (ø24.8 x 35.4 in) at up to 400 kg (880 lb).

That payload is the figure to design fixtures around. Four hundred kilograms covers a loaded tombstone carrying several small parts or one substantial casting, but heavy steel fixturing consumes it quickly. On a machine whose economics depend on filling a pallet, fixture weight becomes a production planning input rather than an afterthought.

The spindle runs to 14,000 rpm with 240 Nm, in CAT40 or HSK-63, with 14K High Torque and 20K variants available. Two hundred and forty newton-metres is a strong figure for a 40-taper and is what makes real cutting in cast iron and steel possible rather than limiting the machine to aluminium. Rapid traverse is 60,000 mm/min (2,362 ipm), maximum cutting feedrate 50,000 mm/min (1,968 ipm), and axis acceleration 1G. On a horizontal drilling and milling many short features across four faces, that acceleration figure affects cycle time more than the top rapid rate does, because most moves never reach full speed.

Tool change is 0.9 secs tool-to-tool and 2.2 secs chip-to-chip — fast enough that a program made up of many short operations does not lose its cycle to the changer, which is exactly the kind of work a four-face horizontal attracts. The standard magazine holds 60 tools, with 40, 134, 219 and 313-pocket options. Tools reach 430 mm (16.9 in) long in CAT or 420 mm (16.5 in) in HSK, 170 mm (6.7 in) in diameter and 12 kg (26.4 lb).

The generous tool diameter allowance is worth reading alongside the moderate envelope: 170 mm face mills are anticipated, so heavy facing passes across a pallet-mounted casting fall inside the machine's intended use. It suits medium-to-high volume production of prismatic parts — housings, manifolds, pump and gearbox bodies — where four-face access in one setup removes several separate operations.

Full Specifications

Parameter	Value
Pallet Size	400 x 400 mm (15.7 x 15.7 in)
X-Axis Travel	560 mm (22.0 in)
Y-Axis Travel	640 mm (25.2 in)
Z-Axis Travel	640 mm (25.2 in)
Max Spindle Speed	14,000 rpm (14K High Torque, 20K)
Spindle Taper	CAT40 (HSK-63)
Spindle Torque	240 Nm
Rapid Traverse Rate	60,000 mm/min (2,362 ipm)
Cutting Feedrate	50,000 mm/min (1,968 ipm)
Axis Acceleration	1G
Max Workpiece Size	ø630 mm x 900 mm (ø24.8 x 35.4 in)
Max Payload	400 kg (880 lb)
Tool Capacity	60 tools (optional 40, 134, 219, 313)
Tool To Tool	0.9 secs
Chip To Chip	2.2 secs
Max Tool Length Cat	430 mm (16.9 in)
Max Tool Length Hsk	420 mm (16.5 in)
Max Tool Diameter	170 mm (6.7 in)
Max Tool Weight	12 kg (26.4 lb)

Specifications sourced from www.makino.com — verified 2026-08-09

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

240 Nm from a 40-taper spindle is a strong figure, and it is what makes real cutting in cast iron and steel possible rather than limiting the machine to aluminium
Tool change is 0.9 s tool-to-tool and 2.2 s chip-to-chip, fast enough that a program of many short operations does not lose its cycle to the changer
Axis acceleration of 1G matters more than the 60,000 mm/min (2,362 ipm) rapid on a machine making many short moves across four faces, because most moves never reach full speed
The standard magazine holds 60 tools, with 40, 134, 219 and 313-pocket options for deeper libraries
Tools up to 170 mm (6.7 in) in diameter are anticipated, so heavy facing passes across a pallet-mounted casting fall inside the machine's intended use
A workpiece envelope of ø630 mm x 900 mm (ø24.8 x 35.4 in) over a 400 x 400 mm pallet is generous relative to pallet size, and the pallet changer keeps the spindle cutting while the next part is loaded

Limitations

Maximum payload is 400 kg (880 lb), which covers a loaded tombstone or one substantial casting, but heavy steel fixturing consumes it quickly - fixture weight becomes a production planning input rather than an afterthought
Tools cap at 12 kg (26.4 lb) and 430 mm (16.9 in) long in CAT, or 420 mm (16.5 in) in HSK
Travels of 560 x 640 x 640 mm (22.0 x 25.2 x 25.2 in) are a moderate envelope - this machine earns its keep on cycle time and four-face access rather than on size
Spindle speed is 14,000 rpm as standard with 14K High Torque and 20K variants available, so the configuration has to be matched to the material mix up front
A horizontal needs tombstone fixturing and the workholding expertise that goes with it, which is a real cost and a learning curve for a shop coming from vertical mills

Best For

Medium-to-high volume production of prismatic parts - housings, manifolds, pump and gearbox bodies Work where four-face access in one setup removes several separate operations Cast iron and steel production that needs 240 Nm rather than spindle speed Shops moving from several vertical mills to fewer, better-utilised horizontals Programs made up of many short operations, where 0.9 s tool changes and 1G acceleration compound across the cycle

Frequently Asked Questions

01 How big a part fits the a51nx?

The pallet is 400 x 400 mm (15.7 x 15.7 in) and travels are 560 x 640 x 640 mm (22.0 x 25.2 x 25.2 in). The machine accepts a workpiece envelope of ø630 mm x 900 mm (ø24.8 x 35.4 in) at up to 400 kg (880 lb). Because the pallet indexes, the part has to stay inside that envelope through the whole rotation, not just at the start of the cycle.

02 How much can the spindle actually cut?

The standard spindle runs to 14,000 rpm with 240 Nm, in CAT40 or HSK-63, and 14K High Torque and 20K variants are available. Two hundred and forty newton-metres is strong for a 40-taper, and it is what makes real cutting in cast iron and steel possible rather than confining the machine to aluminium.

03 Why choose a horizontal over a vertical machining centre?

Three structural reasons rather than any single specification: chips fall away from the cut instead of into it, the pallet changer lets one part be loaded while another is being cut, and the indexing pallet gives access to four faces in a single setup. Whether that pays depends on batch size and on whether the parts genuinely carry features on several faces.

04 What fixturing does the a51nx need?

Tombstone fixtures bolted to the pallet, with parts mounted on several faces. That is what turns four-face access into parts per cycle. The constraint to design around is the 400 kg (880 lb) payload, which includes the tombstone itself - heavy steel fixturing consumes it quickly, so fixture weight is a planning input from the start.

05 How fast is the tool changer, and is 60 tools enough?

Tool change is 0.9 s tool-to-tool and 2.2 s chip-to-chip. The standard magazine holds 60 tools, with 40, 134, 219 and 313-pocket options. Sixty covers most single complex parts; shops running a mixed queue through one machine are the ones who reach for the larger magazines.

06 What are the tooling limits?

Tools reach 430 mm (16.9 in) long in CAT or 420 mm (16.5 in) in HSK, up to 170 mm (6.7 in) in diameter and 12 kg (26.4 lb). The generous diameter allowance is worth reading alongside the moderate envelope: 170 mm face mills are anticipated, so heavy facing passes across a pallet-mounted casting sit inside the machine's intended use.