Northwood Iron Horse XL 3
Image: northwoodmachine.com, Northwood
Key Specifications
Spindle Taper
Tool Capacity
Table Size
Spindle Power
control
table orientations
How much does the Northwood Iron Horse XL 3 cost?
Price estimate
We do not have a price for the Northwood Iron Horse XL 3 that we can stand behind, so we show no number. Configuration, options and installation move the final price a long way: a quote is the reliable figure.
Overview
The Northwood Iron Horse XL 3 is a three-axis vertical bridge mill: a fixed 144 x 96 in (3,658 x 2,438 mm) table with a gantry that travels over it. Northwood aims it at metalworking and at heavy plate or slab in aluminum, steel, glass and stone, which sets it apart from the sheet routers that share the Iron Horse name.
The spindle row shows the difference. In place of the HSK63F router spindles of the Iron Horse 3, the table lists a 32 kW (42.9 hp) liquid-cooled spindle and FANUC spindles with ISO40 or ISO50 tapers, and the spindle clamp row reads HSK63A, ISO40, ISO50. Northwood names the ISO50 taper as the choice for larger tooling. Cutting these materials needs coolant, and the machine is described with flood coolant, halo coolant and through-the-spindle coolant.
Because the table is fixed, the weight of the workpiece never has to be accelerated, only the gantry. That suits heavy parts. The table can be flat or a vacuum table, single or twin, and the size is open to custom builds. Z travel is 36 in (914 mm) as standard with 50 in (1,270 mm) and 72 in (1,829 mm) XL upgrades.
Tools are held in a 20-station changer as standard. Northwood offers static tool racks or a travel-along dynamic changer, a choice that matters on a table this long because a static rack means a trip to the end of the machine at every change. The control is a FANUC 0i-Model F Plus with the Alpha iD servo system.
Full Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| CNC Control | FANUC 0i-Model F Plus with Alpha iD Servo System |
| Table Size | 144 x 96 in (3,658 x 2,438 mm), custom |
| Table Orientations | Single or twin (wide or narrow) |
| Table Options | Single or multiple vacuum zones, 3-standard automatic part location stops (additional available) |
| Spindle Motor Power | 32 kW (42.9 hp) liquid cooled, ISO40 taper FANUC spindle, ISO50 taper FANUC spindle |
| Spindle Taper | HSK63A, ISO40, ISO50 |
| Tool Capacity | 20 station (standard) |
| Z Axis Travel | 36 in (914 mm) standard, 50 in (1,270 mm) upgraded, 72 in (1,829 mm) XL upgraded |
| Tool Part Probe | Standard Northwood Probe (optional Renishaw TS27R, NC4 non-contact or RMP400) |
| Vacuum Pumps | 40 hp Liquid Ring, 10 hp Dry Claw, 25 Dry Claw, 10 hp Rotary Vane, stacked system |
Specifications sourced from northwoodmachine.com — verified 2026-10-05
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- Fixed 144 x 96 in (3,658 x 2,438 mm) table under a traveling gantry, with custom sizes available
- 32 kW (42.9 hp) liquid-cooled spindle, or FANUC spindles with ISO40 or ISO50 taper
- Z travel of 36 in (914 mm) as standard, with 50 in (1,270 mm) and 72 in (1,829 mm) upgrades
- Halo and through-the-spindle tool coolant for materials that need flood coolant
- Flat or vacuum table, and static racks or a travel-along dynamic tool changer
Limitations
- Three axes only; five-axis work on this table size is the role of the Iron Horse XL 5
- Northwood's table gives no spindle speed, torque, table load or axis feed figures, which a metalworking buyer needs before comparing it with other mills
- The 20-station tool changer is small for long unattended jobs with many tools
- Northwood's page and table do not agree on the table length and spindle rating, so confirm both for the machine actually offered
Best For
Frequently Asked Questions
01
Northwood calls it a three-axis vertical CNC mill with a fixed table and a vertical bridge mill with a traveling gantry, engineered for metal working applications with heavy ferrous or non-ferrous parts. Its ISO40 and ISO50 spindle tapers and flood coolant place it with gantry mills, not with sheet routers.
02
The spindle clamp row lists HSK63A, ISO40 and ISO50. The power row lists a 32 kW (42.9 hp) liquid-cooled spindle and FANUC spindles with ISO40 or ISO50 taper. Northwood says the ISO50 taper is there to accommodate larger tooling. No speed or torque figures are published.
03
The standard table is 144 x 96 in (3,658 x 2,438 mm), single or twin, and Northwood builds custom sizes. Z travel is 36 in (914 mm) as standard and can be ordered as 50 in (1,270 mm) or 72 in (1,829 mm). The table can be flat or a vacuum table with single or multiple zones.
04
Both use a 144 x 96 in (3,658 x 2,438 mm) fixed table, the same Z travel options and a 20-station tool changer. The Iron Horse XL 3 is a three-axis mill with ISO40 or ISO50 spindles and a FANUC 0i-Model F Plus control. The Iron Horse XL 5 carries a two-axis head on HSK63F or HSK63A tooling and a FANUC 31iB5 Plus control.
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