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I'll be amazed if anyone knows the answer- Makino KE55 with "Professional EN" control

Milacron

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I'll be amazed if anyone knows the answer- Makino KE55 with "Professional EN" control

Does anyone know which Fanuc control the "professional EN" actually is ? (FWIW, it has color LCD screen and apparently came out about 2004) I'm guessing it's a 21i, but I don't know really.
 
I'll ask my Makino rep (personal friend) and let you know. We have 2 RMC55s but they are older with OM controls. I believe they quit making these, or quit importing them. I'll find that out too.
 
I'll ask my Makino rep (personal friend) and let you know. We have 2 RMC55s but they are older with OM controls. I believe they quit making these, or quit importing them. I'll find that out too.
Yeah it's kinda fuzzy on whether Makino still makes them or not. Beckman Precision (the Makino dealer for my territory) tells me they got a memo from Makino about two years ago they are no longer available in the USA... but there are hints they may still make them for the Japan market. Another interesting thing is apparently they made one with a moving quill head but none ever made it over here.

ke551 (WinCE).jpg
 
His answer:

It is a Fanuc 0 control.
They stopped bringing the KE55 into the US about 2 years ago. They still make them but found that they can not be competitive in the U.S. market anymore. Parts and service is not effected. they are still supported although some (not all) parts may need to ship from Japan but the most common popular parts are in Cincinnati


Dan Fredrickson Beckman Precision Inc
(336)-831-4246
 
I still haven't found a KE-55 with EN control for sale anywhere on the planet at any price. It seems folks love the machines so much they never sell them.
 
"Yeah it's kinda fuzzy on whether Makino still makes them or not. Beckman Precision (the Makino dealer for my territory) tells me they got a memo from Makino about two years ago they are no longer available in the USA... but there are hints they may still make them for the Japan market. Another interesting thing is apparently they made one with a moving quill head but none ever made it over here."

I was told by Makino they are still made for Japan but no longer imported to the US, just to confirm the hintings you had heard. The question came up when touring Makino facilities in Japan, they were using several of these in their Atsugi plant. That's about as strait from the horse's mouth as you can get.
 
I was told by Makino they are still made for Japan but no longer imported to the US, just to confirm the hintings you had heard. The question came up when touring Makino facilities in Japan, they were using several of these in their Atsugi plant. That's about as strait from the horse's mouth as you can get.
I found out months after that post that they still can be ordered here as well, but unlike the originals which were made in some quantity in Singapore, any new KE-55's would be made one at a time to order in Japan. Which is fine except that causes the price to go thru the roof. I believe the last price for a Singapore KE-55 was somewhere in the $65,000 range whereas a Japanese one today would be more like $180,000 !!!

What I still don't know to this day is if there is a single moving quill KE-55 (see pix in post no. 3) in the USA.... and if there are none, why not ? Why did they offer a moving quill version in Singapore and perhaps other Asian countries, but not here ?
 
His answer:

It is a Fanuc 0 control.
They stopped bringing the KE55 into the US about 2 years ago. They still make them but found that they can not be competitive in the U.S. market anymore. Parts and service is not effected. they are still supported although some (not all) parts may need to ship from Japan but the most common popular parts are in Cincinnati


Dan Fredrickson Beckman Precision Inc
(336)-831-4246
Having owned an En machine since this topic was posted I can now say he was flat out wrong.....the En control is a Fanuc 20i. Also there are 3 moving quill KE-55's in the USA. (actual model name on that one is KEV-55)
 








 
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