MAKA Systems GmbH located in Nersingen, not far from the South German city of Ulm, employs more than 170 people who develop and manufacture special CNC equipment for machining wood, aluminum, plastics and composites as well as for model making. The ability to craft solutions that meet the very highest technical and commercial standards, coupled with MAKA’s rich development expertise, means the company is a leading international specialist in the field. High accuracies with the smallest possible tolerances as well as fast machine cycles and machining speeds with virtually no non-productive times – these are just a few of the key benefits of MAKA technology.

The core innovation of Galaxie^® is the revolutionary gearbox kinematics. For the first time ever, a gear wheel is completely dispensed with. Instead, dynamic teeth – grouped like needles around a polygonal inner race ring – enable almost full surface contact during power transmission. The Galaxie^® thus performs several times better than other drive types, with roughly six times more rigidity, about 20 percent higher efficiency and complete freedom from backlash at the zero crossing. Only the Galaxie^® provides all of these massive performance enhancements simultaneously – and in an ultra-compact design. Not surprisingly, the innovative drive system is exciting considerable enthusiasm in the high performance engineering sector.

MAKA has reported significantly increased precision and metal removal rates as a result of using the Galaxie^® in its CNC machines. Contours can be cut even more precisely and repeatably. What’s more, the compact design of the drive system gives the cutting heads greater kinematic flexibility. More complex geometries can now also be realized – for instance when machining the interior fittings for cars. The improved stiffness, the freedom from backlash enables and the high dynamics of this compact hollow-shaft unit allow machining at high speeds, though not at the expense of durability. On the contrary, calculations which take account of factors like travel cycles or loads show the Galaxie^® as having a much longer lifespan than other hollow-shaft drives.

This leads to remarkably precise and quiet machining processes. Thanks to the Galaxie^® Drive System’s unmatched stiffness and freedom from backlash at the zero crossing, even with alternating loads, MAKA can in future construct the complete machine with even more rigid geometry. Machining processes can be executed more precisely than ever before. A broader range of materials will likewise be possible because the machines will be even more robust and capable of cutting even harder and coarser workpieces.

Ready for Industry 4.0
MAKA’s portfolio demonstrates a clear commitment to Industry 4.0 – and the drive technology is no exception. The Galaxie^® Drive System is consistent with this strategy in every respect. It provides the concept and connectivity which are necessary to give machines the intelligence needed by the smart factories of the future, for example for condition monitoring or virtual commissioning.