Whether in medical technology, precision engineering, electronics or optics: the highly dynamic micro-machining of precision components, with short cycle times and tolerances in the micrometre range, is becoming increasingly important. This requires stable processes, a high degree of flexibility and cost-effective production – even where space is limited and the need for automation is growing.

With the Micro5 XL, the CHIRON Group has consistently extended the successful Micro5 concept to cover a wider range of applications: as a platform for high-productivity 5-axis simultaneous machining of complex small precision parts – and as a scalable production solution with integrated automation.

More possibilities for industrial micromachining

The XL stands for greater travel, higher cutting performance and maximum flexibility in 5-axis simultaneous high-speed machining. A key feature is the exceptional 5:1 ratio between the machine’s structural dimensions and the maximum workpiece size – in the case of the Micro5 XL 600 mm for the milling center, this corresponds to a maximum workpiece edge length of 120 mm. This design and the resulting low moving masses enable maximum dynamics whilst maintaining high rigidity. With highly dynamic BC 5-axis kinematics, spindle speeds of up to 50,000 rpm and jerk values of up to 900 m/s³, the Micro5 XL achieves outstanding feed and machining speeds whilst maintaining maximum accuracy.

Automation as an integral part of the manufacturing concept

The Micro5 XL’s automation solutions were developed from the outset as an integral part of the overall platform. Covering an area of just 1.7 m², the Micro5 XL integrates coolant, chip and extraction management, as well as a turret magazine for up to 100 tools, directly into the machine design. When combined with one of the three tailored automation options, the result is a production solution that remains highly compact and scalable for the cost-effective machining of complex small precision parts.

The micromachine and automation system follow the same operating logic and are controlled centrally via the Micro5 XL’s HMI. Operation is consistently carried out from the front, with a direct view of the machining process. This allows several production units to be arranged side by side in an ergonomic and space-saving manner – production can be scaled according to current requirements or later as demand grows.

Variocell PICK&PLACE: automated workpiece handling

The Variocell PICK&PLACE automates the loading and unloading of raw and finished parts using a 2-axis linear handling system. The double gripper allows for a variety of gripping profiles and enables workpieces weighing up to 2.5 kg to be changed reliably within the machining area in a very short time.

Depending on the component height, up to 24 standard pallets measuring 400 x 300 mm can be stored – within a storage area of 3 m², which is therefore larger than the combined footprint of the machine and the automation system.

Operation is carried out via the Micro5 XL’s HMI. Jobs, automated sequences and parameters can be managed, saved and adjusted here. At the same time, a wide range of diagnostic and visualisation functions are available.

Variocell PALLET: automated pallet handling

The Variocell PALLET handles zero-point pallets and fixtures containing workpieces using a 2-axis handling system. The pallets are fed into the machining process and returned to storage once machining is complete. They are clamped using a zero-point clamping system on the C-axis. RFID-based identification ensures reliable and error-free allocation to the relevant machining processes.

The integrated storage system can accommodate up to 16 pallets with workpiece dimensions of up to approximately 120 mm. At the same time, the ergonomically designed set-up station allows for easy loading and unloading of the pallets during active machining time, in parallel with the machining process.

Variocell UNO: maximum flexibility through robotics

The third variant, Variocell UNO, adds further degrees of freedom to micro-machining. Instead of a linear handling system, a 6-axis robot is used here.

In addition to handling raw and finished parts, this allows additional process steps to be integrated directly into the production cell – such as turning, re-gripping, labelling, laser marking or minor inspection processes.

This creates a highly flexible automation platform for complex manufacturing requirements and further process integration.

Micro-machining taken to the next level in industry

By combining highly dynamic 5-axis machining, a minimal footprint and scalable automation, the CHIRON Group has consistently advanced the field of micro-machining: from high-precision individual applications to an industrially integrated production solution for small precision parts.

Micro-machining dynamically showcased

With its »Precision Beast« online campaign, the CHIRON Group has deliberately presented the Micro5 XL in a different light: in an eye-catching way and using visual imagery that goes beyond traditional machine tool marketing. The campaign slogan »Frighteningly powerful. Astonishingly versatile.« sums up the positioning and performance of the micro-machine – high dynamic performance during machining and a wide range of applications for demanding small precision parts.

The campaign also attracted attention in industrial circles. Industry platforms such as IndustryArena particularly highlighted the modern visual style and the distinctive communication approach – as an example of how technological innovation can be brought to life through communication.

In addition to high-performance motor spindles, the CHIRON Group develops and manufactures other key mechatronic components, such as rotary tables, in-house. Development, manufacturing, assembly and service are closely interlinked. This ensures a high degree of transparency throughout the entire product life cycle, reduces interfaces and enables components to be precisely tailored to machining centers and machining processes.

The optimised CRT200 rotary table is designed for high rotational and holding torques during heavy-duty machining, whilst the new RTA220 is designed for maximum dynamics and short positioning times. These rotary tables are used worldwide in the 15, 18 and MILL Series, each offering clear advantages in terms of performance, productivity, availability and service.

CRT200: High forces for demanding machining operations

The CRT200 rotary table is suitable for machining operations involving high process forces and workpieces with high mass. Typical areas of application include demanding aerospace applications, high-strength materials such as titanium or superalloys, and machining operations involving large and heavy clamping devices.

The rotary table is integrated into the 15, 18 and MILL Series as an A-axis or swivel axis and supports both 4-axis and 5-axis machining. It features a play-free, preloaded cycloidal precision gearbox. Thanks to tailored clamping of the gearbox components and optimised start-up behaviour using low-viscosity lubricants, the axis has been optimised for a wider range of applications.

»The CRT200 achieves high rotational and holding torques, thereby ensuring stable and reliable positioning even with high cutting forces and heavy workpieces. Machining operations from solid stock in particular benefit from the axis’s high overload capacity,« explains Dr Jens König, Head of Component Development.

RTA220: Performance for high-speed machining processes

The RTA220 rotary table is used as a highly dynamic A-axis in the 15 and 18 Series. It is designed for dynamic performance and speed, and is particularly suitable for the efficient machining of small and medium-sized workpieces made of aluminium or other easily machinable materials.

The Torque direct drive operates wear-free via electromagnetic power transmission and enables very high acceleration rates as well as rapid positioning movements in highly dynamic machining processes.

The very short positioning times reduce non-productive time and energy consumption per workpiece. This makes it possible to significantly increase the productivity of machining processes, particularly in applications involving frequent axis movements and short cycle times.

A comparison of the axes of rotation

Two machining strategies – illustrated using the DZ 15 W as an example

At EMO 2025, the CHIRON Group demonstrated the different strengths of the two rotary axes in live operation on a DZ 15 W with integrated automation. On one side of the table, the highly dynamic RTA220 was used to machine an aluminium pump housing with short cutting times, high feed rates and rapid positioning movements. On the other side, the CRT200 was used to machine a grey cast iron fan cover, utilising long engagement times, high feed forces and high holding torque.

The rotary tables are manufactured at the CHIRON Group Precision Factory in Neuhausen ob Eck. At the sites of the CHIRON Group in Germany, Poland and China, the rotary tables are fitted into the machines produced there. The close integration of development, manufacturing and assembly enables rapid coordination. At the same time, customers benefit from rapid response times for support and service calls. Technical queries can be resolved directly, and the teams possess in-depth expertise regarding their own mechatronic components.

Over the past few months, additional capacity and expertise have been built up for demanding milling and turning applications on the MT 715 – both in sales and in application engineering. »The aim is to demonstrate to customers, in an even more targeted manner, the potential of the machining centers and the advantages of complete machining on a single machine, and to work together to develop suitable machining and turnkey solutions for complex applications,« says Axel Boi, Vice President Sales Aerospace.

Full 5-axis machining, milling and turning in any sequence on six sides. Complementary, integrated technologies – gear hobbing, gear shaving, gear shaping, impact tooth milling and polygon turning: The MT 715, for workpieces up to 400 mm in diameter and 1,000 mm – or, with an extended working area, 1,400 mm – in length, combines various manufacturing steps and technologies on a single machine platform. Processes that were previously spread across several machines can now be carried out as a single, continuous manufacturing process – offering benefits in terms of precision, flexibility, set-up time, cycle times and process reliability.

The integrated workpiece automation and high tool capacities enable complex machining operations for sectors such as medical technology, tool manufacturing, mechanical engineering and aerospace.

Equipped with two machining units, the MT 715 two and MT 715 two⁺ variants further expand the range of applications. In addition to the milling spindle for supplementary machining operations, a turret with up to twelve tool positions is available, which can be supplemented with a faceplate for the production of shaft components.

When extreme process forces are at work

Machining high-strength and tough materials – for applications in the aerospace sector, for example – in a reliable manner presents a particular challenge. These materials are extremely resilient yet difficult to machine. Extreme process forces are at play; chips break with difficulty and can lead to machine stoppages. Furthermore, long machining times place a strain on the machine, tools and clamping devices alike.

The MT 715 machining centers are also designed to handle such challenging processes involving machining ‘from solid’, with high material removal rates and long cycle times for complex components. Milling and turning operations can be optimally combined to suit the process – ensuring short chips and uninterrupted machining. The machine’s design creates the conditions for high precision, high performance and stable processes.

Fully implementing complex requirements – in a single process

A recent aerospace project by the CHIRON Group, involving an MT 715 two⁺, demonstrates just how demanding such machining operations are in practice. The project involves machining a component for a defence application from the heat-resistant superalloy MARVAL X12H. A cylinder weighing around 50 kg is being machined into a complex five-part component weighing approximately 3 kg, with a correspondingly high chip volume.

The requirement: for safety reasons, the component must be machined entirely from a single workpiece. At the same time, the thin wall thickness of 1.5 mm places high demands on process control and precision. Additional clamping operations or transfer to further machines would significantly increase the risk of warping or damage. Furthermore, production would be too time-consuming and labour-intensive, and would not be ideal from an economic perspective either.

In addition, a component is being manufactured on the MT 715 two⁺ using a pure turning process: a long sleeve made from 300M steel. As the sleeves vary in length, the customer is using the machine variant with an extended working area of X 1,550 mm. This will enable new components to be integrated into production on the MT 715 two⁺ in future.

The key advantage is that both components can be machined in their entirety without interruption, from the feeding of the blank to the removal of the finished components.

Turnkey expertise for complex processes

However, selecting the right milling and turning center with ample power reserves and the necessary flexibility is only part of the solution. Particularly when dealing with demanding materials and complex components, the machining strategy, tools, clamping technology and process parameters must be precisely coordinated. Only then can high-strength components with an extremely high chip volume be manufactured reliably and cost-effectively.

This is where the turnkey expertise of the CHIRON Group comes into play. For the defence component – the ring plus mounting bracket – Patrick Mink’s team developed the following machining strategy: first, a central bore with a diameter of 80 mm is pre-drilled and then machined from the inside out to achieve the final geometry. To produce short chips, targeted turning-milling operations are used – milling is carried out whilst the workpiece is rotating.

Machining is carried out using a high-performance spindle designed for demanding aerospace applications. »High theoretical torques sound impressive at first. However, it is far more important to be able to fully utilise this cutting capacity under real machining conditions,« explains Matthias Efinger, Head of Machine Development 2. »To achieve this, the feed rate must be significantly increased so that the material breaks in a controlled manner. This is precisely why a machining center such as the MT 715, with its high rigidity and stability reserve, is required.«

Tool testing, tool selection, CNC programming and the design of the machining process are also part of the solution. The same applies to clamping technology: the final machining of the milled part is carried out not by the counter-spindle, but by the turret. This allows different clamping devices to be integrated flexibly and even complex geometries to be machined with stability. The clamping pin, which was manufactured earlier, serves here as a stable mounting point, enabling the component to be fully finished.

The aerospace project serves as a prime example of the advantages offered by the MT 715 when machining demanding materials: powerful machining even of large volumes, stable processes and the ability to flexibly machine a wide range of parts from start to finish on a single platform.

Nowadays, workpieces are evolving faster than the production systems used to manufacture them. Free-form surfaces, deep cavities, undercuts, variable wall thicknesses and complex multi-sided geometries have long been part of everyday practice in the aerospace, medical technology, energy, toolmaking and general machining sectors.

As a result, existing production structures are increasingly coming up against technological and economic limits. 5-axis machining is therefore far more than just an additional machine function. It is increasingly evolving into a comprehensive production capability – and a practical response to a profound structural shift in manufacturing.

What changes as a result of 5-axis machining?

The key advantage of 5-axis machining lies in the simultaneous control of tool position and tool orientation – the tool can be guided flexibly relative to the workpiece. In practice, this not only enables the machining of complex geometries, but also transforms entire production processes.

More machining operations can be integrated into a single set-up. This reduces set-up times, minimises changes to the reference point and, at the same time, lowers the risk of positioning errors. Furthermore, optimised tool angles improve accessibility, reduce long tool overhangs and create more stable cutting conditions.

This results in measurable benefits: shorter cycle times, greater process stability, improved surface quality and longer tool life. At the same time, production becomes more flexible, as a wider range of workpieces can be machined cost-effectively using fewer specialised fixtures.

It is precisely where high quality standards, complex geometries and economic pressures converge that 5-axis machining is becoming increasingly important from a strategic perspective.

Why it’s about more than just the machine

However, success in 5-axis machining does not begin with the purchase of the machine. What is far more crucial is how well the entire process chain is coordinated.

The choice of machine concept alone has a significant impact on subsequent performance. Different machine architectures each offer their own strengths in terms of dynamics, accessibility, rigidity or thermal behaviour. Not every 5-axis configuration is suitable for every workpiece portfolio. The selection should therefore not be based solely on travel ranges or spindle specifications, but rather on the actual manufacturing requirements.

There is also another factor to consider: in 5-axis machining, quality is not determined by a single accuracy value. What is crucial is the interplay between geometric precision, thermal stability, process behaviour, calibration and compensation. Even minor deviations in the rotational axes or in thermal behaviour can have a direct impact on workpiece quality.

Successful manufacturing companies are therefore increasingly viewing accuracy as a controlled, integrated system: structured calibration strategies, stable chains of traceability and controlled process conditions help to reduce scrap, improve repeatability and stabilise process reliability in the long term.

Cost-effectiveness arises from the system as a whole

From an economic perspective, too, 5-axis machining only realises its full potential when the entire machining cell is considered as a whole.

The real benefits stem not only from shorter machining times, but also from reduced non-productive times, fewer manual interventions, stable clamping systems, automated workpiece handling and greater process reliability during unattended operation.

Modular clamping systems, pallet solutions, tool management and automated processes thus become a key economic factor. At the same time, the importance of consistent data flows and transparent process information is increasing. Automated processes can only be scaled up reliably if tool conditions, tool corrections and process parameters are consistently controlled.

This opens up new opportunities, particularly for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies: higher machine availability, cost-effective small-batch production and greater productivity within a limited floor space.

The CNC level as a performance factor

As the complexity of simultaneous 5-axis machining increases, NC and CNC technology is also becoming increasingly important. Between the programmed tool path and the finished workpiece lies a complex control chain comprising motion planning, smoothing, axis coordination and servo control.

As a result, programmed feed rates often differ significantly from the values actually achievable on the machine. At the same time, smoothing strategies, path planning and the quality of the post-processor have a direct impact on surface quality and actual productivity.

The CNC level thus becomes a key performance factor in modern 5-axis machining. Companies that master these interrelationships can create more stable processes, reduce testing efforts and improve reproducibility.

More than just a technological decision

The benefits of 5-axis machining lie not only in the machining of complex geometries. What is crucial is how consistently machines, processes, automation and quality assurance are integrated into a single, comprehensive system. It is precisely this holistic approach that defines the expertise of the CHIRON Group in 5-axis machining – and turns technology into a sustainable competitive advantage.

5Xcellence for a variety of manufacturing scenarios