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Multi-process machines and usability: natural enemies or partners? As machine tools and software have expanded in capability, I’ve often seen shops limit their use to the most skilled employees due to the complexities involved in operating them. At its Innovation Days event from April 29th – May 2nd, DMG MORI aimed to end this limitation, showing how its digital processes improve the usability of even large, powerful machines that consolidate multiple processes onto one machine.

The NZ Tre is a three-turret, twin-spindle lathe. At its 2025 Innovation Days, DMG MORI showed off a model where all three turrets had B-axis capability, giving the machine increased flexibility for working at angles or performing milling operations. Image courtesy of DMG MORI.

One Machine, Many Operations

Masahiko Mori, president of DMG MORI, estimates that there are approximately 5,000,000 machines currently in use worldwide, with many old and needing updating or replacing. He estimates that this plethora of machines (and the setups they require) can cause quality issues, with process consolidation providing an answer to this problem.

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As such, many of the machines DMG MORI develops and offers can perform multiple tasks that historically would have required additional machines. The second generation NLX 2500 is on the simpler side of these examples, with the new model of the lathe swapping out a subspindle for a second full spindle to perform the work of two lathes on one. The NZ Tre at the event took this even further, as each of its three turrets operated on a B-axis, enabling it to work on an angle, with live tooling for milling operations. The machine also comes standard with two full-powered spindles that can both handle high-RPM work. Ideally, a bar feeder can feed a part to the first spindle to turn the front half of the part, then the second, equally powerful spindle can accept the part and enable the operator to turn the back half of the part in a single setup.

DMG MORI’s large-format DuoBlock U-series brings this flexibility to a dual-column five-axis mill with its B-axis head and C-axis table. The DuoBlock U-series is built to be rigid enough for aerospace and gear parts, and offers both large-volume milling and turning — as its head and spindle can rotate from vertical to horizontal positions. DMG MORI’s INH 63 offers a combination of the DuoBlock and the company’s NHX horizontal mill, being a large horizontal five-axis mill that can perform milling and turning. The INH 63 can also perform skiving, deep boring and deep drilling, which the company says makes it a good fit for aerospace and gear manufacturing.

Several machines on display at DMG MORI’s Innovation Days were equipped with DMG MORI’s refreshed CELOS X control. This control restores physical buttons to the control while providing users with options to view NC programming areas and CELOS apps on the upper screen. Photo by DMG MORI.

The Information You Need, When You Need It

These newer machines use DMG MORI’s recently updated CELOS X control. Perhaps the most eye-catching aspect of this new control is the way it contextually edits which functions appear on the physical buttons (which are equipped with digital screens) in real time, eliminating irrelevant controls and helping users focus on the needs of their current operation.

CELOS X continues the CELOS line as an interface overlaying a more traditional NC from another provider such as Heidenhain, Mitsubishi or Siemens. Whereas the CELOS V from the first generation NLX 2500 on display at the facility used dual screens, with the NC and CELOS apps on separate screens, CELOS X enables users to set up views in different boxes on one screen. It also restores the aforementioned physical buttons to the control, which several DMG MORI staff members told me they were thankful for — the physical feedback from the buttons being helpful when looking at the screen or the machine itself.

DMG MORI also offered demonstrations of DMG MORI Messenger, an in-house machine monitoring software with custom dashboards and a focused set of features, helping users find relevant data about machine conditions and alarms without needing to dig for them. The software also interfaces with NetService, a DMG MORI remote diagnostic service that enables users to give DMG MORI representatives access to the control for troubleshooting.

Also on display was Tulip, a no-code application builder from a partner company. DMG MORI hopes that this software will help shops develop their own specialized software applications, but also provides some pre-built apps. DMG MORI’s team also demonstrated Condition Agent, an AI-powered predictive maintenance system the company hopes to launch by the end of 2025. Formerly known as Walc Care, Condition Agent compares how a machine ran compared to previous cycles, tracking when performance begins to show the same patterns that have led it to errors in the past.

Condition Agent is the first of many AI-powered software platforms Dr. Mori hopes to shepherd to common usage. He notes that the company has over 10,000 machines connected to monitoring, which has helped build Condition Agent. He also notes that it could be an effective aid for inspection and the development of additive parameters.

Condition Agent is an upcoming AI-powered predictive maintenance software based on data from a user’s own machine. DMG MORI staff say the system will be compatible with Siemens and FANUC controls, regardless of machine manufacturer. Photo by Modern Machine Shop.

A Usable Transformation

DMG MORI has also invested in automation and supplemental technology to simplify operators’ jobs. Gantry and articulated robots were both common sights on the showroom floor at Innovation Days, as well as pallet systems.

The company also showcased its ZeroFog and ZeroSludge systems at the event. Both systems are technically optional on DMG MORI’s machines, but the applications experts I spoke with at the event say that they are highly recommended. The former is a mist collector that uses suction from fans to remove fine particles from the air, improving air quality in the shop and reducing the risk of condensation around machine tools. The ZeroSludge Coolant Pro is a two-chamber system that channels coolant upward from one chamber to the other, leaving oil and other unwanted sludge in the sump. One applications expert I spoke with says that this device helps ensure the stability of high-pressure operations, especially drilling, by preventing coolant channels from clogging and malfunctioning.

Ultimately, these technologies help increase uptime and streamline the operation of complex machines. They help promote the adoption of these machines, which Mori suggests will be able to take the place of multiple machines on the shop floor. In fact, he predicts that process consolidation will lead the number of total machine tools on the market worldwide to contract from 5,000,000 machines to 1,000,000 — but with the same or better levels of productivity and quality on account of their efficiency.