Mazak History

[slucas_clmach]

Does anyone know of a chronological history of mazak machines and/or controls? With all the naming changes, it is difficult to keep track of which control came when?

[underthetire]

Actually, Mazak has a very nice little paperback book with all the history of the company. Mazak gave us all one, just propaganda, but kind of interesting.

[Al_The_Man]

Originally Posted by slucas_clmach Does anyone know of a chronological history of mazak machines and/or controls? With all the naming changes, it is difficult to keep track of which control came when?

Most Mazak's have traditionally used Mitsubishi controls, there was the occasional Fanuc used.

Originally Posted by underthetire Actually, Mazak has a very nice little paperback book with all the history of the company. Mazak gave us all one, just propaganda, but kind of interesting.

I got one of those when I visited the plant at Florence KY.
IIRC they start out making rush baskets.
The one I got, I noticed a gap between 1940 and 1945, when I asked what happened there, they said 'nothing' I think they meant zero(s).
Al.

[jimiscnc]

I was at Mazak 1983 to 1985 and back from 2001 to 2009. I can offer some northeast history, if you're interested. Even if you're not, I'll post it here ANYWAY.

Wally Tefft was with Pratt and Whitney Machine Tool in the 60's and 70's in Sales and Marketing. He spent some time there as VP of Marketing, back when P&W was a machine tool POWERHOUSE. (Before it suffered the long slow painful heartbreaking death of all American Machine Tool Builders that got bought out by conglomerates in the 60's and 70's. (footnote - a book called "When the Machine Stopped", writen by a business journalist in the mid 80's, chronicals that oft repeated fate for Burgmaster, that got hollowed out by Houdaille Corporation. There's almost no modern history of machine tool builders anywhere, so it's a reccomended book if you are a cnc history buff like me)

Terry Yamazaki, who's dad started Mazak deal in the 30's, sent Ted Niwa to Brooklyn USA in the very early 70's, to establish Mazak USA. Wally hooked up with them somehow and consulted with them on how to do it. Wally got the FIRST MAZAK REGIONAL TECH CENTER built in South Windsor, CT, in the early 80's. (Replaced in 2006 by a palatial Tech Center near the Windsor Locks Airport)

I was honored to work with Wally and Company at the time I did. Wally was a signifigant part of the biz and deserves some historical mention.

ALSO.

I got started in CNC at the very same P&W in 1979 and got laid off Dec 1983. I got my final interview and job with Mazak on Dec 21, 1983, with Ted Niwa himself! (Easy to remember because I made up a sweatshirt at the time that proclaimed "I GOT MY JOB ON FRANK ZAPPA'S BIRTHDAY")

Wally had become a Mazak dealer by forming Heritage Machinery in Epping NH, very close to New England Dragway, I'm told. In 1984, Mazak got the brainiac idea to "go direct", with their own sales force, while also keeping most of their dealers on. Including Heritage. Theory was doubling the sales force would double the sales, but the two separate but equal organizations simply ended up trying to poach each others customers. It was an intersting thing to be right in the middle of.

Old friends Terry and Wally parted ways and Wally dropped Mazak (and probably vice-versa) and picked up Leblond-Makino instead.

Heritage was bought out by the nucleaus of ABLE Machine Tool Sales in the early 90's. The three principals were all from G&W Machine, which was Niigata and Tsudakoma at the time. One of the principals at ABLE was Al Barile, still out there selling today and a protege of Wally Tefft from back at P&W in the 60's!

I have a tremendous respect for Al Barile, and all the people in Connecticut and MA that get to deal with him are dealing with one of the best all around machine tool people I have ever worked with! Al loves machine tools more than most of us love crystal meth.

-90% jimmy

[scub]

So, interesting enough question, ne1 got an answer?

T(m)1/T4 1981-82?
T(m)2
T(m)3
T(m)32 1985?
T(m)plus
fusion 1998
matrix 2005


ne1 fill the blanks?

[tooldude328]

You are Close Scub,
the mill control was M2 from 1985 to 1989, then went to m32 in 1990 to 1995,
then m32 plus in 1995

[psychomill]

Here's a "condensed" version from a press release which I don't remember where I got it from ..... Gives you an idea of things with Mazatrol controllers....