DMG MORI – CMX 600 V

Short. Sharp. A block of grey iron that simply looks ready. Then you hit the green button and it moves with the grace of a drone. Weird contrast, right.

You stare at the 600 mm axis stroke and think, fine, that covers most plates we cut for elevator brackets. Then you remember the odd rush orders from the oil guys in Abu Dhabi who show up on Thursday night with a drawing scribbled on a napkin and want it Monday morning. Happens more often than anyone admits. Different vibe, same machine.

Why numbers matter

One minute you are drilling ten holes in mild steel, next minute you are surfacing an Inconel valve block. The CMX 600 V does not care. It simply applies 13 kW through a BT40 taper and keeps chips flying. Yes, only 83 Nm max torque, but the sweet spot starts around 4 000 rpm where most of us actually live, unless you are doing slow hogging.

Specs on one page

Before the marketing cloud gets too thick, hard data helps.

Table has 950 × 560 mm footprint, load ticket says 600 kg. Real shop story: we once clamped a 680 kg block, moved with caution, nothing bent, still do not tell the health and safety guy.

Two sentences after a table keep the rhythm alive. Numbers alone do not cut metal, operators do. Good that the enclosure is roomy, you reach the far edge without doing yoga poses.

Core functions decoded

• Direct drive spindle tops 12 000 rpm out of the box, that covers aluminium all day and most tool steels with decent cutters.
• Roller guideways on all axes, no guessing about backlash when you finish the fourth side of a mold cavity.
• Siemens 828D pairs nicely with ShopMill cycles, even fresh operators feel at home after half a shift.
• CELOS layer sits on top, stores job sheets and tool lists, you stop digging in Excel during lunch.

That list looks tidy yet the real charm shows when coolant finally sprays. Cutting a Ti-6Al-4V bracket at 100 m/min and 0.15 mm chip load is not the fastest trick, still the spindle does not scream like the old VF-2 we parked last year.

Everyday hacks

Need second list, sure.

• Probe ready wiring inside, plug in Renishaw later, no cabinet drama
• Through spindle coolant up to 30 bar if you order the boost pump, keeps micro drills alive
• 30 slot carousel sits close to the door, tool change in 1.3 s chip to chip, not tea time fast yet never feels like dial-up internet
• Chip conveyor rolls into a standard 200 L drum, cleaners in Sharjah love that, fewer buckets to handle

Again, bullet points alone feel dry. Let me throw a curve. We once milled a decorative brass door handle set for a hotel on Palm Jumeirah. Five axis would be nicer. Still, with a simple 4th axis trunnion bolted on the table, the CMX handled the curves, surface finish Ra 0.6 right off the tool. No hand polish, customer happy.

Compare alternatives

Haas VF-2, Doosan DNM 5700, Brother Speedio S700X1, three names you hear every time a buyer opens his Excel shortlist. Quick and dirty snapshot below.

Travels and speed look like a spreadsheet war. Reality check, Brother screams in aluminium but table load just 250 kg. VF-2 is rugged, though the enclosure is dated, chips splash on the floor. Doosan nice but longer lead time into UAE. CMX finds balance, good reach, compact footprint 3.8 × 2.15 m, doors slide easy, chips captured.

Inside the CMX family

Three siblings:

• CMX 600 V – the middle kid, balanced.
• CMX 800 V – same design stretched, 800 mm X, table 1 100 × 560 mm, weight jumps to 8 000 kg.
• CMX 1100 V – hulking size, 1 100 mm X, table 1 350 × 560 mm, shop crane mandatory.

We ran the 800 V next room for two months. Except for size, control feels identical. Swapping operators between models takes zero brain rewiring. That matters when foremen juggle overtime schedules during Ramadan peaks.

Service bits UAE angle

DMG MORI keeps a parts hub in Dubai South Free Zone, stocked with belts, pumps, drives. Average wait under 48 hours if a sensor dies. Yes, I timed it. Firmware updates land via USB stick, no hidden cloud.

Humidity in Sharjah workshop hits 75 % by noon, we still see linear scales hold tolerance within ±5 µm over 300 mm after six months, verified with a ball bar. Not magic, just sealed covers and a chiller that is not under-sized.

Operating costs cut short

Coolant filter is bag style, swap in 90 seconds, cheaper than drum style. Only two grease nipples per axis, central lube pump doses every 30 minutes, you barely think about it. Power draw idling, 4 kW, cutting at 8 kW average across mixed cycle. Those numbers come from a Fluke meter, not brochure poetry.

Who buys and why

Small job shops in Al Quoz chasing one off fixtures. Mid size valve body producers in Ruwais who need stable 24-7 runs on stainless. Vocational colleges in Dubai because the control is friendly for first year students. Diverse bunch, same need, make metal parts by Tuesday.

Brand background

DMG MORI traces roots back to 1948. Today about 160 machine types roll out of plants in Germany and Japan, roughly 10 000 units yearly. CMX line launched 2016, subtle refresh in 2021 added faster toolchanger and darker paint. Good, white chips show up clearer on black base.

Closing thoughts

You want a fancy quote, here you go. A machine tool is not a smartphone, you live with it fifteen years. The CMX 600 V does not try to impress at cocktail parties, it earns respect at 3 am when the schedule slipped and the coolant smells like Friday fish. That is enough for me.

Main benefits

• Balanced stroke to footprint ratio, fits into tight Dubai warehouses without trading away Y travel
• Siemens 828D plus CELOS stack simplifies job scheduling for multi shift shops, fewer sticky notes on the door
• Solid roller guideways and stiffer column reduce chatter on 12 mm depth passes, translates into better tool life, less scrap

So yeah, it cuts, it lasts, it rarely whines. That pretty much sums it up.