ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL. — July 31, 2026 

Automation Doesn't Start With a Robot

How the 2-pallet Automatic Pallet Changer on the BTD Series turns setup time back into cut time

Walk the floor of almost any shop and the largest machine in the building is often sitting idle, not because anything is wrong with it, but because the next part is still being fixtured.

A table-type horizontal boring and milling machine is built for gearbox housings, pump bodies, valve blocks, and machine frames, and work at that scale doesn't get carried to the table. It arrives by crane, is set down, shimmed, indicated, and clamped, and is then checked once more, because a mistake discovered mid-cut on a part this size is an expensive one. All of it is careful, necessary work, and the spindle waits through every minute of it.

When manufacturers talk about automation, the picture is usually a robot arm or a lights-out factory. For heavy prismatic machining, the more immediate question is what the spindle is doing while an operator prepares the next part, and at most shops the answer is nothing. That idle stretch is where big-part machining loses most of its day.

Automation increases machine spindle utilization

Spindle utilization measures the share of available hours a machine spends removing metal, and on machines loaded one part at a time, setup consumes far more of that time than most schedules acknowledge. The effect grows with part size, because on large pieces loading and alignment can take longer than the cut itself. Improving utilization is one of the most direct ways to raise output without adding equipment, floor space, or shifts, which is why it sits at the center of nearly every conversation about shop-level efficiency and optimization.

This is the problem the BTD-Series of table-type horizontal boring and milling machines solves with the integrated 2-pallet Automatic Pallet Changer (APC), available across the entire series. Setup and machining become parallel operations rather than sequential ones, and spindle idle time stops being the built-in cost of machining large parts.

Two pallets, one continuous workflow

Pallets separate setup from spindle time. While one pallet is in the machine, the operator loads, aligns, and clamps the next part on the other at floor level, outside the cutting area. When the cycle ends, the pallets exchange and machining resumes, so preparation takes the same time it always has but no longer consumes spindle hours.

Multiple setups stay ready at the same time. Because each pallet is an independent work surface, a shop can keep two different setups mounted simultaneously: first and second operations on the same part number, or two separate jobs alternating through one machine. Dedicated workholding stays in place between runs instead of being torn down and rebuilt, which removes repeated setup labor along with the alignment variation it introduces. Each pallet carries up to 7,700 lbs (3,500 kg) of workpiece and fixturing on a 39" × 47" (1,000 × 1,200 mm) footprint, capacity for complete production setups rather than compromised ones. 

One operator accomplishes more. With parts staged in advance, a single operator can keep the machine running through breaks, meetings, and shift changes, and because cycle times often run to several hours, a loaded second pallet frequently means one more finished part per day. That leverage matters more than it used to. Skilled machinists are increasingly difficult to hire and harder to replace, with industry projections putting the shortfall at more than two million unfilled manufacturing roles by 2030. A pallet changer doesn't close that gap, but it makes the most of the people a shop already has, increasing efficiency.

Accuracy across the entire series

A pallet changer raises how many hours a machine cuts; accuracy determines whether those hours produce parts that pass inspection. The entire BTD-Series is engineered around that second requirement. Every model in the series is built on the same table-type horizontal boring and milling machine platform, with castings produced at Shibaura Machine's own foundry and servo-driven linear and rotary axes designed for high rigidity and high accuracy. The B-axis rotary table supports continuous indexing, so cylindrical and end surfaces are machined in the same setup without an independent rotary table.

That combination is what turns the two-pallet workflow into optimization rather than simple speed. Parts return from either pallet to a machine that holds its geometry, setups repeat instead of drifting, and multiple operations can run across the two pallets with confidence that the first article and the fiftieth will match. Utilization improves how many parts a day produces; accuracy makes sure every one of them counts.

See it running at IMTS 2026

Shibaura Machine will demonstrate the BTD-200QS with its 2-pallet Automatic Pallet Changer live at IMTS 2026, September 14–19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, South Building, Booth #339424. Watch the multi-purpose pallet system exchange complete setups, and see how accuracy holds from one pallet to the next. Then talk with the team about what that combination means for your shop: higher utilization, better efficiency, and a production schedule optimized around cutting instead of waiting.

Contact us at at (888) 593-1616 or mt-sales@shibaura-machine.com.