Tombo Plastic Co., Ltd. continues to grow through high-quality resin machining 
Left: Kenji Ikeshita, Executive Managing Director Right: Keiji Higashi, President and CEO 
The company currently uses four machines for resin machining: the SPEEDIO , , , and
"To be honest, I had never heard of SPEEDIO before going independent," recalls President Higashi. At the time, shortages of parts were causing supply delays across the machine tool industry, and delivery times for familiar products from other companies were expected to take at least half a year. Meanwhile, a distributor recommended the SPEEDIO, a compact machining center capable of high-speed machining.
"Of course, I was worried about adopting new machinery. But my desire to get the business up and running as soon as possible was strong," says President Higashi. And so, in March 2022, the company introduced its first SPEEDIO, the S700X2.
Executive Director Ikeshita, who oversees site operations, reflects on the SPEEDIO's ease of use, "I was certainly a little worried at first, but I thought I'd be able to figure it out once I got my hands on it. In fact, it was easy to operate, and I think we were able to adapt smoothly." What he found particularly appealing was the speed of tool changes. He also praised its performance, noting, "The tapping function has been extremely helpful."
Subsequent expansions were swift, with the addition of the S700Xd1 in January 2023, the W1000Xd2 in March 2024, and the S500Xd1 in November 2024.
"Thanks to the support of our customers, we were able to proceed with expansion faster than originally planned," said President Higashi. In addition to improving production capacity, the introduction of the Wide Travel Model W1000Xd2 enabled in-house machining of long parts that had previously been outsourced.
"First of all, the initial cost is low. When starting a business with limited funds, the SPEEDIO's cost per unit is very attractive. The fact that the machine is space-saving is also extremely helpful for a small plant like ours."
He further emphasized its significant contribution to energy savings.
"I was surprised at how little power it required. With rising electricity prices, this is truly appreciated."
He also praised the wide range of the SPEEDIO lineup, including models , which makes it easy to plan for future implementation.
We also asked about the challenges unique to resin machining.
"Unlike metalworking, resin machining does not use coolant, so chips tend to fly around and stick to the machine's wall surface. This can be a bit inconvenient," said Executive Director Ikeshita. "However, it's not a major obstacle, and is something we can deal with adequately," he added.
"Until now, we've focused all our energy on the work at hand while strengthening and evolving our production system. Going forward, we hope to further expand our range of equipment and build a system that improves productivity with a small number of people."
For the next expansion, they are even considering exterior colors.
"Because we spend so much time at work, we want to foster motivation. As someone who uses the machines every day, I would like the environment to be a little more relaxing and pleasant, rather than the typical atmosphere of the manufacturing industry," said President Higashi.
Wide model offering the largest machining area
among BT30 machines
Supports multi-part machining and large workpieces
Equipped with the new CNC-D00 controller to improve productivity and usability.
Using a new 28-tool magazine to expand target workpieces and promote process integration.
Achievement of high acceleration and high responsiveness through machine/controller integrated development and complete elimination of wasted operation and wasted time enable the machine to fully demonstrate its abilities, resulting in high productivity.
