Introduction
Floor space is expensive. Labor is hard to find. And every shop owner looking at their production schedule is asking the same question: how do I get more output without adding more machines, more operators, or more square footage?
Dual-spindle machining is one of the easiest, most direct answers. By placing two spindles on a single platform, manufacturers can produce two parts simultaneously, effectively doubling throughput while occupying roughly the same floor space as a single-spindle machine. The concept is not new, but the way it is being applied today, across both general-purpose production machining and highly specialized micro-hole drilling, is worth a closer look.
Why Dual-Spindle Machining Matters
A dual-spindle machine synchronizes both spindles to run the same part program on two workpieces at the same time. The spindles share the same table movement while operating independently on the Z axis, allowing for minor offset adjustments between the two heads without requiring separate programming.
For high-volume production environments, this creates several compounding advantages.
Throughput without expansion. Two parts per cycle means twice the output from a single machine footprint. For shops where floor space is at a premium, this can be the difference between taking on new work and turning it away.
Reduced per-part cost. One cycle produces two parts. Cycle times, energy consumption, and work force are shared across both. Over thousands of parts, the savings are significant.
Fast tool changes. Twin-arm tool changers on dual-spindle configurations deliver tool-to-tool times as low as 1.1 seconds, even with two independent tool magazines running simultaneously.
Nomura DS Compact Machining Centers: The DST Dual-Spindle Series
Nomura DS offers two dual-spindle compact machining centers for high-volume production: the DST-40DS and the DST-40DL. Both use a 2-head construction with BBT30 taper spindles and twin-arm ATCs. Both spindles are able to produce identical parts simultaneously with precise depth adjustments.
DST-40DS
The DST-40DS is the more compact option, built around a 750 x 400 mm T-slot table. Each spindle carries its own 24-tool magazine with tool-to-tool times of 1.1 seconds and chip-to-chip times of 1.8 seconds. Spindle speeds range from 15,000 to 24,000 RPM via direct-drive motors, and the 320 mm spindle pitch keeps both heads within a tight, rigid envelope. The full machine fits within a 1,820 x 2,997 mm floor footprint, delivering two machines' worth of output in a space that barely exceeds one.
DST-40DL
The DST-40DL extends the concept to larger workpieces. With a 1,060 x 400 mm table, 720 mm of X-axis travel, and 480 mm of Z-axis stroke, it handles parts that exceed the DST-40DS's work envelope. Spindle pitch is configurable at 320, 500, or 600 mm, giving shops flexibility in head spacing. Tool magazines are available in 20-tool and 24-tool configurations per spindle, making it well suited to automotive brackets, housings, or structural components where dual-spindle production replaces a two-machine operation.
Both machines run on the Mitsubishi M80 CNC control with standard G-code compatibility, conversational programming through Navi Mill, and MTConnect connectivity for shop-floor monitoring.
Scaling Up: The E-50DM and E-185DVM
For shops that need dual-spindle capability on a 40-taper platform, Nomura DS also builds the E-50DM and E-185DVM. The E-50DM pairs CAT40 spindle tooling with a 1,200 x 520 mm table, 30-tool magazines per head, 18.5 kW of spindle power, and an 800 kg table load capacity for heavier cutting applications. The E-185DVM is a dual-spindle bridge mill designed for longer parts, featuring 1,850 (~3,000) mm of Y-axis travel and a 1,800 x 900 mm table. Its bridge construction provides the structural rigidity needed for consistent accuracy across a large work envelope.
Precision Micro-Hole Drilling: The S-Series
Nomura DS applies the same bridge-style framework to a highly specialized application: micro-hole drilling for semiconductor component manufacturing.
The S-series machines, including the S-450D, S-500D, and S-600D, are designed primarily for producing semiconductor showerheads (and other like-components), the precision-drilled plates used in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and plasma etching processes. These showerheads require thousands of micro-holes drilled with extreme positional accuracy and consistent surface finishes, making them one of the most demanding drilling applications in modern manufacturing.
What Makes the S-Series Different
Unlike the DST compact machining centers, where the spindles share X and Y axes, the S-series machines feature fully independent axes and two separate tables. Each spindle operates on its own axis system, making these machines even closer to having two complete machines in a single platform. This level of independence allows each head to run its own drilling pattern without compromise, which is essential when positional accuracy on every micro-hole is non-negotiable.
The S-series uses HSK-E32 taper spindles paired with ultrasonic spindle technology. Ultrasonic vibration reduces cutting forces and heat at the tool tip, which is critical when drilling micro-diameter holes in hard, brittle materials like silicon carbide, quartz, and advanced ceramics.
The S-600D runs dual spindles at up to 38,000 RPM with disc-type ATCs carrying 20 tools per spindle and two 600 x 600 mm tables. The S-450D and S-500D follow the same dual-spindle bridge mill architecture with full axis independence, enabling two showerheads (or two sections of a large showerhead) to be drilled simultaneously, cutting production time in half for one of the most time-intensive processes in semiconductor equipment manufacturing.
The semiconductor industry's demand for showerheads is growing alongside global fab capacity expansion. For shops serving this market, dual-spindle micro-hole drilling is not a luxury. It is a capacity strategy.
The Common Thread
Whether the application is drilling and tapping automotive components on a DST-40DS, machining structural parts on an E-185DVM, or producing semiconductor showerheads on an S-600D, the principle is the same: two spindles, one machine, twice the output.
Nomura DS builds every dual-spindle machine around a rigid structural platform, direct-drive spindle motors, and the Mitsubishi M80 CNC control, engineered to maintain accuracy across both heads over long production runs. That is where the real return on investment shows up: not in the first dozen parts, but in the thousandth and ten-thousandth.