The installation in April 2025 at Dawson Precision Components of a Citizen Cincom L20-XLFV sliding-head lathe brings the subcontractor’s tally of CNC turn-mill centres to 21, most of which are bar-fed and feature driven tooling. This high-precision turned parts specialist is required by some customers to hold tolerances down to single-figure microns.

Dawson Precision’s additional Cincom lathe brings the proportion of sliding-head lathes – as distinct from fixed-head models – in its Oldham factory to nearly three-fifths, or more if taking into account a Citizen Miyano BNA-42GTY. This model is a hybrid fixed/sliding-head lathe capable of operating like a slider in guide bush-less mode, with the headstock able to move in and out of the working area.

A vast array of materials is machined by Dawson Precision Components for customers in the medical, life sciences, space, defence, communications, rail, motorsport, leisure and other sectors. They include plastics like PTFE, PEEK, acetal and nylon, which collectively account for up to 15% of production output. The ability of Citizen’s LFV operating system software to break what would normally be stringy swarf into short, manageable chips is a key reason for the subcontractor choosing the chip-breaking option on its three latest Cincoms, as well as the Miyano. It is similarly effective when turning copper and numerous types of aluminium.

Managing director Simon Dawson says: “There’s no doubt Citizen lathes last a long time – we have one on the shop floor that’s still producing components and holding tolerance after 25 years. Our policy, though, is to replace them regularly to take advantage of the higher productivity that modern, faster machines allow, as it makes it easier to compete for new work.”

More information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk