High productivity in a compact footprint

Okuma, which is represented in the UK by NCMT, has added the 2SP-2500H CNC turn-mill centre to its line of ‘smart’ machines.
The front-facing twin spindles provide higher levels of productivity and greater reliability in volume production, especially for automotive parts.

The compact, automation-ready machine effectively integrates two lathes into one unit with a standard loader for continuous front and back work.
Okuma’s latest turn-mill machine enables stable unattended production over long runs via a high-speed loader that feeds blanks. Due to the machine’s novel design, the loader is able to enter the 2SP-2500H regardless of the turret’s position. Since turret retraction is not necessary, workpiece transport and changeover times are reduced.
Offering 5000 rpm, the turning spindle is said to be the fastest in its class, which combines with a smallest-in-class machine width of 2200 mm. Despite its compact dimensions, the machine features a maximum turning diameter of 250 mm.
The 2SP-2500H, which is 20% faster than previous models, offers milling capabilities that are supported by a maximum spindle speed of 6000 rpm and a motor output of 7.1 kW, making it on par with a small machining centre. The machine is also capable of face milling, drilling and tapping.
Okuma’s intelligent ‘Thermo-Friendly Concept’ app is designed to minimise thermal deformation and enhance component accuracy, while the company’s ‘Tool Life Forecaster’ predicts the remaining time before a tool exchange is required, thus preventing tool-edge breakage and reducing costs.
For further information www.okuma.eu

XYZ ProTurn lathes upgraded

A number of options and upgrades have been announced for the SLX ProTurn range of lathes offered by XYZ Machine Tools. For instance, the largest machine in the range, the 3 m-bed SLX 555, with its 560 mm swing over the bed, 104 mm spindle bore and 3000 mm between centres, now features single-door to access the working area. Replacing the previous double-door system, the new design configuration makes it much easier for operators to access to the entire bed length.

SLX ProTurn lathes also have a number of productivity boosting options now available, including a four or eight-position auto-indexing toolpost to replace the standard quick-change system. The eight-position option features a cycloidal, zero-backlash drive system featuring an absolute position encoder, with the turret locked in position using a Hirth coupling.
For those performing larger diameter drilling work, the SLX range can now be fitted with an optional drilling attachment that sits on the machine cross slide. By drilling directly from the cross slide rather than the toolpost, users are able to maximise the potential of the latest drilling tools, at the same time reducing stress on the toolpost and releasing positions for turning and boring tools.
As part of XYZ’s quality procedures, every SLX lathe is ballbar tested using the latest QC20 Bluetooth ballbar system from Renishaw (pictured). This is part of the 168-hour (24/7) testing procedure undertaken by XYZ on its machine tools prior to delivery. If any fault is identified during this period, it is rectified and the test starts again from
the beginning.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

HPC orders Citizen sliding head with LFV

HPC Services of Ilkeston has ordered the latest Cincom L20-VIIILFV turn-mill centre from Citizen Machinery UK. By including Low Frequency Vibration (LFV) machining technology in the specification, HPC’s managing director Paul Cobb maintains his business will get a lead in the market by boosting the production of materials such as 321 corrosion-resistant stainless steel and 416 chromium steel alloy stainless steel, and plastic-type materials.

“This machine will enable us to competitively quote on new work that we would normally decline, and will give us additional capacity as we build up production for our in-house developed water-based fire-suppression system,” he says.
LFV enables selected operational sequences to be programmed at the machine control to impart the size of chip to be produced. The ability for the operator to control the size of chip eliminates problems such as ‘bird nesting’, improves depth-of-cut and surface finish, delays the onset of built-up edge on tooling and aids the management of swarf. LFV can be applied to turning, profiling, facing, taper cutting and interrupted cutting sequences, plus drilling and even thread cutting.
HPC has currently 10 Citizen Cincom machines installed, with the most recent Cincom L12-VII ordered from the Citizen Machinery stand at MACH 2016. This is currently producing components as part of a 40,000 a year contract. A plastic tube, 110 mm in length, is turned and a hole produced through its length to a concentricity tolerance of 0.05 mm TIR.
“So productive is the machine that we have reduced our cycle time from over a minute to just 12 seconds,” says Cobb.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Ypsotec celebrates 100 years with Tornos

On its 100th anniversary, Grenchen, Switzerland-based Ypsotec, which also has a facility in Tábor, Czech Republic, decided to take its next step towards the future and enter the field of multi-spindle turning technology, choosing a Tornos MultiSwiss 6×16.

An urgent order for 1,300,000 pieces by one of Ypsotec’s customers prompted the company to rethink its operation. First, Ypsotec managers had planned to outsource production to China for financial reasons, but understood they had to invest in new technologies to remain competitive. The company thus had the impetus to break new ground and the MultiSwiss entered the stage.
According to COO Piero Tschanz, the targets set were difficult to achieve with the company’s existing single spindle lathes: “We had to increase our productivity. At the same time, we wanted to avoid structural measures such as a plant extension. Multi-spindle technology quickly came to the fore. After initial analysis, the Tornos MultiSwiss soon turned out to be a solution that aroused our interest.”
As far as ergonomics are concerned, the machine boasts various attributes, including integrated peripherals and good access to important areas. To facilitate work set-ups, Ypsotec is banking on Göltenbodt quick-change toolholders.
“To date, the machine has proved to be a reliable partner and we are fully satisfied with the result,” says Tschanz. “It was very easy for our employees to get accustomed with the new technology and the significant advantages of the machine features in terms of floor space, as well as higher productivity. The hydrostatic bearings on the machine offer distinct benefits with regards to tool life and surface finish.”
For further information www.tornos.com

High-specification universal lathe

The CTX 2500|700 universal turning machine has been unveiled by DMG Mori. Designed for machining components up to 366 mm in diameter from billet, or 76 mm from bar, and to a maximum length of 705 mm, the machine is the first in the company’s range that allows users to turn grooves up to 12 mm wide in CK45 steel and drill holes to 80 mm diameter.
DMG Mori’s CTX 2500|700 combines the rigid machine bed and box guideway configuration of the NLX 2500|700, of which more than 10,000 have been sold, with the VDI turret and Siemens 840D Solutionline control from the CTX beta 800. DMG Mori’s proprietary app-based control and operation interface, CELOS, is included.

Precision and surface quality derive from the thermo-stability of the lathe, which has a spiral oil jacket around the spindle to control temperature and coolant recirculation through the cast bed. A linear scale with a standard resolution of 0.01 µm is fitted in the X axis for positional feedback. Furthermore, rapid traverse of 30 m/min in the linear axes ensures short idle times, while a Y axis may be specified for turn-milling work.
The TurnMaster 4000 rpm main spindle with 26 kW of power and 525 Nm torque (or optional 3500 rpm, 30 kW, 1194 Nm version) is opposed by an 11 kW, 7000 rpm, 70 Nm (or 32 kW, 5000 rpm, 360 Nm) counter spindle. A 6000 rpm, 32 Nm cooled-disc turret with VDI 40 interface is offered as standard, while an 85 Nm TorqueDrive and a 12,000 rpm SpeedDrive are available.
For further information www.dmgmori.com