CMZ is building its third machining plant ready for full operations by the second half of 2021. At an investment of €17m, the new 8000 sq m Neoprec facility will give CMZ the capabilities it requires to achieve its desired goal of manufacturing 800 CNC lathes per year. The works are already at a very advanced stage and, once final commissioning is complete, CMZ will see a massive advancement in the company’s production capacity.

Neoprec, situated in Mallabia, in the Basque region of northern Spain, will focus on machining the small and medium-sized parts used in CMZ’s CNC lathes. Of the €17m invested, €10m has gone towards purchasing new machines and intelligent factory automation.

In terms of equipment, the plant will have an automated warehouse with capacity to handle 1752 pallets. Moreover, Neoprec will have eight horizontal machining centres aligned in two FMS set-ups, while the metrology room will feature three 3D measuring machines and temperature control to within 0.1°. The maximum variation in the temperature inside the building over any given 24 hour period will be less than 1°C

CMZ’s investment strategy follows its route map focused on finishing 2023 with an annual turnover of €100m. Neoprec is the latest in a series of milestones reached so far: Seuner, the second lathe assembly plant, established in 2016 and already at 70% capacity, and the recent move and expansion of Cafisur, the group’s industrial sheet metal plant, are examples of that.

In line with this trend for working towards sustained growth through strategic investments, work will soon begin on the expansion of Precitor which, alongside Mecaninor and Neoprec, make up the company’s three machining plants.

For further information
www.cmz.com

Citizen Machinery has added a fourth variant to the Cincom L20 sliding-head CNC turning centre range. The top model, L20-XII, which has a 135° swivelling B axis mounted on the gang tool post for working at either of the opposed spindles, is now available with an automatic tool changer (ATC) for swapping up to 30 mm diameter cutters in a chip-to-chip time of four seconds. Both the tool carrier and magazine move in the Y1 axis to effect tool change.

Believed to be a first in a Swiss-type turning machine, the ability to exchange 12 different cutters in the lower position of the B-axis carrier greatly extends the machine’s versatility when executing angled cross-working or end-facing operations. A 13th tool can fix in the carrier’s upper position. While the cutters are normally live for performing drilling, slitting, hobbing or multi-axis milling, turning tools can fill the positions if expedient.

The total number of tools that may be mounted in the working area of the Cincom L20-XIIATC is 34, providing flexibility to ensure that components are machined in as few set-ups as possible, often one. A 2.2 kW motor at up to 12,000 rpm drives the cutters, so even small diameter mills are capable of productive metal removal rates.

As its designation implies, the lathe turns components from 20 mm diameter bar, although oversized options allow up to 25 mm diameter material to be accepted. Another feature contributing to the lathe’s versatility is the ability to switch quickly between Swiss-type operation and non-guide bush turning for more economical production of shorter components.

For further information
www.citizenmachinery.co.uk