Tornos appoints trio of engineers

Tornos UK has expanded its team with the addition of three skilled engineers, who will serve to strengthen the service, customer support and technical engineering solutions available from the company.

Stephen Brett and Andy Patrick have both been heavily involved in the manufacturing sector since leaving school and serving technical manufacturing apprenticeships, prior to careers in production-orientated roles across a number of different market segments. Chun Yuen previously held a 10-year customer support engineer role for Tornos in Asia and will bring a fresh outlook to customers on the application of their machine tools.
For further information www.tornos.com

Okuma to exhibit in Paris

Okuma will exhibit at this year’s Paris Air Show (Le Bourget, 17-23 June, Hall 4 E51).

The company has more than three decades of expertise in machining technology for the aerospace industry. Within Okuma’s aerospace portfolio are manufacturing solutions for many workpieces such as turbine components, gear parts, hydraulic valves and landing gear components. Okuma’s range of turn-mill machines, including the MU-V, Multus-U and VTM-YB series, are predestined for aerospace applications, while the multi-tasking Laser EX series is additionally equipped with additive manufacturing capabilities.
Aerospace manufacturers benefit from Okuma’s intelligent technologies, like its Thermo-Friendly Concept, which compensates for thermal deformation. The benefit is dimensional stability during long-term machining operations. Furthermore, with the use of ‘Dynamic Tool Load Control’, costs can be reduced by allowing the use of cheap tooling inserts for machining difficult-to-cut materials like titanium.
Visitors to the Paris Air Show will have the opportunity to discuss the latest technological trends with Okuma experts, and are welcome to experience the company’s IoT solution Connect Plan. This software-based system provides analytics for improved utilisation by connecting machine tools and providing visual control of factory operations and machining.
Okuma traditionally puts a special focus on dedicated applications for the aerospace industry, and maintains three global Aerospace Centres of Excellence in Krefeld (Germany), Charlotte (USA) and Oguchi (Japan). All three facilities offer demonstrations of the specific solutions in operation and are open to interested visitors all year round.
For further information www.okuma.eu

26% turn-mill cycle time savings

Hartlepool subcontractor JJ Hardy & Sons, which specialises in supplying the rail and energy sectors, has replaced an ageing lathe with a Genos L3000e turn-mill centre built by Okuma, Japan, supplied through sole UK and Ireland agent, NCMT.

The first job on the machine, which involved turning and milling a batch of parts from brass bar, resulted in each component emerging from the lathe 26% faster than previously.
More recently, a batch of 400 components turned and drilled from 40 mm diameter mild-steel bar showed an almost identical saving. Each part previously took 225 seconds to produce and is now completed in 165 seconds on the Okuma. The one minute reduction per part translates into more than six and a half hours saved, an economy that allowed the subcontractor to hold the price for the customer.
Andrew Pailor, JJ Hardy’s managing director since 2002, says: “With material costs going up all the time, purchasing new machinery to bring cycle times down is helping us to increase our competitiveness and win new business. We identified a requirement for another turn-mill solution and recognised Okuma as the leading manufacturer of machinery to fill that need. We did not think we could afford one, but NCMT’s help made it possible.”
The Genos L3000e has box sideways in X and Z to support heavy cutting, while the NC tailstock runs on a linear guide. A total of 12 live tools in the turret have up to 7 kW of power for prismatic metal cutting in conjunction with the C-axis spindle.
Pailor concludes: “The Genos L3000e is an operator-friendly machine that simplifies cleaning, filtration and maintenance. It is a one-saddle lathe that is strong and compact, ideal for cutting a wide range of exotic materials with ease.”
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

Tornos unveils Swiss DT models

Over the past few months, Tornos has been launching a number of products that form part of its entry-level portfolio of turning machines. Now, with the introduction of the Swiss DT13 and Swiss DT26 turning machines, a full product line-up is available.

Tornos’ entry-level segment comprises two product lines, namely the CT20 machine, the second version of the machine recently introduced, and the Swiss DT model. Both model variants are subject to constant evolution. Against this backdrop, the Swiss DT13 and Swiss DT26 models have undergone significant modifications that are aimed at improving their rigidity and axis feed rates.
The Swiss DT13 has been conceived for bar capacities of 13 mm (10 mm without bar preparation). In addition, the machine is provided with five linear axes and two C axes, while its kinematic system has been developed for high-productivity applications. Thanks to maximum feed rates that can reach 35 mm/min and L-type kinematics, the Swiss DT13 is said to be extremely fast, with ultra-short chip-to-chip times. Maximum spindle speed is 15,000 rpm.
Tornos’ Swiss DT26 features five linear axes. Given the bar capacity and performance of the machine, Tornos engineers have prioritised high chip removal by arranging the gang tool post above the guide bush and spindle. With its spindles offering power of more than 10.5 kW for both main and counter operations, in combination with a bar capacity of 25.4 mm, the Swiss DT26 enables large cutting depths. Against this backdrop, high chip removal is required to tap into the full potential of the machine. Just like the Swiss DT13 model, the machine is equipped with a motorised guide bush and, in less than 15 minutes, can be converted to enable collet operation.
For further information www.tornos.com

Record numbers at Citizen open house

A total of nine orders to the value of £2m were placed at Citizen Machinery UK’s first open house at its new Midlands turning centre of excellence in Brierley Hill.

The company reports that the order total is likely to double in the immediate aftermath of the event. Attendance over the three days exceeded 300, a record number. Visitors looking to upgrade their sliding- and fixed-head CNC turning capacity were welcomed from OEMs and subcontractors throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as from mainland Europe.
A quartet of new products were launched, all of which benefit from Citizen’s patented LFV chip-breaking software: the L32-X, L32-XII and D25-VIII Cincom sliding-head bar automatics on which the software is optional; and the Miyano BNA-42GTY, the first Citizen fixed-head lathe to have the addition of LFV in the operating system of the Mitsubishi control. A further 11 machines were on display cutting metal.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk