FEATURE ON CNC LATHES AND TURNING CENTRES

New tech centre for CMZ in Haute-Savoie

Spanish Lathe manufacturer CMZ has consolidated its presence in France following the acquisition of industrial premises in Haute-Savoie. After opening its subsidiary CMZ France 20 years ago in Isère, this new space will be used to provide direct technical support, delivery of parts and advice on applications for CNC lathes. 

Part of CMZ’s international expansion strategy, the new technology centre will have a team of aftersales technicians to provide assistance in the area, as well as sales engineers who will offer direct advice for all customers. The facility will also house an applications engineering service and stock spare parts available on short lead times.

The facility’s permanent showroom for customers will display the full range of CMZ products and host technical workshops demonstrating the capacities of the lathes.

Benoit Branchu, a professional with a long career in the industrial sector will be heading the project. Throughout his career, Branchu has held a variety of posts which have given him in-depth knowledge on the use and operation of lathes, as well as a solid vision of the machining world. He did not hesitate to take up the lead in this new adventure in which Branchu is supported by a team of aftersales technicians for direct assistance.

Haute-Savoie is a strategic market for CMZ because the Arve Valley is recognised as the epicentre of precision turning in France and worldwide. The company has been operating in the area for just over a year and with this move is seeking to strengthen its presence with a strong, solid sales structure.

More information www.cmz.com

Lynx lathe chosen to machine new products

Mills CNC has recently supplied Alwayse Engineering, a ball transfer unit (BTU) design and manufacturing specialist, with a new two-axis lathe manufactured by DN Solutions. The lathe, a FANUC-controlled 8” chuck/65mm bar diameter Lynx 2100B, was installed at Alwayse Engineering’s manufacturing facility in Birmingham in March 2025. As part of the investment package, the machine was supplied with a HydraFeed MSV65 short magazine bar feeder to facilitate unattended production, and a HydraFeed Rota-Rack parts accumulator and handling system with integrated belt conveyor.

Since installation, the Lynx 2100B has been put through its paces machining single-piece carbon steel bodies for the company’s re-designed and “soon-to-be launched” 805 series BTUs. Of low-profile, high-load capacity and heavy-duty design, the 805 series is primarily for air cargo movement applications.

Alwayse Engineering’s 805 series unit bodies measure 62 mm in diameter and 34.5 mm in length, with machining taking place in a single set-up on the Lynx 2100B. Machining operations include (front end) rough and finish boring of the bodies’ interiors to produce the desired internal ‘hemisphere-shape’, and (back end) burr-free, parting-off operations to cut off the machined parts from the remaining bar stock.

Part cycle times are short at approximately 80 seconds and, once machined on the Lynx 2100B, the bodies are finish machined on one of the company’s other Lynx lathes where a series of multi-dirt exit holes are produced on the bottom of every unit.

Says Richard Cutler, engineering manager at Alwayse Engineering: “DN Solutions and Doosan machines are proven performers and have significantly improved our in-house machining capacity and capabilities. Our Lynx lathes deliver the accuracy, repeatability, fast processing speed and machining flexibility we need to increase productivity.”

More information www.millscnc.co.uk

50 years of Okuma multi-tasking machines

In 1975, Okuma introduced its first multi-tasking machine, the LM70-AT. It was capable of turning, drilling and milling in a single unit, providing a complete machining process. Okuma has continued to develop this principle over the years in line with market requirements. Today, Okuma says its Multus range is synonymous with technological innovation and the highest standards.

The benefits of multi-tasking machines for manufacturers are huge: they reduce the number of work steps, minimise the risk of manual errors or material loss thanks to continuous processes, shorten set-up times, and require less floor space. Order acceptance has also become more flexible: even urgent jobs can be accommodated quickly, requiring only a program change to the user-friendly CNC software. The same applies to jobs from new industries or to meet new regulatory requirements: Okuma says its multi-tasking machines enable companies to respond quickly to new requirements. This improves competitiveness, especially for small and medium batch sizes.

The Multus range comprises Okuma’s most advanced multi-tasking solutions. While the Multus BII series includes various standard models for simple entry-level applications, Multus B machines are suitable for complex workpieces with diameters up to 1 m and lengths up to 6 m. The Multus U series offers a choice of three models with an optional lower turret for increased productivity.

Okuma can also upgrade its multi-tasking machines with Okuma Armroid or robot cells for automation. This increases productivity and efficiency while maintaining the customary user-friendliness and precision machining.

As a further point of note, Okuma’s modern machine tools are increasingly focused on low and sustainable energy use.

More information www.okuma.eu

Emag MSC 5 Duo for economic soft turning

In today’s world, manufacturing companies are facing major challenges: increasing cost pressures, a shortage of skilled workers and rising energy costs. This requires machine tools that generate more output with less manpower and are energy-efficient at the same time. The MSC 5 Duo from Emag has been developed in response to these requirements and will be officially presented for the first time at the EMO 2025 exhibition in Hannover this September.

The MSC 5 Duo is a two-spindle front-loaded CNC turning centre for automated batch production. Characterised by an optimal ratio of functionality and capital investments, the machine focuses on high-productivity soft turning and combines proven Emag technologies with cost-optimised basic equipment.

Emag says the economic benefits for users are obvious: the MSC 5 Duo costs significantly less per spindle than comparable models from higher product lines but offers the same productivity for standard soft turning applications.

The split-bed concept forms the foundation for precision machining results. This design decouples the two work areas from one another, preventing the transmission of vibrations during simultaneous machining. As a result, users benefit from constant dimensional accuracy on both spindles, even during demanding machining processes.

The main spindles of the MSC 5 Duo have been designed for a wide range of applications. With a maximum motor speeds of 4500 rpm and a standard spindle power of 5.5 kW in continuous operation or 7.5 kW for up to 30 minutes, there is sufficient reserve power available for demanding machining tasks. A more powerful version with 7.5 kW in continuous operation and 11 kW for 30 minutes is available as an option.

More information www.emag.com

Efficient turning and milling of technical plastics

Ament plastics GmbH from Wernberg- Köblitz has been producing complex precision components from technical plastics since 2005. Long-standing customers from the automotive, medical and aerospace industries rely on the know-how of the 25-strong team, particularly its expertise in the machining of thermoset plastics. Components made from this material account for a good 70% of day-to-day business. Ament plastics has now purchased a CLX 450 TC from DMG Mori as part of its capacity expansion and process optimisation. Thanks to six-sided complete machining, the company is drastically reducing throughput times, achieving higher quality and increasing its flexibility.

“The CLX 450 TC is a milestone in our production: we now produce on one machine, instead of two machines with several manual re-clampings,” says company founder and CEO Klaus Ament.

Ament plastics relies on modern CNC technologies to machine often complex component geometries. Five-axis simultaneous milling and six-sided turning and milling are now standard. Erik Fleischmann, production manager, believes that complete machining on turn-mill centres is the right way forward: “The original production process involved at least two machines and repeat manual re-clamping. This takes much longer, ties up machine capacity and the accuracy is more variable.”

The investment in a CLX 450 TC was therefore a major milestone. Together with a colleague, Fleischmann was responsible for the acquisition of the turn-mill centre. Good experience with older turn-mill machines from Gildemeister led him to DMG Mori. The choice was between the CTX beta 800 TC and the CLX 450 TC.

“As space is limited, we opted for the smaller model,” he recalls. “Integrating several machining processes into one work area is a good way to expand capacity.”

More information www.dmgmori.com