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

Floyd Automatic Tooling has added the new Precitronics TOHP series of driven tooling with integrated high-pressure coolant feed to its portfolio. The new TOHP system offers through-coolant delivery up to 135 bar for driven tools and applications on sliding-head turning centres.

Available now, the Precitronics TOHP range of driven tooling is suitable for use on all types and makes of sliding-head and fixed-head machines fitted with a high-pressure coolant pump. Connecting the variety of live tooling configurations to the machine tool and the external high-pressure coolant pump is facilitated by a selection of quick-change connectors from the HEB range of locking and connecting plugs, flexible and rigid fluid distribution tubes, distribution blocks, connectors and adaptors – all available from Floyd Automatic.

In the work envelope, the Precitronics system is available for all spindle types with configurations such as ER, ER-A internal collets, CAPTO, KM, HSK, DIN, Weldon, MMT and ABS Komet. The flexibility of the system also extends to the drive connection, which can connect to all types of tool connection.

From a flexibility perspective, options for the Precitronics TOHP include an axial system, axial offset, axial speeders, radial double output, radial 90° system, radial 90° speeder, fixed angle, radial adjustable, axial multiple spindles, radial multiple outputs, polygon maker, thread whirling, gear hobbing and radial Y-axis – all of which can be configured to the specific turning centre.

According to Floyd Automatic, cycle time reductions of up to 30% are achievable by delivering high-pressure coolant directly to the cutting edge. Many of the systems also incorporate an additional coolant nozzle that simultaneously delivers cutting fluid to the shank of the tool, as well as the cutting edge, significantly improving cooling and swarf evacuation.

For further information
www.floydautomatic.co.uk

Components are becoming more and more complex, and drawing tolerances ever-tighter. The ability of a CNC turn-mill centre’s live turret tooling to move in the Y axis, as well as in X and Z, has therefore become increasingly important to facilitate high accuracy, one-hit machining. If travel in only the latter two axes is available, the milling of flats, deburring, and the possibility of machining pockets and off-centre features in-cycle, are either difficult or impossible.

The latest Miyano fixed-head lathe from Citizen Machinery UK to feature a Y-axis turret, in this case with all 12 tool stations driven, is the new BND-64SY for turning parts from bar up to 64 mm diameter. Joining a similar model that accepts bar up to 51 mm diameter through the main spindle, the 4.75-tonne machine is a mid-range, multi-purpose, twin-spindle turning centre. A ribbed monobloc bed slanted at 30°, and carrying precision-scraped square guideways, provides high rigidity, optimal thermal and mechanical stability, and excellent vibration damping, says Citizen.

These characteristics result in highly accurate machined components and longer service life of the tools, which can mount flexibly in the turret using multi-tool holders in any position. The robustness of machine construction allows the turning and milling of tough alloys and metals in their hardened condition, even when taking intermittent cuts. Polygon turning and thread milling are both options in the FANUC 0i-TD control, which is capable of simultaneous four-axis interpolation.

The specification of the Japanese-built machine includes turret travels in X/Y/Z of 175/75/435 mm, some 530 mm of sub-spindle axis travel, and up to 20 m/min rapid feed rate.

For further information
www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

The latest innovation from Tornos to support its sliding-head lathe customers is the pneumatic unloading system for the Swiss DT26 machine series. This new system avoids damage to any particularly intricate or fragile workpiece features.

For long workpieces with delicate features such as a fragile thread, the standard long-part system on Swiss DT and Swiss GT sliding-head machines may not provide the careful part handling required by the end user. For such types of workpieces, with a diameter up to 24 mm and a maximum length of 260 mm, Tornos now has a solution that enables delicate part removal.

Mounted on the tooling block for back machining, the system does not impair the possibility of using T510 and T520 tools. Ejection is via pneumatic operation, by using clamping jaws adapted to the respective workpiece type and material, ensuring there is no potential for part damage. 3D printing can facilitate jaw manufacturing, allowing complete customisation to the component form.

As a point of note, the system is equipped with sensors to monitor machine movements and provide optimum protection of the device. Furthermore, the design is such that it avoids interference with the machine’s counter-spindle.

With the addition of this system it is possible to keep a machine up to date and in conformance with customer component requirements, while employing only minor modifications. Tornos says that the retrofitting of existing machines is straightforward.

For further information
www.tornos.com