FEATURE ON CNC LATHES AND TURNING CENTRES

VTL sold into oil industry application

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan CNC machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has supplied a new, large-capacity Puma VTS 1620M vertical turning lathe to Fife-based National Oilwell Varco (NOV) Flexibles UK – a group within NOV Subsea Production Systems and a manufacturer of flexible pipe systems for the offshore oil and gas industry.

The machine was installed at the company’s recently upgraded and extended manufacturing facility in Glenrothes, and represents part of an ongoing multi-million pound investment made in plant, machinery and equipment. Doosan’s VTS 1620M is being used to machine a diverse range of NOV’s proprietary and patented, complex components, as well as repair (re-machine) worn parts that require refurbishment. These components, made from difficult-to-machine materials, many of which have undergone Inconel weld overlay, inlay cladding and heat treatment processes, include large-diameter end fittings and flange connectors – components that provide the required secure interfaces between flexible pipe systems and topside/subsea facilities such as FPSOs/FPUs, platforms, well-heads and subsea installations.
A box-guideway vertical turning lathe equipped with a 63” chuck, the VTS 1620M has 2000 mm maximum turning diameter capacity. In addition, the machine has a number of on-board technology features that make it suitable for the productive and precise machining of large-diameter components.
Alex Mitchell, Flexibles UK’s maintenance manager, says: “The VTS 1620M, like our other Doosan machines, is reliable, versatile and delivers impressive cutting performance. We continue to invest in Doosan machine tools because they are technically sound and are competitively priced. They are also backed by Mills CNC’s aftersales service and support which, from our experience, is difficult to beat.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Latest Colchester MultiTurn unveiled at EMO

600 UK launched its Colchester MultiTurn two-axis manual/CNC lathe at EMO 2017 in Hanover last month. The new MultiTurn is a simple, flat-bed CNC lathe that now incorporates a Siemens 828D control with ShopTurn as a standard feature, although Fanuc 0iTF with Manual Guide i can be fitted if preferred.

The Siemens 828D control with ShopTurn has a reputation for being user-friendly and intuitive, ensuring that operators can machine parts quickly and easily with very little training. However, the ShopTurn system is also powerful enough for more advanced CNC users to output maximum productivity quickly, says the company.
600 UK offers six Colchester MultiTurn models, starting with the compact MultiTurn 1000, which has a 330 mm swing over bed and a 7.5 kW motor outputting spindle speeds of 3500 rpm, through to the heavyweight MultiTurn 6000, which has a 760 mm swing over bed and an 18.5 kW motor giving spindle speeds of up to 1400 rpm. The MultiTurn 6000 has bed length options ranging from 1.5 to 6 m.
Paul Rushworth, 600 UK sales director, says: “The new Colchester MultiTurn, with the addition of Siemens 828D with ShopTurn, gives customers even more flexibility when choosing a new turning machine. We are constantly expanding our range of Colchester and Harrison products, and the MultiTurn is a natural progression in adding more options that customers want.”
For further information www.600uk.com

Machining lead-times cut for hydraulic bodies

Following the recent acquisition of a Miyano BNE-51MSY multi-axis turn-mill centre from Citizen Machinery, Wednesbury-based precision subcontractor Machine Tech Engineering (MTE) has been able to slash production lead-times on batches of hydraulic bodies from three weeks for the first operation, plus a week for the second operation, to machining the entire batch complete in just five days. Batch sizes on the Miyano, although early days, are between 100 and 300.

The eight-axis Miyano BNE-51MSY with Iemca Kid 80 barfeed has created an advantage in lead-time reduction for MTE due to the ability to overlap in a cycle and cut with up to three tools simultaneously. Featured on the machine are two 12-station driven turrets, one with three axes, and the other with two axes that can service either or both spindles at the same time.
In producing a hydraulic body from 38 mm bar, a 22 mm spade drill is used to a depth of 57 mm, then, using a special flat-bottom tool a face and corner relief is created at the bottom of the bore prior to final boring to within 0.03 mm. A further bore is then drilled and reamed to 11.9 mm diameter (0.03 mm tolerance) by 76 mm deep, and the initial bore threaded 1” x 20 TPI Whitworth by 8 mm deep. After, the OD is turned and threaded 11/2” x 16 TPI Whitworth over a length of 100 mm.
The part is then taken by the three-axis secondary spindle, faced, and a 30 mm A/F hexagon is milled by 20 mm long before a 6 mm straight-knurled shoulder is created. Following this operation, a through-bore is drilled to break into the 11.9 mm bore, which is finally tapped 7/16” x 20 TPI UNF by 26 mm deep.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Automating lathes without specialist knowledge

DMG Mori has introduced a mobile robotic cell to automate its CNC turning centres. Called Robo2Go, both raw billet loading and finished part unloading are performed automatically. The unit can be relocated easily by pallet truck to serve up to four different lathes sequentially on a shop floor.

Operation requires no specialist knowledge of robots, as graphics-based programming is offered via an app running directly in DMG Mori’s CELOS control interface. All the operator has to do is enter the dimensions of the workpiece, select the chuck and gripper, choose one of the pre-defined workpiece tray arrangements and start the automatic process.
“As no expert knowledge is needed, this intuitive way of programming a robot is especially suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises that want to exploit the competitive advantage of flexible, unattended production,” says Silvio Krüger, CEO of DMG Mori Systems. “Reluctance to automate has been noticeable in this customer segment because of insufficient programming knowledge and uncertainty that the robot would be fully utilised. These factors have caused some to regard such an investment as too risky, but the simplicity of Robo2Go has overcome this obstacle.”
Once the system is working, a laser scanner prevents the operator from approaching the machine or robot, so there is no need for physical guarding. If a person encroaches on the periphery of the defined safety area, robot motion slows, while close approach halts movement instantly.
The robot is available with a maximum load capacity of 10, 20 or 35 kg. Workpiece diameter can be between 25 and 125 mm, with length from 50 to 250 mm.
For further information
www.dmgmori.com

Eight-spindle auto turns 40 mm bar

Index has launched a second eight-spindle CNC automatic lathe capable of turn-milling components from bar up to 40 mm diameter. The new Index MS40-8 is available in the UK and Ireland through Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools, and follows the manufacturer’s first eight-spindle multi, with a bar capacity of 24mm, which was introduced in 2011.
CNC multi-spindle automatics normally have six spindles. The two additional stations facilitate the complete manufacture of components of even higher complexity, in short cycle times. Alternatively, simpler parts can be produced in half the time using the machine as a double four-spindle auto; indexing the drum by 90deg each time instead of 45deg to produce two parts per cycle.

The MS40-8, which is also capable of chucking cast, forged or extruded parts up to 80 mm in diameter, is aimed at high-volume production in the automotive, connector and aerospace industries. However, smaller batches can be produced almost as efficiently and economically as larger runs due to the speed of set-up inherent with CNC rather than cam technology. In addition to turning, cycles may include drilling, elliptical deburring of cross holes, milling, hobbing, tooth milling, deep-hole drilling and slotting.
Up to 18 CNC cross slides (X and Z) can be specified on the MS40-8, along with additional Y axes as an option. The low-mass slides with hydrostatic support are wear-free and avoid stick-slip. A low moment of inertia leads to dynamic movement for rapid acceleration, while high damping characteristics prevent the transfer of machining vibrations to the adjacent slide via the headstock, says the company.
For further information
www.geokingsbury.com