Adding the XYZ SS 65 twin/sub-spindle turning centre to XYZ Machine Tools’ range breaks new ground as it is the company’s first foray into multi-spindle turning centres. The introduction is due to demand from customers looking for increased productivity and reduced spindle downtime.

Notably, the XYZ SS 65 houses a 16.5 kW, 4000 rpm main spindle with 65 mm bar capacity and 200 mm diameter chuck as standard. Complementing this is a 150 mm chuck on the 11 kW, 5000 rpm sub-spindle, which has a 52 mm bore. The German-built Sauter 12-position turret has live tooling at every station, with 100 mm (±50 mm) Y-axis travel.

Contouring is facilitated by the C axes on both spindles, which feature a brake to allow substantial milling cuts. The maximum turned diameter is 380 mm, while Z-axis travel is 520 mm, providing a significant working envelope.

Control is via the Siemens 828D ShopTurn 15-inch touchscreen panel, which customers can enhance with the optional Siemens offline programming and CAD reader software if required. All this is built around a 30° slant-bed design with linear ways for faster positioning speeds. The bed is of solid cast construction, meaning the XYZ SS 65 weighs in at 5000 kg, a robust base from which to maximise performance.

“The ability to machine components in one-hit, thereby reducing part handling and idle time, will enable machine shops to maximise productivity and spindle up-time, while making use of available labour,” says XYZ’s managing director Nigel Atherton. “And, at around £120,000, this high-specification machine is on offer at a tempting price point for either existing sub-spindle users looking to upgrade, or those wanting to take their first steps into this technology area.”

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied EDM precision subcontract specialist – Erodatools Ltd – with three new Doosan machine tools: two compact multi-tasking Lynx lathes (a Lynx 2100LSYB and a Lynx 2600Y) and a DNM 6700 vertical machining centre.

“The new machine shop complements the EDM side of the business,” says machine shop manager Jon Harper. “It’s run on the same business principles and company values that have served Erodatools well for almost 50 years – namely a commitment to continuous improvement, ‘best-in-class’ quality and unrivalled customer care.

“We wanted to expand our customer base to include non-EDM users, and offer them the same high-quality CNC milling and turning services,” he continues. “Doosans are high-performance machines. They are accurate and reliable and, in my experience, do not miss a beat.”

The first Doosan acquired by Erodatools was a Lynx 2100LSYB. This 8-inch chuck, FANUC-controlled compact lathe is equipped with a 15 kW/4500 rpm main spindle, a 5-inch chuck 6000 rpm sub-spindle, a 24-position/12-station turret, 6000 rpm driven-tool capability and a ±52.5 mm Y-axis stroke.

“The Lynx 2100LSYB is a multi-tasking lathe that, with its live tooling and sub-spindle, can machine small parts to completion in a single set up,” says Harper. “It operates as a de facto self-contained turning cell.”

Since then, Erodatools has installed a Lynx 2600Y which, incidentally, was one of the first in the UK. The Lynx 2600Y, again with the latest FANUC control, is a 12-inch chuck lathe with a 18.5 kW/3500 rpm spindle, a 24-station turret, 5000 rpm mill/drill capability and a ±52.5 mm Y-axis stroke.

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

As part of its growing portfolio of machine tools, GM CNC has introduced the Victor Vturn-A20Y turning centre. Now available from GM CNC, the upgraded Victor Vturn-A20Y features increased structural rigidity on the headstock, box slideways, turret and carriages, as well as the latest Victor technology – such as Direct Drive Spindle (DDS) – built-in as standard.

From a capacity perspective, the Victor Vturn-A20Y offers a swing-over-bed of 700 mm with a 550 mm swing-over-carriage. This compact footprint machine offers a turning capacity of 630 mm between centres, with a maximum turning diameter of 390 mm and a bar capacity of 52 mm (66 or 75 mm options).

The rigid machine base has an equally robust Victor servo driven VDI or BMT tooling turret option with 12 tool positions that can accommodate tool shanks up to 20 mm, while the 11/18.5 kW continuous spindle motor offers a maximum spindle speed of 5000 rpm.

At present, GM CNC has stock models available with the AICC-2 for FANUC 0i-T (10.4-inch) CNC, an upgraded Kitagawa chuck, Grundfos SPK4-8 or MTH4-40/4 high-pressure coolant system, Renishaw manual tool pre-setter, bar-feed interface, swing-type parts catcher, four additional ‘M’ codes and an oil skimmer.

For customers wishing to tailor the Victor Vturn-A20Y turning centre to their specific production needs, the machine can be supplied with either manual or automatic Renishaw tool pre-setter, parts catcher, auto door opening, bar-feed interface, air-blast system, high-pressure coolant, oil skimmer, larger spindle bore (66 or 75 mm), gantry loading robot, independent tailstock, bolt-mounted turret, gear-hobbing interface and, of course, a sub-spindle.

For further information
www.gm-cnc.com

Mills CNC Automation, a division created by Mills CNC to provide a clear focus for the company’s automation business, will showcase its latest collaborative robot technology at the Robotics & Automation Show (CBS Arena Coventry, 2-3 November). The three Doosan cobots on stand 710 (the A0509 entry-level model, six-axis M1013, and H2017 with 1700 mm reach radius and 20 kg payload) will be performing tasks that demonstrate their versatility, user-friendliness, inherent safety and broad application potential.

Says Peter McCullough, product manager (Doosan Robotics): “Doosan cobots are designed to perform a range of tasks, from machine tending, testing, inspection, polishing, deburring and assembly, through to packaging, palletising and repetitive ‘pick and place’ operations. The three cobots we’re taking to Robotics & Automation will demonstrate the productivity and operational efficiencies that can be achieved through investing in collaborative robot technology.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

Ingenium Integration Ltd, the sister company of UK-based tube-bending machinery specialist Unison Ltd, has been appointed as the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Nukon’s 2D fibre laser, 3D fibre laser and fibre laser tube-cutting machines.

“For quite some time we’ve been looking at extending our product range to include high-quality laser-cutting technologies, particularly as we believe they would be of significant interest to owners of tube-bending machines from Unison Ltd,” says Ingenium Integration sales manager, Steve Haddrell. “Short of building our own laser-cutting machines in-house, our challenge was to find an established product range that mirrored the uncompromising levels of accuracy, reliability, build quality and support that are synonymous with the Unison name. Having researched the marketplace extensively, we believe we’ve found such a product range from Nukon.”

For further information
www.ingeniumintegration.com