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Heller Machine Tools has announced the launch of its advanced F Series five-axis machining centres.
Following the recent introduction of the company’s H Series, the F Series adds four five-axis machining centres, containing SK 40 and HSK 63 spindle tapers, to the Heller range.
The new five-axis machining centre line-up enables potential customers to choose between two completely different machine configurations.
The premium models (FP 2000 and FP 4000) include the provision of rapid pallet changers and are designed to deliver excellent levels of productivity within all high-throughput engineering production environments.
The Heller FT 2000 and FT 4000 five-axis machine-tool variants feature workpiece support tables and are claimed to be suitable for use in production locations.
Both machine types, FP and FT, feature the same axis arrangement as the H series, with a rotary-table B axis, and provide an optimum balance between rigidity and accessibility, according to the company.
The 2000 models offer a work area of 630 x 630 x 830mm, while the two 4000 models provide an increased capacity of 800 x 800 x 1,000mm.
Although the machines use many components from Heller’s modular building-block system, the machine structure and axis configuration of the F Series were specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements of five-axis machining.
At the core of the F Series is the spindle technology.
Customers can choose between three different designs across all models: the PCU 63 power cutting universal spindle for high-performance cutting; the SCU 63 speed cutting unit; and the SCT 63 speed cutting tilt spindle for speed cutting with a fork head.
While the two swivel-head units offer advantages for the complete machining of cubic parts, the fork head is suitable for machining contoured surfaces of any kind.
The F Series has an adaptable tool management system that can be tailored to requirements.
Each machining centre is equipped with a standard tool magazine that can be extended to more than 400 storage places; even oversize or extra-long tools can be accommodated.
The F Series is targeted at a variety of manufacturing sectors, including the automotive industry and its supply chain, machine manufacturers, electronics companies, power generation, subcontractors and the aerospace industry.

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Drilling and sawing procedures during small bone surgery require a hand-held power tool rotating at up to 20,000 rev/min, so component parts must be accurate to avoid vibration and noise.

However, there is a trend towards smaller, more compact hand tools of greater complexity, which places stringent requirements on manufacturers when they are machining the rotational parts.

Subcontract machinist Bushell and Meadows has solved the problem by transferring much of its turned parts production from fixed-head lathes to two new SV-32 sliding headstock, multi axis, mill-turning centres supplied by Star Micronics GB.

The first machine was installed in January 2007.

It became a vital part of production so quickly that the company decided to purchase a second identical model within six months to increase capacity and introduce back-up on the shop floor.

Both of the 11-axis CNC machines are fitted with electrostatic mist extraction and high-pressure coolant delivery to assist swarf clearance, as a lot of stainless steel is machined, notably 17-4 PH and AISI 440C.

Mike Attwood, operations manager at Bushell and Meadows, said: ‘None of our fixed-head turning machines has a counter spindle whereas both of the Star machines have that facility.

‘It means we can produce components on them in two or three operations that previously needed six or seven separate set-ups.

‘The savings in machining time alone are considerable, around 20 per cent on average, as tool movements are quicker on sliding-head lathes.

‘Faster spindle speed, overlapping machining operations and simultaneous front- and rear-working also contribute to cutting idle times.

‘Even more dramatic are the reductions in work-in-progress and lead-times when supplying our sole medical customer and associate company, De Soutter Medical.

‘Parts that used to take us several days to turn around now come off a Star SV-32 in six or seven minutes and can go straight to dispatch if necessary.’ ‘Although the Star lathes are of 32mm bar capacity, at Bushell and Meadows they are employed mainly for turning spindles up to 20mm diameter by 20 to 40mm long in batches of typically less than 200-off, and sometimes as low as five-off when producing prototypes.

All mill-turned parts were previously machined on fixed-head lathes, which meant that thin, long shafts had to be supported by a tailstock.

Even so, tool push-off in the centre of the slender components was a problem, slowing the cycle and making it difficult to hold tolerance.

Now that machining is performed close to the guide bush on the Star sliding-headstock lathes, not only is component support unnecessary, but also accuracy is not compromised.

Medical parts account for around two-thirds of production, with the remainder destined for the aerospace and defence sectors.

A fair amount of aluminium and titanium is consequently machined on the Star SV-32s, in addition to stainless steels.

Cycle times for De Soutter’s medical components are typically between six and nine minutes, as extensive slotting, keyway milling and cross hole drilling are needed.

Tolerances are tight, sometimes down to 10 microns total for bores and bearing diameters on motor parts.

Good surface finish is also important for the aesthetics of the medical products as well as for reducing the risk of harbouring bacteria.

Mr Attwood added: ‘Choosing Star GB for our first two sliding head lathes was not difficult, as it was the only potential supplier that successfully completed a 10-part run-off of our sample stainless steel parts.

‘We feel it was a good choice, as the company provided turnkey solutions that included not only oil mist removal and high-pressure coolant, but also programs and tools for the first six jobs.

‘Installation and commissioning were rapid, and deliverable components were produced from day one.’ Due to the complexity of Bushell and Meadows’ components, programs are prepared off-line with the help of Delcam Partmaker CAM software, which Star GB also helped to source as part of the project.

Running under Windows, Partmaker is a knowledge-based system that uses divide-and-conquer computer algorithms to simplify and speed programming.

The system remembers the tooling, spindle speeds and axis feeds necessary to machine individual part features in different materials and stores the processes for rapid recall when a job is repeated.

A bi-directional DXF interface allows data exchange between Partmaker and Bushell and Meadows’ CAD system.

Optimising the synchronisation of the individual parts of a program in the main and counter spindles can be a laborious job to carry out at the machine control.

With Partmaker, different ‘what if?’ synchronisation strategies can be simulated on screen to see the impact on overall cycle time, so the program is already optimised before it reaches the Star lathes and there is no need for further editing at the control.

The ability to analyse a solid model of the machined part allows any errors to be spotted before cutting starts, virtually eliminating the production of scrap.

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Citizen Machinery has revealed how its CNC sliding head turn-mill centres have helped Adaero Precision Components secure lucrative components contracts.

Adaero Precision has two Citizen machines installed in its newly extended facility at Crediton, Devon; an M32-III and a mid-range L20 with the high pressure Coolblaster 2,000 lb/in2 coolant system.

The machines produce batches of 500 or so parts in Acetal, aluminium, brass and a variety of stainless steels.

Such is the complexity of some of the single operational cycles - for instance, an optical focus component that uses 24 tools on the Citizen M32 - that while cycle times can be relatively long at 5.5min, the overall benefits are significant through combining operations and shortening lead times.

Indeed, it was the purchase of the Citizen L20 in June 2007 that led Adaero to win an important medical contract for three variants of an air flow adjuster in 316 stainless steel for anaesthesia equipment.

Consistency of production from the two Citizens has never been an issue, resulting in the company’s high level of confidence for long periods in limited manning and unattended running.

Such is the level of setting expertise that requirements to maintain grinding tolerances can be met when turning on features such as seal diameters and grooves, that are then monitored using the latest optical inspection equipment to ensure full compliance to drawing requirements.

Changeover normally takes between two and three hours depending on the complexity of the batch but, according to Mark Pearson, engineering sales manager at Adaero Precision Components, this time is minimised due to machine’s flexibility in being able to accommodate different tooling layouts.

Also, as most programming is performed offline and most jobs have been previously run, efficiency is high, keeping lead times short.

The 13-axis Citizen M32-III is able to hold up to 80 tools.

Common tooling can be left set on the vertical tool platen and drilling station for back machining as well as on the Y-axis fed, 10-station turret that is able to accommodate up to 50 tools by using its half index capability and special tool holders.

Three tools can be employed to cut a part simultaneously with the main 5.5kW, 8,000 rev/min spindle and 2.2kW, 7,000 rev/min subspindle.

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The non-guide bush version of the Citizen A20-VIICL was developed to provide competitive production of shorter length-to-diameter ratio components, up to 20mm diameter.

The normal Citizen sliding head lathe has a guide bush between the collet and cutting tool that provides additional support to the material as it is fed out by the headstock and minimises any tendency for deflection when machining longer components.

The sliding headstock pushes the material through the guide bush during the cutting process creating the z-axis motion and enables the cutting tool to be positioned as close to the support point of the bush as practical.

With a non-guide bush machine, parts with lower length-to-diameter ratios can also be accurately machined with all the advantages of the normal sliding head lathe.

Available from Citizen Machinery UK of Watford, the Citizen A20-VIICL is quick to reset and change over to a new component.

Due to its shorter axis strokes and high acceleration to rapid traverse rates of 32m/min, it has the capability to reduce cycle times against normal fixed-head lathes and turning centres.

The machine also cuts with two tools simultaneously on the front and reverse sides of a component and is much faster in operation due to Citizen-developed Streamline Control technology.

With a shorter working stroke, of up to 55mm, instead of 165mm of the normal A20, the length of the bar end remnant requirement is reduced.

Due to the shorter component lengths being machined and reduced bar end remnant requirement, the non-guide bush machine can be installed with a short barfeed unit that also contributes to a lower floor-space requirement.

The machine has a built-in 8,000rev/min spindle and sub-spindle with full c-axis and four driven tools having a top speed of 6,000rev/min.

One of the driven tool positions is also interchangeable to accept rotary, face or slitting style tools.

Full advantage of the heavier duty cast construction of the A20 range can be taken with heavier cuts, good absorption of vibration to accommodate the interrupted cut nature of the milling process and very effective thermal displacement characteristics.

This platform also enables feed rates to be maximised with consistent production cycles maintained over extended periods.

The non-guide bush Citizen A20, like the standard machine, incorporates Sandvik Coromant’s QS, the quick-change tooling system, developed in conjunction with Citizen, giving a tool change time within 40 seconds.

There are five turning tools, four directed to front-end machining and eight positions for back-end machining that can be split into four tools on each side of the spindle.

Four driven tools are powered by 0.75kW motors and positioned by the Fanuc-based Series 32i control, which utilises the Streamline Control technology.

The package also incorporates a completed workpiece outfeed conveyor and includes delivery, commissioning, training and a two-year warranty.

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Peerless Precision Engineering is using a platen style tooling arrangement on a Citizen L20 CNC automatic sliding-head lathe, which offers flexibility when compared to a fixed-head machine.

Nigel Bargery and Pamela Oakley set up the subcontract precision machining business Peerless Precision Engineering (PPE) 11 years ago.

With a secondhand lathe and a few drill spindles to satisfy the beginnings of what would become a steadily growing order book.

His business partner and financial director Mrs Oakley would rebar the lathe, check parts and input any offsets.

She would also operate the drill spindles for second operation work, remove burrs, pack up work for despatch and attend to all the paperwork.

For three years this working regime was rewarded as they progressively established the business.

In April 2008, the company moved into a 6,000ft2 machine shop adjacent to the original factory in Goathurst near Bridgwater, Somerset.

PPE now employs a further seven people and has nine of the latest turn-mill centres including four Citizen CNC sliding head lathes.

Bargery still looks back fondly to those tough, early days having been persuaded by Mrs Oakley to use up his previous 30 years of subcontract machining and business skills to set up PPE.

As the company grew, investment strategy followed that of a genuine ‘turning specialist’ and an early favouritism for fixed-head lathes.

However, many of the parts produced were under 20mm diameter and quite often it was felt there had to be a better way of machining by combining second operation turning and drilling cycles.

Frequently, parts would be turned then either one of them would be loading drill jigs, spending hours in front of pillar drills and then moving over to the bench to remove the burrs they had created.

Then a contract for a batch of 2,500 parts brought forward the day for decisive thinking.

The solution was a fixed-head lathe with subspindle and driven tools that decimated both the manufacturing lead time and machining time.

Then, in 2001, Bargery came across sliding head technology that led to an investigation of the machines and their suppliers, and an evaluation of the level of technical complexity and promises of support.

As a result, all the boxes were ticked by NC Engineering of Watford, now Citizen Machinery UK, that led to the installation of a Citizen L20.

Bargery said: ‘With the Citizen’s faster and shorter axis movements and overlapping, we are able to take 60 per cent out of the cycle time of the fixed-head lathe method.’ He commented further how high standards of quality, and consistency of size and finish has never drawn any concern leading to PPE becoming a dedicated Citizen user for up to 20mm components in materials such as mild steel, 606-M36T, 303 stainless and silver steel.

This is confirmed by today’s installations of two Citizen L20s, a C16 and K16, the latter installed in 2007, and all are working round-the-clock.

‘The reason for continuous Citizen purchases is that Citizen Machinery has been true to its word with support,’ said Bargery.

‘As an extension to normal machine training, Citizen sent applications specialist Phil Francis to help enhance the single cycle “one-hit” methods and set ups.’ To date the Citizens have produced some 130 different parts up to 75mm long, mostly covered by repeat orders and almost all cycle times vary between 20 seconds to two minutes.

‘Tolerances have never been a problem, even when holding 10 microns size on batches of silver steel components that are run continuously through night and day,’ added Bargery.

Most general tolerances present no challenge between + 0.1mm and + 0.05mm with surface finishes typically 1.6 micron CLA.

However, Bargery will always ‘throttle-back’ speeds and feeds on all his machines preferring to extend tool life and ensure production consistency, which also helps the complete process to run smoothly.

As part of the machine package, PPE has added Citizen’s CNC Wizard programming software with wireless transfer and is able, through Delcam’s Featurecam, to share cutting data from its materials library.

Production, scheduling and program information is via Jobshop shopfloor data collection, while MRP and scheduling can all be accessed remotely whenever Bargery is away from the works.

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Five years ago Dave Malin set himself up as a one-man subcontract machinist having bought a Citizen L20 CNC sliding head lathe to perform one-hit machining cycles on parts up to 20mm diameter.

Soon after setting up DJM Precision Engineering Malin was working all hours of the day and night and quickly became confident enough to install a second Citizen from NC Engineering, now Citizen Machinery UK, of Watford.

On the back of the Citizen installations the business has gone from strength to strength and following a move to a larger unit that is double the size of his first production shop, turnover has tripled.

The company now employs five people, has six Citizens running around the clock, a fixed head bar lathe and runs two vans to service customers.

Such has been the progress of DJM Precision Engineering that with the strong possibility of winning a contract for almost a million components a year, Malin took the day off and went to Mach 2008 at the NEC Birmingham in May to check out the viability of the Citizen A20 sliding head lathe.

Convinced this machine would improve competitiveness even further, he sat down with Citizen’s application engineers at the show, costed out the cycle time and price per part, ordered the machine on the stand and subsequently won the business.

The Citizen A20 VII, which was delivered in June, is permanently set to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to meet the current 80,000-parts-a-month schedule, and apart from replenishing the bar feed and strictly timed tool changes - never stops.

Malin was sure the new machine would be more productive on this component than his existing three Citizen L32 and two L20 machines due to higher rigidity, latest control software and shorter axis strokes.

DJM Precision has 20 regular customers and Malin attributes much of the success and growth of the company to the decision to expand his machine bar size from 20mm to 32mm, with the installation of the three Citizen L32s and a long workpiece adaptor.

Again, the result of thinking ahead on capacity, the long adaptor has brought in a considerable amount of extra business from existing customers such as the one-hit cycle production of shafts up to 400mm long.

Also, new customers have been secured, due to the larger bar size, from areas as far away as Lancashire and Yorkshire and across to Cambridgeshire.

Indeed, DJM are now working on other long-term contracts involving JIT supply to an automotive customer.

Malin recounts how he opened the door to his new unit without even an Allen key to his name following the decision to ‘go it alone’ from working as a machine setter with a local subcontractor.

It was there he learned to set Citizens instead of cam autos and still admits how the technology initially scared him.

However, with his first Citizen L20 installed he has never looked back.

He was quickly producing a wide range of connectors, shafts, spindles, special screws and valves in batches as small as 250.

A Citizen Alarm Alert calls Malin whenever a machine stops, needs replenishing with bar feed or resetting when running unmanned.

Customers now range from automotive, agriculture, office furniture, brewing, marine and shoe industry sectors including many that appeared on his early customer list that still ply the company with work and one in particular that has a regular call-off of 50,000 parts.

Initially most components were produced from mild steel but now brass, aluminium, high grade steels and stainless steels in 303, 304 and 316 are on the bar racks in the factory for processing on the sliding head lathes.

One of the attractions of the seven-axis Citizen A20 VII machine was its availability as a ready-to-run package with bar feed, workpiece conveyor, delivery, commissioning and training.

The machine will carry up to 21 tools and with its X-2 axis on the subspindle and back tool post enables two tool simultaneous cutting on the front and reverse of the component.

The 8,000rev/min main spindle is powered by a 3.7kW motor and the subspindle by a 1.5kW drive with the same speed capability.

Full C-axis is available on each spindle.

There are four driven tool positions powered by 0.75kW motors giving up to 6,000rev/min and all rapid traverse rates are 32m/min.

Central to the lowering of non-cutting times on the A20 is the inclusion of Citizen’s Streamline Control software.

It is an ultra-fast processing system and enables the operational sequences of a standard part program to be overlapped to reduce positioning times.

As part of the DJM package the machine included a 3m lemca bar feed, a workpiece conveyor applauded by Malin for ensuring parts are not damaged, plus Sandvik Coromant’s QS quick-change tool system, developed in conjunction with Citizen, which enables a tool to be changed in under 40 seconds.

The Citizen/Sandvik QS system is another area appreciated by Malin who programs a complete tool change every 7,000 parts.

‘All you need to do is release one tool holder and replace it with the next that is already prepared with an insert to be positioned against the deadstop,’ he said.

The business has come a long way in the last five years, increasing machines from one to six Citizens plus a fixed head bar lathe that was installed to produce larger components up to 42mm diameter.

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Since the installation of its first Citizen A20-VII PL CNC sliding head automatic lathe, Lenack Engineering has cut cycle times by up to 20 per cent on certain components.

Lenack Engineering has been machining parts on Citizen CNC sliding head lathes for many years.

Managing director, Neil Bonafont, maintains that the installation of Citizen machines has rejuvenated his Haddenham company, which in recent years had seen profits slowly eroded in the supply of small turned parts to the automotive sector.

‘The opportunities in the automotive sector - which we began supplying 28 years ago - were beginning to decline very quickly, and if we had not moved into CNC sliding head technology with Citizen, we would not be in business today,’ he said.

Since the installation of the Citizen A20-VII PL, the machine has provided an almost immediate capability to slash cycle times compared to those achieved on an older Citizen L25.

Bonafont maintains that the heavier duty machine design of the A20 is immediately demonstrated by its ability to take larger cuts.

‘If you analyse where the faster cycles are being created, it’s the shorter strokes for tool movement at 18m/min rapid positioning speed with very high acceleration, and the improved Streamline Control software that enables the sequencing of axis feed to start without having to wait for the current motion of another axis to cease,’ he said.

‘This overlap helps suppress any possibility of vibration, therefore improving tool life and surface finish.’ Lenack Engineering originally set up in north London as a traditional cam auto shop with six machines.

The company slowly progressed into plugboard lathes and, at its height, seven people were employed.

The company then moved to its 3,500ft2 facility in Haddenham in 2004 and installed a pre-owned Citizen L25 from NC Engineering of Watford - now Citizen Machinery UK - that led to a doubling of the customer base.

This machine also started the ability to take on new and different types of contracts in the medical, electrical and model making sectors, plus the creation of a wide general component machining service.

Following the installation of the Citizen L25, a pre-owned L25-VII was installed in 2005 that again made a massive impact on the business.

‘We went to the Citizen curry evening at its Open House in the autumn of 2007 to see the first ever prototype of the new generation A20,’ said director Ben Khatri.

‘We ordered one on the spot as we recognised that it would generate a rapid return on the investment due to its ready-to-run package with no extras, except our choice to include the CNC Wizard programming aid.’ Both directors could also see the benefit from the faster setting for changeovers and especially the Citizen/Sandvik Coromant’s QS quick-change tool system, which allows a tool to be changed at the machine within 40s.

While waiting for the production version of the A20 to be officially available in mid-2008, the decision was also made earlier in the year to install a used Citizen L32-VII (from Citizen Machinery’s used showroom) to give the company a greater 32mm capacity and to attract new work in preparation for the A20.

One of the first orders to be processed on the Citizen A20 was for a previous customer that had been let down by its Chinese supplier and wanted to bring its source of small turn-milled parts back to the UK.

‘By the time the customer added transport costs, the hidden costs of wrong parts, and aggravation, there was very little difference in the price we were able to quote using the A20 with its single operation cycles,’ said Bonafont.

‘We also eliminated his uncertainty of supply.’ Batch sizes at Lenack Engineering tend to range between 50 to 12,000 but orders of over 50,000 parts have been produced on a range of certain medical components involving rollers and pillars for an international medical group.

The company has just completed an order for the turn-milled parts in aluminium, brass and stainless steel for 250 remote controlled helicopters destined for the US.

‘These machines have definitely increased our flexibility to respond to customers in a way we could never have foreseen, and with Citizen being just half-hour down the road, support when we need help is always readily available,’ added Bonafont.

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Two CNC sliding-headstock lathes operated by Rodmatic are able to mill-turn components of medium to high complexity as quickly as the cam-type, six spindle automatics on site, Star has announced.

Brian Steatham, owner and managing director of Rodmatic, made the claim and added that the turned finish achieved using the Stars, mainly on stainless steel and steel components, is so good that subsequent grinding is frequently eliminated, lowering unit production cost.

A multi-spindle auto takes around two days to reset, so batch sizes above 30,000-off are needed to justify the time investment.

By contrast, sliding-head lathes can be set in a couple of hours, and so much smaller runs are economic.

Rodmatic has produced batches as low as seven-off on the Stars, although runs can be up to 5,000-off.

In this connection, Steatham has the following tip for precision-turned parts manufacturers: when producing larger batches on CNC sliding-head lathes, think of using form tools alongside single-point cutting tools to reduce cycle times.

Rodmatic often does just that, using its experience of wire-eroding and grinding form tools for the multi’s and transferring the technology to the sliding-head machines.

Reductions in cycle times are achieved, typically of around 30 per cent.

One component regularly produced, a profile-turned and bored steel shaft for a European customer in the fluid power sector, is machined in part by form tools in an overall cycle of 37s.

This is more than 38 per cent faster than the 60s it used to take by exclusively single-point cutting.

Tolerances of +/- 2.5 micron are routinely held on the sliding-head machines, which would be difficult to achieve on the multi’s.

Equipped with a 4m bar magazine and high-pressure coolant to allow long periods of unattended running, the first Star was a nine-axis SV-32 of 32mm bar capacity, installed mid-2007.

It was followed in 2008 by a similarly equipped seven-axis SR-20RIII for mill-turning parts up to 20mm diameter.

They joined three multi-axis CNC fixed-head lathes for producing larger components.

When asked why he did not continue down the route of fixed-head lathes to satisfy the market’s increasing demand for smaller size, high-accuracy mill-turned parts in lower volumes, Steatham said that, in his opinion, a sliding-head lathe is twice as fast as an ‘equivalent’ fixed-head lathe - in other words, one with a counter spindle and two turrets containing driven tooling.

He added: ‘Major factors slowing fixed-head lathes are their inability to cut with more than two tools simultaneously, and long turret-indexing times compared with the rapid infeed of gang and cross-working tools on sliding-head machines.’ He also likes the advanced mill-turning and simultaneous end-working capabilities of modern sliding-headstock lathes, as well as their traditional strength - that of producing shaft components accurately due to the support given by the guide bush at the point of cutting.

During machining trials against competitive sliding-head lathes, the Star machines were inherently faster.

In addition, Steatham felt that their extra weight and rigidity would allow the production of more accurate components.

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Kitako has added the new-generation four-spindle HS4200i CNC lathe from SB Machine Tools to its line.

The HS4200i, with an ultra-high-speed automated gantry loader, features X-axis gantry-loading feed rates of 6,700in/min.

The HS4200i’s four-spindle operation and gantry-loading capability are intended to provide smooth, unattended operation with no idle time for part loading/unloading.

It offers rapid traverse rates, along with a carrier indexing time of 1.5 seconds or a 0.3-second turret indexing per station.

Kitako’s four-spindle technology provides a seamless cycling of work from the loading zone to the machining zone and back again.

Operating much like a pallet changer on a machining centre, parts are transitioned in and out of the machining zone in as little as 0.8 seconds each.

The HS4200i’s four spindles are mounted in a horizontal, square pattern in a large carrier drum.

The drum’s positioning accuracy is ensured by a large-diameter, precision-toothed, curvic coupling.

Spindles are generally partnered as pairs so that the carrier is indexed at 180 degrees; two spindles rotate to the machining area as two spindles move out for loading and unloading.

The two spindles in the machining zone, along with the respective slides and turrets, work simultaneously as well as independently.

This dual-slide flexibility offers a variety of part-processing methods.

For instance, two one-sided parts can be machined in exactly the same time, which is referred to as an AA/AA operation.

Alternatively, if the two sides of a part are of near-equal cycle times, first and second operations can be done simultaneously, which is known as AB/AB.

If the first and second cycles are significantly different, as in many applications, idle time can be eliminated by using an AA/BB approach.

The main spindles of the HS4200i are hardened, precision-ground and supported by accurate double-row cylindrical roller bearings and angular contact bearings.

The cartridge-type spindles are sealed for life and require no maintenance.

Box slide ways on both the X and Z axis can achieve high chip-removal rates.

The HS4200i’s maximum spindle speed is 4,500 revolutions per minute (or 5,000 revolutions per minute optional).

Each slide on the HS4200i features a high-speed, eight-station drum turret; chuck sizes are 8in.

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The addition of an optional Fanuc robot has increased the productivity of SNK America’s Prodigy GT-27 gang tool lathe.

Engineered for exclusive use with the Prodigy GT-27, the full six-axis robot achieves five-second door-open-to-door-close times (part dependent).

For fast and accurate small parts turning, the Prodigy GT-27 features a C-axis spindle as standard, a super-polymer composite mineral base and precision components.

Being a gang tool lathe, the Prodigy GT-27 is turret-less and therefore requires no tool changes for shorter cycle times.

The Prodigy GT-27 lathe uses three axes of motion that can be commanded in absolute or incremental modes.

The C-axis spindle allows for indexing and positioning in 0.001-degree increments, as well as more advanced functions, including interpolation and polar coordinate milling.

Compared to traditional cast-iron or Meehanite casting, the super-polymer composite mineral base of the Prodigy GT-27 provides significant vibration reduction and improved surface finish, while extending tool life by up to 40 per cent.

The polymer is resistant to oxidants and thermal distortion.

The Prodigy GT-27, with its polymer base, weighs 3,840lb (1,742kg).

Its heavyweight construction is claimed to provide high rigidity and accuracy.

The Prodigy GT-27’s cross-slide design incorporates a high-performance positioning system, featuring high preload, angular-contact linear bearings using gothic arch configuration, low friction and a precision-ground ball screw in a super-precision thrust bearing set.

SNK’s Prodigy GT-27’s GE Fanuc 0i-Mate TC Control is said to contribute to ease of operation, as well as faster and more responsive performance (with the inclusion of brushless digital servo drives).

Some features of the controller include a manual pulse generator, cutter path graphics, an LCD colour display and a flash card.

The Fanuc Robot optional kit includes a LR Mate 200iC robot with six-axis brakes, a single-phase R30-iA Mate Controller and LR Handling Tool Software (compliant with new RIA R15.06 safety requirements).

Also included in the kit are a double gripper assembly mounted to the robot, two storage racks (each with pockets for 36 parts) and protective caging with access doors.

Also available as an option, a parts conveyor transports finished parts from the machining area without interrupting production.

A basket, configured to accommodate the geometry of the finished product, keeps machined parts separated from chips and cutting fluids.

The Prodigy GT-27’s X-axis travel is 12in and Z-axis travel is 6.5in.

Feed rate is 300in/min and the rapid traverse is 800in/min.

The spindle drive of the Prodigy GT-27 is 7.4HP and spindle speeds reach up to 6,000 revolutions per minute.

The Prodigy GT-27 can perform rigid tapping and can be bar-feed driven.

Maximum chuck size is 4in, while maximum production bar work is up to 1.1/16in in diameter.

The gang tool lathe is said to be suitable for both first and secondary machining operations in a variety of applications, including medical/dental, automotive, aerospace, screw machine, jewellery, commercial, small lot speciality, plastics, ceramics and fasteners.

The incorporation of the robot also makes the Prodigy GT-27 suitable for production shops, as well as job shops.

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