n a twin-turret, twin-opposed-spindle bar automatic, three tools can cut simultaneously and accurately thanks to a 'world-first' use of a kinematic drive to replace turret compound slide.
A 'world first' is claimed by German turning machine manufacturer, Index, for its new C-Series of twin-turret, twin-opposed-spindle bar automatics, which see the disappearance of the conventional compound slide for turret movement. In its place is a patented guideway system employing two plates sliding directly over the 75 deg slant bed. The turret is mounted on the front plate while the rear retaining plate is kinematically driven in X and Z.

The advantage of this system is that the distance between the turret centreline and the point, at which it is driven is shorter than for a compound slide, making it several times stiffer.

The result is greater rigidity and better damping, leading to higher accuracy machining, even for strenuous applications involving intermittent hard turning and reaming.

Tool life is also extended.

The turret and drive plates are fitted with ceramics-coated, hardened tool steel strips at top and bottom which slide over a third plate of surface-hardened cast iron fitted into the bed, the latter plate being effectively sandwiched between the other two.

The parallel kinematic drive to the rear plate is effected by three ballscrew-actuated rods at the back of the machine, two vertical and one horizontal.

Glass linear scales provide positional feedback.

The system is faster than a compound slide, allowing rapid traverse rates of 25m/min in X and 50m/min in Z, and acceleration of 1G.

As a result, the manufacturer says that the lathe reduces cycle times by between 10 and 30% compared with other twin-turret, twin-spindle lathes on the market.

The compact turret design contributes to a small machine footprint, allowing four C-Series lathes to fit in the space occupied by three equivalent turning machines from other manufacturers.

Additional space in the working area also makes for better access and chip evacuation.

Both turrets are equipped with a 70mm Y-axis for even greater versatility when mill/turning highly complex components.

Available in two sizes through sole UK agent, Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools, the Index lathes are called SpeedLine C42 and C65, the numbers representing the maximum bar capacity in millimetres.

The 6.5 tonne machines are being built at the rate of one per day at the Index factory in Esslingen, where an 18-stage flow line and adjacent turret assembly line have been set up at a cost of EUR 1 million.

A full C-axis and 27kW of spindle power are provided at both ends, delivering top speeds of 6,300 rev/min and 5,000 rev/min for the respective models.

Clearance between the 140/160mm diameter chucks for between-centres work is 615mm.

The patented, air-cooled spindles are manufactured in-house, allowing close quality control to be maintained.

The opposed spindle is not only powerful but also has the unusual option of 150mm of X-axis movement in addition to 600mm of longitudinal travel.

By electronically coupling the movements with the X/Z motion of a lower, double-sided, 24-tool turret (optionally available in place of the single-sided version), Index provides the ability to have three tools in cut simultaneously.

This is achieved by deploying the upper 12-station turret and the left face of the lower turret to machine a component in the left hand spindle while the 'slave' right hand spindle follows the latter turret around, enabling a parted-off component to be machined using the right face of the lower turret.

In other words, the X- and Z-axis movements of the lower turret resulting from the cutting cycle in the left hand spindle are continually allowed for in the programmed movements for back-working.

Driven tool capacity is 8kW/6,000 rev/min, available at all 12 stations of each turret.

Noteworthy also is polygon generation using a head mounted directly on the counter spindle rather than on a turret, ensuring vibration-free machining and hence greater accuracy and longer tool life, especially when cutting alloy steels.

Control system is the Siemens 840D; and any bar magazine can be fitted to suit the customer.

On some components, CNC sliding-head lathes perform second operations that include two manual milling operations, drilling and deburring eliminating need for extra machines and labour.
Southco UK, Farnham facility, is a world-leading provider of quick access fastening solutions. The company's product range extends to over 14,000 parts with customers including ABB, Boeing, Ducati, Ford, BMW, IBM, Kodak and Sony to name a few. The product range of quick release fasteners, bolt bushings, aircraft receptacle strips, toggle latches and special purpose latches and fasteners is complimented by a capability to providing a multitude of customer solutions.

A capability recently increased by the company's investment in shop floor technology.

The latest acquisitions were two Tornos Deco 20A, 10-axis CNC sliding head Lathes.

The Tornos machines were purchased to free up workshop capacity and provide flexible manufacturing on batches from 1000 to 10,000.

However, the two Deco machines have far exceeded expectations as engineering manager Ben Goater comments: 'The Tornos machines have enabled us take on previously impossible projects'.

'The additional capability, flexibility and speed have now enabled Southco to manufacture complex parts at very competitive prices'.

'Our capability has increased tremendously and labour has been taken out of many processes.' * Productivity benefits - an example of the Deco's speed is demonstrated by a component that previously underwent machining on a six-spindle auto lathe with second and third operations on a (removed M48) special purpose milling machine and a Wurth and Gruffat machine.

The process had a cycle time of 24, 16.5 and 16.5 seconds respectively on each machine totalling 57 seconds per part, prior to heat treatment and plating.

The Tornos machine takes 45 seconds per part eliminating two set-ups; reducing cycle time by 21%, cutting lead times from five weeks to three, and eliminating the need for second operation machines and operating staff.

Goater continues: 'On some components, second operations would include two manual milling operations, drilling and deburring'.

'The Tornos Deco machines have removed second operations and with it the need for machines and labour.' Another example of the benefits could be seen with a product, which previously underwent operations on the six-spindle auto lathe plus manual slotting, milling and drilling machines.

The cycle time for the four machines was 17, 9, 16 and 13 seconds respectively making a combined cycle time of 55 seconds excluding changeovers.

The Tornos now completes all tasks in 35 seconds reducing work-in-progress (WIP - or production inventory) and cycle times by 36%.

This saves three set-ups, ultimately reducing lead times from six to three weeks.

The Southco UK facility in Farnham looked for flexibility and productivity in a machine tool and the ability of the Deco to carry out two milling operations simultaneously provided this as well as significantly cut cycle times for the company.

During investigation, Goater found that competitor machines needed significant modifications to conduct this operation.

Goater says: 'This operation has improved productivity and eliminated problems, especially when machining stainless steel cams'.

'The manual method broke cutters and introduced orientation inconsistencies'.

'The Tornos is 100% accurate and consistent, improving our quality and reducing our tooling costs.' Goater concludes: 'The Tornos machines have been a revelation'.

'The quality of the part is much improved and we can consider materials that we could not machine before'.

'This adds to a plethora of benefits already realised'.

'We hope to have another two or three Tornos machines in the future.'

In response to increasing competition, a pipe cutter manufacturer has invested in CNC sliding head automatics and latest tooling technology to help increase productivity.
Since its establishment in 1931, Monument Tools has always developed innovative tooling solutions for the plumbing, heating, roofing, gas, pipe testing and drainage industry. Today, the company's 700 or so products are facing increasing competition from low cost manufacturers throughout the world, and in response to its rallying call for help to improve its productivity, the activities of companies such as NC Engineering and Sandvik Coromant have not only strengthened the business through improved quality, keener pricing and better delivery, but they have also set the scene for continuous improvement across the Wallington, Surrey based operation. Following the installation of two Citizen M32 CNC sliding head autos in March 2004 and January 2005, to replace fixed head lathe and milling machines, Monument's works manager, Jon Norton has forged a strong and very close working relationship with NC Engineering's application engineering team and Sandvik Coromant's tooling engineers.

Since then, 35 different parts have been programmed and re-engineered - and the result is that production cost savings of up to 60% have been achieved.

Lead times too have also been slashed by combining the production of parts with up to five operations into single mill/turn cycles on the Citizen machines.

A prime example of Monument Tools' success is world leadership in the pipe cutting market.

Developed over some 50 years and involving five generations in the 48 employee family firm, 15 different types of tool are produced covering automatic cutters for pipes up to 28mm diameter, adjustable semi-automatic copper pipe cutters up to 22mm, copper pipe cutters up to 3.3/4in, stainless steel pipe cutters up to 1.11/16in and cutters for plastic pipe up to 3.2in.

Leading export markets cover the very difficult Far East including Japan alongside the Middle East, USA, South Africa, Australia, Canada, France and Germany.

John Collier, managing director, comments: '100% control of manufacturing is essential if we are to service all these areas efficiently'.

'We need ever-quicker stock turns and a thorough understanding of the quality issues that will maintain our brand credibility'.

'Our branding separates us from our competitors, and to continue to manufacture in the UK means we have to invest wisely in production equipment and processes'.

'We do not want to rely on lower cost overseas sources, which would add risk by taking much of the business directly out of our control.' The installation of the citizen machines is defined by Collier as the ideal reflection of the company's product branding.

He says: 'The quality of turning, the generation of aerospace finishes as a matter of course and the guarantee of geometric relationship of features has made a big impact on the business.' The decision to purchase Citizen followed a thorough investigation of the market for CNC sliding head autos following the suggestion by Sandvik's tooling engineers that this type of machine was more suited to generate higher productivity machining of the type of parts Monument were making.

Processes performed on the Citizens now include turning, milling and drilling with cross-drilling and milling, milling of tapered hexagons, wobble broaching internal hexagons, thread rolling of studding (which used to be a bought out item), slotting and milling of keyways, and polygon turning.

These are all now performed in-cycle on both the Citizen machines.

It is here that the Sandvik relationship between NC Engineering and Monument is perfectly demonstrated.

Previously, Monument produced components with hexagon shape requirements either out of hexagon bar or on a Profilator as a separate operation.

This process is now combined into the single machining cycle of the Citizens.

Sandvik's tooling engineers designed a special profiling tool body to accept Sandvik's standard boring cartridge units.

By using milling grade inserts to withstand intermittent cutting, the unit is used to polygon turn the required number of flats on materials as diverse as mild steel, brass and stainless steel.

As a result, up to 1,500 parts are now polygon turned before any insert change is required to produce flats, squares and hexagons directly out of round bar.

The new tool also uses just three inserts which cost just over GBP 3 against a previous tooling cost of GBP 45 each.

Further indications of savings on the Citizens are demonstrated by simply changing from 2.5mm to a 1.5mm width of Sandvik part-off insert, which has saved some 1000m of steel in the production of pipe cutter wheels.

In addition, Monument is now producing a shaft which previously took 316 seconds total machining time based on five conventional operations into a single 92-second operation resulting in a drastic reduction in production lead time, batch quantities and work in progress.

The operational sequence, is aided by NC Engineering's Cool Blaster 2,000 lb/in2 high pressure coolant system that not only improves metal removal rates and swarf clearance but it also considerably extends tool life.

Operations now include turning and producing a front chamfer, the milling of two flats, cross-drilling, counterboring and deburring followed by further cross-drilling and parting-off.

The part is then transferred in-cycle to the sub-spindle, centre drilled, drilled and tapped, turned and faced to length, followed by polygon milling of flats before being unloaded by a gantry gripper to a conveyor for transporting out of the machine without damage.

Both Citizen machines run 18 hours/day with most cycles taking between 60 and 90 seconds.

Each machine is fitted with NC Engineering's NC Alarm Alert system.

This monitors the production cycle and will automatically call Mr Norton on his mobile 'phone if there is a problem when the machines are left running out of hours to, say, finish a batch.

Both machines are also equipped with automatic fire extinguishers in case of any out-of-hours problems.

Due to the large capacity of the M32, which is able to carry up to 80 tools, Monument tends to use the machine as a tool store to reduce changeover time.

Spare pushers are also preset for different bar sizes, although to reduce setting times further, the company has instigated a bar rationalisation programme'.

''It is far quicker to turn down excess material using simultaneous cutting cycles on the M32 than have extended setting periods,' says Norton.

This also reduces material stock levels and deliveries.

Mr Norton has also compiled a tool life database which not only gives tooling information but is proving very useful for machine setting and tool selection, especially when introducing new components and controlling tool stocks.

Norton is very complimentary about the support available from NC Engineering and the way Sandvik has worked with both his company and NC Engineering: 'There are always two or three application people I can approach for any advice at NC Engineering, and when we need say, a new collet or guide bush, it is always with us the next day.' This is endorsed by Collier who has just placed an order for a third Citizen - this time direct from a specification sheet for the about-to-be-launched new generation L-Series machine'.

''By the end of 2005 we will be totally CNC orientated,' he says, 'which with Sandvik's help on tooling will further improve our productivity'.

'This will make it even harder for off-shore companies to compete against the brand of Monument Tools.'

Changing toolholders at the gang toolpost on a CNC sliding head turn/mill centre can now be performed in just 20s with the position of the cutting edge of the insert automatically set.
Changing toolholders at the gang toolpost on a citizen cnc sliding head turn/mill centre can now be performed in just 20ss with the position of the cutting edge of the insert automatically set by the toolholder against a dead stop and therefore not requiring any additional adjustment. Following an exclusive development programme between Sandvik Coromant and Citizen in Japan, the new Coroturn QS Quick Start system uses a spring-loaded wedge to locate the shorter than normal toolholder shank against a set dead stop in the gang tool post of the machine. This is a major advantage as it replaces the conventional wedge locking system that requires three screws and a wedge clamp to captivate the toolholder.

The new system also enables the toolholder to be quickly removed and accurately replaced via its single locking screw, enabling the insert to be indexed or changed out of the confines of the machine.

Not only does this make access to the tool easier, it reduces the likelihood of either the insert or locking key being dropped into the machine.

To install the system, the conventional wedge is removed from the gang toolpost and this is replaced with the two elements of the QS system, a fixed dead stop and the toolholder clamp.

The cutting edge of the insert in the toolholder is positioned and adjusted.

The dead stop is then locked to provide the datum for repositioning the toolholder and the short toolholder is then clamped using the spring wedge ready for machining.

Toolholders available in the range include front and back turning, parting-off, grooving and threading in 10mm, 12mm and 16mm shank sizes for Citizen K, C, L and M-Series machines.

The QS tooling system is available exclusively for citizen machines through Sandvik Coromant of Halesowen and Citizen UK agent, NC Engineering of Watford.

Swiss sliding head turning centre specialist will show the world's first 10mm capacity single-spindle CNC sliding head lathe without guidebush, offering excellent 'price-to-performance' ratio.
MACH 2006 will be the first opportunity for Tornos to present two exceptional new machines to the UK. On stand 5076 the Swiss sliding head turning centre specialist will present the new Tornos Deco 8sp and the Deco 20s - the first machines of the new S-line range. Tornos will also exhibit the Deco 26a 10 axis turning centre.

The first machine launched in the new S-Line range is the Deco 8sp.

The 8sp is world's first 10mm capacity single-spindle CNC sliding head lathe without guidebush.

With five linear axes, the Deco 8sp provides an excellent 'price-to-performance' ratio whilst the kinematics have been adapted to execute reasonably complex parts.

It is a technological solution that allows Tornos to offer an automatic lathe that guarantees a degree of precision of +/-1 micron (0.001mm) never seen before.

The Tornos 8sp addresses new markets such as the electronics and especially the hard mini-disk sector for mobile IT applications The second machine launch of the new S-Line range, the Deco 20s is designed to execute relatively complex parts up to 25.4mm diameter.

The programming and kinematics of the Deco 20s are geared towards simplicity, which is coupled with strong mechanical elements to guarantee high precision.

With six linear axes, the 20s has been designed for producing reasonably complex parts with an excellent price-to-potential ratio.

Numerous market studies were conducted and the Deco 20s is the resulting machine that is well suited for the automotive, medical, electronics and connector and general manufacturing sectors.

The considerable strength and power provide the lathe with a very large machining capacity.

Another important aspect is its versatility - the machine has 22 tool positions and a high level of interchangeability to give the Deco 20s exceptional flexibility.

These two new machines are undoubtedly set to make a huge impact at the show.

A turned parts subcontractor has streamlined production with the addition of two multi-axis mill-turn centres for machining complex, high added value work.
Turned parts subcontractor, Qualiturn Products, has streamlined production with the addition of two Star SR-20RII multi-axis mill-turn centres. Its Hertford, UK, facility now boasts 15 Star sliding-headstock lathes, all of which are less than eight years old and of top specification in terms of the number of CNC axes, driven tools and traverse speeds. Owner Bernard Groom commented, 'In 2004 we lost three contracts for fairly simple components - none requiring reverse-end work - to subcontractors in China, India and Korea, but none in 2005.

We make sure that our plant is as modern as possible, allowing us to produce complex parts unmanned in short cycle times.

It means that we do not have to increase our labour costs, allowing us to stave off competition from low-wage economies.' He went on to explain that the latest Star machines are equipped with attachments for sub spindle slotting and for angle milling, drilling and tapping.

When installing a new lathe, he opts to buy most of the optional add-ons to provide maximum versatility and productivity when competing for complex, high added value work.

Qualiturn's policies are certainly paying off.

Since moving to its new, larger unit in February 2004, the company has seen a 20% increase in turnover, derived from a wide spread of 180 customers.

The aim is to produce all parts in one visit to a machine, otherwise it is difficult to make money in today's competitive environment.

Completion in one hit of what would have traditionally been second operations, such as cross drilling and reverse-end machining, is key to profitability.

Mr Groom pointed out that judicious use of backworking is particularly important, as it can be used to reduce overall cycle time for components that could be machined in the main spindle alone.

By allocating some operations to the sub spindle, the main spindle is relieved to start producing the next part earlier, thereby minimising the cycle time.

An advantage that UK subcontractors have over foreign competitors is the trend towards ever smaller batches, whereas having parts made in India or China requires large runs for them to be economical.

While Qualiturn typically produces batches in the region of 15,000-off, orders for 50-off are not infrequent - quantities that are far too small to have machined overseas.

Other work that is relatively safe is the production of components to tight tolerances; for example, a recent order for 5,000-off components stipulated that +6/-0 microns, be held on a 5mm turned diameter.

Continued Groom, 'Qualiturn is bucking the trend by growing in a contracting industry, partly because turned parts subcontractors around the country are going into receivership or simply closing their doors because they cannot make a reasonable living.

In either case, the reason is likely to be that they have not invested in modern CNC machines like Star sliders.

The other factor in our favour is that we make a point of training our own setter / operators in-house, whereas all too often, manufacturing industry in the UK neglects this and tries to recruit from a diminishing pool of qualified engineers.

However, a little investment in training results in people wanting to join your company, and in their being productive very quickly because they are familiar with your machines and procedures.' His view of British subcontracting is that the prospects are bright provided that firms do not try to compete for orders involving large batches of simple parts, such as those traditionally made on cam auto's or conventional multis.

Manufacture of complex parts costing pounds rather than pence is undoubtedly the future.

Aquisition of CNC automatic lathes eliminated the need for second operation work on alternative machines while the subcontractor company was able to produce more complex work.
Starting its operations in the early 1960s producing typewriter parts; Jaybee Engineering Co (Brighton) of Newhaven, UK, has typeset its success with the introduction of Tornos sliding head turning centres. Diversifying from typewriter parts to the electronics, aerospace, furniture and medical sectors, Jaybee has always specified the latest machine tool technologies to stay ahead of the market. As Nigel Benson, managing director of Jaybee Engineering said: 'We bought our first Tornos Deco 2000 about five years ago and it is a versatile machine that suits our specific needs.

Just like any other subcontractor, we do not know what material or job will come through the door next so we need to be flexible and mindful of market trends.' Until 1999, the company was using a cam auto lathe and a sliding head lathe that was serviced by Tornos.

A service that was efficient, very effective and quick to respond - a factor that contributed to the introduction of the Tornos machine.

However, Benson commented that Jaybee was just 'playing at it' with an old sliding head machine, and the company needed to take the plunge into sliding head turning.

Prior to the introduction of the 20mm capacity Tornos Deco machine, Jaybee used its conventional CNC lathes and cam auto lathes but was forced to conduct second operations on drilling and milling machines where complex work was concerned.

The Tornos Deco eliminated the need for cam-autos completely and second operations on alternative machines also became a thing of the past.

The company was given the capability to produce more complex work and it was able to eliminate fixturing and its inherent costs as well as reduce set-up and cycle times.

The company's progression into more demanding industries saw the seven employee company introduce a second Tornos Deco in 2004, a 20mm capacity Deco 20a.

When looking for a second sliding head machine, Jaybee evaluated what was available on the market as Benson said: 'There were a number of machines that could have met some of our needs but the Deco 20a suited all our sliding head turning needs.

It undoubtedly came out on top performance wise.' The Tornos Deco 20a proved the best machine for Jaybee Engineering's purposes.

Purposes that required a machine capable of machining a wide range of materials with tolerances of less than 0.02mm and a diverse range of batch runs: 'The Deco has excellent swarf clearance and we liked the way the overlapping of the tools gave rear end working simultaneously with front end working.

This balanced turning feature enabled us to rough and finish at the same time.

It also moved us into other areas, manufacturing more complex parts.

The machine also reduced cycle times considerably.

This enabled us to generate better margins as well as provide cost reductions to our customers,' Benson continued.

Unique to Tornos, Benson believes the TB-Deco control system is very flexible and very easy to use.

'The TB-Deco allows me to provide customers with quotes from the office.

I can write the program and the TB-Deco will give me an exact cycle time, this makes quoting for work accurate and simplistic.

This is very advantageous as we can quote to the nearest millisecond.

What it says on screen is what will happen on the shop floor,' said Benson.

Used for making batches from 10 to 20,000+, the Tornos Deco 20a has not only proved efficient on long batch runs but also the small batches.

'We use the Deco for very small batches as well as the long runs.

One job recently placed on the Deco was a batch of 10.

This complex job with tight tolerances and engraving operations was quicker to set on one machine as opposed to two or three machines that would have otherwise been required to conduct secondary operations,' said Benson.

Jaybee Engineering also utilises a Tornos pre-setter for its tooling.

This enables the tools for the next job to be pre-set while the machine is running its current batch.

When a changeover arises it is generally just a case of bolting on the tools and loading the program.

This option further reduces machine downtime and increases the productivity of the machine tool.

CNC sliding head automatic lathes focus on the development of high speed processing and the substantial reduction of idle and non-cutting times in machine cycles with better flexibility.
By MACH 2006 NC Engineering of Watford will have more than 1,000 installations of citizen cnc turn/mill lathes in the UK demonstrating its significant market leading position in sliding head auto technology. The rate of development in this ever growing in popularity sector is far superior to fixed head lathe technology. Sliding heads have been seized upon by OEM and the subcontract sector for their high return on investment potential, their ability to reduce cost per part and in particular, the production of very complicated multi-feature components to high orders of accuracy and surface finish in a single hit cycle.

Citizen's focus is now on the development of high speed processing and the substantial reduction of idle and non-cutting times in its machine cycles with improved flexibility and features to assist unattended running, all prime requirements of users of these machines.

Examples are the latest Citizen K-Series and L20-VIII launched recently.

The K-Series in 12mm and 16mm capacity are lower cost machines and the L20-VIII is now proving at subcontract customers to be at least 30% quicker using the same program to produce parts than could be achieved on the previous generation machine.

At the smaller end of the Citizen range the RO7 with a maximum capacity of 7mm diameter by 40mm long was launched in 2005 developed around linear drive technology.

The machine is reckoned to be significantly faster than a traditional cam auto and combines the flexibility of a main and subspindle, has a 13 tool capacity and 20m/min rapid traverse rate.

But it is the linear drive to both tool posts that removes any likelihood of deflection and backlash from the power transmission system and optimises the structure of the slideway in a very compact and rigid machine footprint.

As a result, the RO7 with the help of ceramic spindle technology giving 16,000 rev/min and glass scale encoders to provide an ultra-high surface finish capability is able to provide close tolerance production with an incremental adjustment of 0.0001mm in each axis and repeatability of one micron.

The K-Series in 12mm and 16mm capacities employs a special version of the Fanuc 31i Series control with newly developed processors and Citizen developed software in order to easily optimise the cutting process and simplify programming.

Available at a lower price than the L20 it still combines two opposed spindles, will carry six turning tools, eight end working tools and seven driven tools.

The new Citizen L20, now in its seventh generation, is not aimed at the same market as the RO7 but still retains high accuracy and introduces new levels of flexibility and productivity through its 21 tool (9 driven) capability.

Rapid traverse rates have been increased from 20m/min to 32m/min and acceleration improved by a factor of 1.6 in each axis with the addition of shockless acceleration and deceleration curves from newly developed servo motors having 30% greater torque.

Further improvements include the ability to overlap an exiting tool from a cut with the next entry tool which not only reduces lost time but reduces vibration.

Additional flexibility has also been created from the new L20 design which has been developed to enable a variety of tool layouts to be selected according to the required cycle priority for cross-machining, end face feature or turning cycles.

When cross-machining is a priority, up to 18 tools can be mounted on cross toolholders which include five turning, seven rotary and six drilling.

If there is a higher demand for end face machining up to 21 tools can be mounted including five turning, 10 rotary and six drilling and when inside diameter turning predominates, toolholders can be added to the driven tool mounting to provide an additional three drilling and boring positions.

A CNC sliding-headstock lathe is so fast, it can outside diameter-turn, drill the front end, part off and drill the back end of a component - under 10mm diameter - in just five seconds.
For mill-turning components up to 10mm diameter, Star has introduced a new, sliding-headstock lathe that is so fast, it can OD-turn (outside diameter), drill the front end, part off and drill the back end of a component in five seconds. Even a few years ago, it would have been almost impossible to achieve such a process in less than 10s. Designated SR-10J, the bar auto from Star Micronics GB is a highly productive mill-turning centre that rivals the output of a cam auto, but with the added flexibility of CNC to allow rapid changeover to produce a different component.

It is therefore another weapon in the armoury that manufacturers in the West can call upon to help compete with low-wage economies, according to Star Micronics GB's engineering manager, Stephen Totty.

He said, 'If you are making sub-10mm parts, it is preferable to use a small capacity machine, because the moving elements are smaller and faster than on a 16mm capacity lathe or larger.

Our new machine is ideal for smaller work, as it has 35m/min rapids with extremely fast acceleration, and front-working tools positioned very close to the bar on three sides in a yoke formation.' The SR-10J is also competitively priced, as it costs only a little more than Star's entry-level SB-16 model.

However, the 10mm machine occupies 30% less floor area.

Moreover, it has been demonstrated to produce parts significantly faster owing to quicker movements and the availability of a 2-axis sub-spindle.

In conjunction with a four-station endworking unit whose tools are driven at up to 10,000 rev/min, the sub-spindle is capable of working independently of, and simultaneously with, main spindle operations.

In all, there are 21 cutters in the working area including three live cross-working tools attached to the left of a six-station gang toolpost.

Positioned on the other side, behind the spindle centerline, four tools are available for front endworking and a further four further tools for rear endworking.

The 15,000 rev/min main spindle has full C-axis control as standard and there is the option of 15 deg indexing on the 10,000 rev/min sub-spindle.

Headstock stroke is up to 135mm.

Concluded managing director, Bob Hunt, 'One of our customers commented recently that we are living in a world where things are getting smaller - he was referring in particular to electronic goods such as mobile telephones, but there are other good examples in the medical and automotive sectors.

We therefore believe the new SR-10J will be particularly popular and look forward to demonstrating its capabilities to our existing user base and future prospects at MACH this year, where the machine will be making its UK debut.