A 10-station tool post and live tool C-axis milling capability feature CNC lathes with heavy-duty construction offering maximum flexibility at minimal cost.
The Kia range of CNC lathes handled exclusively in the UK by Ward CNC of Sheffield (www.wardcnc.com) has been extended with the addition of the Super Kia Turn 28LM turning centre with 10-station tool post and live tool C-axis milling capability. Of heavy-duty construction featuring rigid servo turret indexing and precision roller guides, the 28LM also boasts a thermally symmetrical headstock and double-anchored X-axis ballscrew for the high-precision multi-axis turning and milling of parts from 65mm bar. The 22/18.5kW spindle drive produces 25 to 3,000 revs/min, while the 5.2/3.7kW C-axis motor is capable of 4,000 revs/min.

Rapid traverse rates in X and Z axes are 20m/min and 24m/min, respectively.

Fanuc 0iT-A CNC is standard.

Designed for maximum flexibility at minimal cost, the Super Kia Turn 28LM has a swing over the bed of 590mm, and maximum turning diameter and length capacities of 410mm and 1070mm, respectively.

As standard, the machine also incorporates a Q-Setter for quick tool compensation.

Training courses update knowledge and enhance effectiveness applying and obtaining certification for safety-critical hardware and software processes covered by DO-254 and DO-178B.

Enea is offering a series DO-178B and DO-254 training programmes, starting on 15th and 16th June 2006 at the Phoenix Buttes Resort. The courses target engineers and engineering managers who want to improve their knowledge and enhance their effectiveness applying and obtaining certification for safety-critical hardware and software processes covered by DO-254 and DO-178B. The courses, traditionally offered only to major avionics clients, will now be open to the public.

DO-254 and DO-178B are the FAA benchmarks for safety-critical systems, addressing hardware and software processes, respectively.

Created for the avionics industry, these standards are now being embraced industry wide by engineering managers in a broad range of applications requiring a high degree of safety criticality, including telecommunications, medical equipment, automotive control, and process control.

‘Enea is the largest and most successful safety-critical consulting and training company in North America’, said Connie Beane, Enea’s Director of Avionics.

‘We have over 2000 person-years of expertise in the DO-178B and DO-254 realm, including more than 100 software engineers and DERs who have contributed to the valuable expertise and knowledge made available through these seminars’.

‘We think engineers and engineering managers who want to maximise the effectiveness of their safety-critical programmes and streamline the FAA approval process will find these seminars extremely valuable’.

The two day programmes consist of one day covering the basics and a second day covering more advanced topics.

On the first day, the programme will provide an overview of the DO-178B process and certification levels, including a step-by-step synopsis of the DO-178B lifecycle, tool qualification, structural coverage, processes and checklists, and how to write, interpret, track, and implement software requirements.

The basic course will also discuss how to maximise process success and enhance scheduling efficiency while reducing risk and cost.

Other topics will include DO-178B lifecycle artifacts, how to develop and deploy PSAC, how to interact with FAA ACOs (Aircraft Certification Offices), and how to pass an FAA or DER audit the first time with integrity.

Day two will tackle advanced topics such as structural coverage, maximising DER effectiveness, safe coding practices, and achieving DO-178B compliance for DOD/military projects.

Day two will also feature an overview of DO-254, including a review of functional failure path analysis for Design Assurance Levels A and B, and a discussion of similarities to DO-178B.

An FAA DER (designated engineering representative) with over ten years experience will be on hand both days to answer questions about DO-178B and DO-254 compliance.

The cost for the basic first-day class is $995.

The cost for the advanced second day class is $500.

Enea will offer a 20% discount to current clients and companies who register more than one delegate.

The machining capacity and capability, as well as the quick delivery of a two-axis semi-CNC lathe enabled Colcrete Eurodrill to meet urgent demand for over 11,000 drilling and casing systems.
The machining capacity and capability, as well as the quick delivery of a Hankook Protec two-axis semi-CNC lathe from Ward CNC has enabled Colcrete Eurodrill to meet an urgent delivery demand for over 11,000 Eurodrill drilling and casing systems used in the geotechnical and exploration industries. With a maximum working diameter of 950mm and a distance between centres of 3000mm, and fitted with 800mm diameter four-jaw independent chuck, the Hankook Protec 9NF was needed by the company quickly to enable it to satisfy the substantial order intake for mini piling systems, and was initially used for threading applications on steel casings of 244mm diameter then in the production of 460mm diameter casings. One of a number of Hankook two-axis horizontal lathes available from Ward CNC’s Sheffield site, the Protec 9NF has a swing over the bed of 950mm, a swing over the crosslide of 630mm and a spindle speed of 3 to 400 revs/min.

It has a four-position toolpost.

Based on a double-walled and ribbed one-piece meehanite cast iron bed, the machine boasts induction hardened and ground precision slideways for maximum stability and accuracy.

It combines the accuracy and productivity of user-friendly CNC turning with the simplicity and versatility of a manual machine by offering CNC and dual electronic handwheel control.

Machining programs can be created using simple menu keys and easy-to-follow displays.

Control system options include Fagor-8055TC, Siemens 810D CNC or Fanuc.

Standard features also include servo motors on both axes, four-jaw independent chuck, square tool post with curvic coupling, cooling equipment, machine lighting, two-speed tailstock quill adjustment and infinitely variable feed rates.

Options include various chucks (hydraulic and three-jaw scroll-type), automatic tool post and live centre.

At its Clay Cross site in Derbyshire, Colcrete Eurodrill produces rotary duplex/mini piling systems in a standard range with outside diameters from 114mm to 660mm and in lengths of 500mm to 6m.

Specials up to 915mm diameter can be manufactured to order.

The casings accommodate either drill rods or augers.

According to Mark Rex, Colcrete Eurodrill’s operations and engineering manager: ‘The Hankook provided the extra capacity just when we needed it, and it has performed well in enabling us to meet the delivery deadline for 11, 500 tubes.’

With the prospect of more oil-related projects such as turning large steel parts on the horizon here is how an Ayrshire company decided its choice of another large-capacity CNC lathe.
With the prospect of more oil-related projects such as turning large steel parts on the horizon, Ayrshire based Jigs and Fixtures really needed to purchase another large-capacity CNC lathe. Ideally, the company wanted a suitably sized machine which was rigid, powerful and easy to program but what it did not want to do was to spend a fortune. This led to the selection of a Colchester Combi 6000 lathe with a 3000mm bed which was supplied by MCE Marketing of Glasgow, the Scottish distributor for Colchester Lathes and so ideal was the solution the company quickly bought a second with a longer bed length.

As Jigs and Fixtures’ partner William Hyslop explained: ‘As well as meeting our all-round specification, with its 800mm swing and 26kW motor, the Combi worked out to be about one third the cost of a more traditional, large swing CNC lathe.

What’s more, it took up less floor space and had an ideal speed range which would also allow us to machine aluminium alloy components, as well as steel.’ The Combi 6000 was installed in the company’s 22,000 ft2 factory at Stewarton in November 2001, where it joined some 20 other CNC machine tools.

Such was the success of the installation of the flat-bed electronic/CNC lathe on a wide range of oil industry work, that Jigs and Fixtures promptly bought a second just seven months later.

This latest Combi 6000 has a larger 4000mm bed length and combined with its 175mm diameter spindle bore allows components much longer than itself to be machined.

While the first Combi now tends to handle shorter type components, both lathes can also be used on the same work, carrying out different operations in order to reduce turn-around times.

This is confirmed by William Hyslop who maintains: ‘The beauty of having the two similar machines with identical controls means we can easily spread work between them, as and when production schedules demand.

We often carry out sequential operations on the same components using both lathes and because of the different bed lengths can handle a much wider variety of components.

With a top speed of some 1,500 revs/min, we also have the advantage to machine quite small diameter parts on the Combi, and this is a tremendous flexibility factor which helps us balance our workload.’ The two Colchesters have also enabled the company to quote for work it couldn’t handle before both in terms of the length and cost-effective production and their all-round versatility is highlighted by components as small as 20 mm diameter and as large as 480mm diameter have been turned on both machines.

Employing some 52 people, Jigs and Fixtures is a family-owned and run precision engineering business which has gained a reputation for high quality work, on-time deliveries and close working relationships with customers since it was established in 1977.

The company is actively involved in tool-making producing a wide range of press tools and moulds and machines precision components.

Over the last 12 to 18 months, the company has progressively moved into machining parts for the oil and gas industry and invested in 11 vertical machining centres, nine CNC lathes and five wire edm machines, which are all DNC linked to several different off-line programming systems.

One advantage to Jigs and Fixtures is that the Combi lathes can be programmed in a number of different ways through the Fanuc 210I-TA control and Colchester developed software.

The company tends to mainly use manual data input for simpler shaped components and off-line programming for more detailed and complex type work which is then DNC downloaded to the machines.

Typical of the parts produced are 495mm diameter by 762mm long cylinders for the oil industry in batches of 21.

These EN40 steel parts require profile turning, boring and external threading at both ends and floor to floor times tend to be around 12 hours for each cylinder.

Meanwhile other oil-related components measuring up to 5000mm long by 152mm diameter have been machined by passing the job through the large spindle bore.

When machining such long components the operators mount several steadies along the bed of the machine.

Jigs and Fixtures can certainly be described as impressed with the performance of the two Colchester Combis.

‘We initially looked at several other CNC lathes,’ added William Hyslop, ‘but were impressed by the all-round specification and value for money of the Combi machines.

The fact that we already know Colchester - having already bought a number of CNC 3000L and 4000L lathes over the years, we had to be sure the machines were going to be right for the task.

Offering an output increase of at least 10%, when compared with previous machines, universal lathes with a linear motor powered X-axis include the fastest turret in the market.
DMG (UK) has introduced the CTX 320 and 420 linear universal CNC lathes that offer a production output of at least 10% higher than conventional CNC machines. The increase results from using a dynamic linear drive in the turret carriage X-axis and the high speed Siemens 840D Powerline CNC with ShopTurn. ShopTurn is a Windows-based, shop floor programming system that includes extensive 3D functions.

It controls the fastest turret in the market, a fast tailstock as well as direct measuring systems in all axes.

The linear drive in the X-axis produces high rapid traverse speeds and accelerations/decelerations.

Contact-free power transfer makes for a wear-free construction of the drive train - a benefit particularly in tough, multi-shift operation.

The Siemens 840D CNC Powerline stands for a performance increase of over 100% in the CNC and PLC areas.

The ShopTurn user interface and 3D functions allows complex workpieces with face and shell machining operations to be generated very quickly, using interactive, context-sensitive operator guidance and integrated 3D simulation.

These functions can be used without any DIN/ISO knowledge on the part of the operator.

Additionally, ShopTurn makes machine set-up easier through intuitive tool management for the turret and practice-orientated support for workpiece introduction and measurement.

The performance of the integrated spindle drive, offering impressive acceleration/deceleration capabilities, is no less impressive.

It takes only 1 sec to go from zero to 5000 rpm, and again, to return to zero.

Main spindle torque is 270Nm (at 100% duty cycle) for the CTX 420 - some 12.5% higher than its predecessor.

DMG offers the CTX 320/320 in a number of configurations.

These begin with a 12-station turret for static tools and a tailstock.

There is a version with 12 driven tooling stations in the turret, also a version with driven tools in a Y-axis and machines with a counter-spindle, driven tooling and an optional Y-axis can also be supplied.

Swing diameters on the CTX 320 and 420 linear are 400mm and 680mm respectively.

X-axis travels are 450mm and 635mm.

A hydraulically powered moving tailstock is an option, with 0.5m/min traverse speed or a NC tailstock has a traverse up to 20m/min.

A fast indexing turret has an indexing time, station-to-station, of 0.15 sec.

In all, the CTX linear series offer idle time reductions of up to 40%.

Other details include: CTX 320 linear and 420 linear, respectively: drive outputs are 16 and 25kW; rapid traverse in X, Y and Z are 60, 10 and 45m/min; bar diameters are 50mm and 65mm; chuck diameters (Y-axis/counter spindle) are 210mm (160mm) and 260mm (185mm); longitudinal travel is 450mm and 635mm and Y-axis (optional) is +/-32mm and +/-40mm.

A recent entrant to the Y-axis lathe sector is a twin opposed spindle lathe that offers shaft turning or sequential front- and back-working of chuck-type components.
A recent entrant to the Y-axis lathe sector is the Japanese manufacturer, Takamaz, which supplies the majority of its annual output to domestic car producers, mainly as automated turning cells fitted with high speed servo gantry loaders. New from this machine builder is the XY-120 twin-opposed-spindle lathe with +/-30mm of Y-axis movement on the turret. It is available in the UK through sole agent, Yuasa Warwick Machinery.

Maximum distance between the 5.5kW (optionally 7.5kW) main spindle and the 3.7kW counter spindle is 680mm, offering shaft turning or sequential front- and back-working of chuck-type components.

Optimum turning diameter is up to 170mm in the main spindle but 35mm less after synchronous transfer to the sub spindle.

Speed is 4,500 or 6,000 rpm, according to preference, and the machine can be supplied with a 35mm or 42mm bar magazine.

The turret has 12 tool stations, all of which are driven by a 3.7kW motor at up to 4,000 rpm.

VDI toolholding is optional.

A full C-axis is provided on both spindles, allowing complex prismatic operations to be performed at both ends of the lathe, including machining of off-centre features and keyways using the Y-axis.

Linear rapid traverse rates in X, Z, Y and A (the 380mm of sub-spindle movement) are 18, 24, 12 and 18m/min respectively, and the spindles position themselves at about one rev per second.

Non-cutting times are consequently short and productivity is maximised.

Siting of the machine within a factory is flexible, as footprint is 2.40 x 1.65 metres and only 1.7 metres of headroom is needed.

Control is by the Fanuc 18i-TB 6-axis CNC system with Takamaz user interface.

Standard functions include high speed rigid tapping, tool load monitoring, workpiece/tool counter and alarm message displays.

A 10-station tool post and live tool C-axis milling capability feature CNC lathes with heavy-duty construction offering maximum flexibility at minimal cost.
The Kia range of CNC lathes handled exclusively in the UK by Ward CNC of Sheffield (www.wardcnc.com) has been extended with the addition of the Super Kia Turn 28LM turning centre with 10-station tool post and live tool C-axis milling capability. Of heavy-duty construction featuring rigid servo turret indexing and precision roller guides, the 28LM also boasts a thermally symmetrical headstock and double-anchored X-axis ballscrew for the high-precision multi-axis turning and milling of parts from 65mm bar. The 22/18.5kW spindle drive produces 25 to 3,000 revs/min, while the 5.2/3.7kW C-axis motor is capable of 4,000 revs/min.

Rapid traverse rates in X and Z axes are 20m/min and 24m/min, respectively.

Fanuc 0iT-A CNC is standard.

Designed for maximum flexibility at minimal cost, the Super Kia Turn 28LM has a swing over the bed of 590mm, and maximum turning diameter and length capacities of 410mm and 1070mm, respectively.

As standard, the machine also incorporates a Q-Setter for quick tool compensation.