Fixed head lathe provides high specification machining capability

Citation

(2003), "Fixed head lathe provides high specification machining capability", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 75 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2003.12775dab.005

Fixed head lathe provides high specification machining capability

Fixed head lathe provides high specification machining capability

Keywords: Machining, Components

The Boley division of Citizen Machinery Europe has developed the two spindle Boley BC 20, which combines many of the benefits associated with sliding head technology with fixed head machine designed to provide a high surface finish and close tolerance machining capability. The BC 20 can now be specified with an optional autoloading system, which increases its appeal for secondary operation type work or for use on chucking-type components (Plate 4).

Central to the flexibility of the BC 20 machine design is a vertical three axis toolslide using X, Y and Z-axes which can combine simultaneous machining functions with the X and Z axes of a horizontal toolslide.

Plate 4 Citizen Boley BC 20 provides sliding head technology in fixed head machines

The fixed head Boley BC 20 has inherited many of the elements that have made the Citizen CNC sliding headstock lathes so popular throughout the world. It follows Citizen tradition with a range of standard specifications to allow users to customise the machine to the types of industry and component configuration they intend to produce. For instance, the Asian market has taken to the BC 20 for "disk drive and similar components that are required to have high orders of surface finish or need to be machined to ultra-tight tolerances".

Available from NC Engineering of Watford, the machine features a main and backspindle with 15ft indexing as standard and options of full C-axis for both spindles. These are combined with a total of 15 tools for which two are front turning tool positions and four are front drilling positions. Two further front tool positions are provided on a second toolpost having three rotary tools, one back turning and three back drilling tool positions.

Material up to 20mm diameter can be machined from the bar feed system to a maximum machining length of 50 mm. Maximum main speed is 10,000 revs/min from a 3.7 kW main AC drive. The backspindle is powered by a 1.1 kW motor giving 8,000 revs/min and driven tool positions have a maximum speed of 5,000 revs/min powered by a 0.4 kW motor.

Simultaneous machining combining front OD turning and back drilling can be performed and a range of options extends the operational flexibility of the machines – such as workpiece conveyors and separators, swarf conveyor and part-off tool breakage detection.

Details available from: NC Engineering Limited. Tel: +44 (0)1 923 691500; Web site: www.ncengineering.co.uk