Product category:
CNC lathes
News Release from: Colchester-Harrison | Subject: CNC lathes, mill/turn centres, combination lathes
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 May 2007
CNC lathes range includes mill/turn
centres
For most machining applications, a UK company offers CNC lathes ranging from 3-axis machines to mill/turn centres with Y-axis, 'combination' manual/CNC lathes and vertical machining centres.
The combination of two international brand names in machine tool turning of Colchester Lathe and T S Harrison into a single product line of Colchester-Harrison and the addition of the Storm range of vertical machining centres, brings together the home-grown products in CNC technology of the 600 Group under an easily marketable banner The Colchester and Harrison brands have spanned the globe for well over 100 years leading to nearly 1 million installations in over 100 countries
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 5 Jul 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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The Tornado 220 two-axis CNC lathe range is faster, heavier by almost 20 per cent and more rigid, to provide a consistent turning operation from part to part
Solid base on which to turn one-offs
Colchester has combined the stability of a solid base and an advanced control and software package into the Combi K-Series CNC lathe for one-off components or batch production.
The development of the Colchester-Harrison product range has been marketing led using careful positioning to maintain a strict high performance to affordability ratio in order that customers can achieve significant returns on their investments.
Indeed, so successful has this strategy been that multiple machine installations can be found throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
Central to CNC turning technology has been the progressive development of the Tornado range from a very simple two-axis slant bed machine that became a top seller around the world, through to the latest T-Series that can be specified to meet particular customers needs.
Further reading
Toolroom made thorough evaluation of 3-axis lathes
An extensive search of three-axis lathes led to three UK suppliers of CNC mill/turn centres facing in-depth evaluation of machine, control, software and running economics before a choice was made.
Turning cells play central role in SME initiative
Two two-axis 'lights-out' turning cells have very quickly taken a central role in a GBP 500,000 automated machining initiative designed to present cost-effective manufacturing techniques to SMEs.
Tornado CNC lathes get driven tooling
Colchester's top-selling Tornado slant bed CNC lathe is now available with driven tools. The three-axis 'M' version has six driven positions on the Sauter 12 station turret.
For instance, as a low cost turning platform the T2 accommodates chucking work up to 170mm diameter by 320mm in the Z-axis and up to 42mm bar diameter.
The larger capacity T10, that weighs in at almost five tonnes, will accommodate a 360mm turned diameter by 550mm in Z and an 82mm bar size.
Spindle power for this machine is 26kW.
For three-axis requirements the M-designation is added with a 12 station all-driven turret with tool drives between 3.7kW and 5.5kW across the model range.
Recently, Colchester-Harrison has responded to a strong developing market in the UK for single cycle 'one-hit' machining strategies, especially with subcontractors keen to exploit fully automated cycles to reduce lead time, tooling costs and production costs against growing Eastern European and Far East competitors.
Here, the Tornado T8 MS comes into its own with a subspindle able to transfer parts 'on-the-fly' and apply driven tools to both main and subspindle operations.
Taking the one-hit machining solution further, with the addition of a +/-40 mm, Y-axis cross feed to the 12 station turret on the Tornado T8 MSY, heavy duty milling, contouring and off-centre drilling can be carried out due to the in-built rigidity of the machine through its patented Duo-Stable bed.
This advanced construction creates a thermal and dynamic stability up to 300% greater that cast iron.
Complementing the Tornado is the Alpha range of manual/CNC lathes specifically developed for easy and quick single part requirements typical of centre and engine lathe users.
However, the development of the innovative control and software provides the capability to fully replicate the cycle under full CNC control for additional workpieces giving an important productivity boost.
Beloved by the training fraternity, due to the very simple Fanuc control and software, the Alpha has seen massive sales in the toolroom and small batch subcontract or jobbing shop.
New to the range is the Alpha XM that further extends the viability of this niche market machine range.
In the Alpha 1550 XM, with its C-axis spindle positioning and driven tool specification options, these are available in a Capto toolpost or Duplomatic eight tool indexing turret with four driven stations available for drilling and milling that can be accommodated within a single chucking.
This negates the use of vices, jigs and fixtures for secondary operation tasks such as pitch-circle drilling, slotting, keyways and grooving.
Until recently, there has always been a gap in the 600 Group product offering from Colchester-Harrison but with the introduction of the Storm VMC range of vertical machining centres, customers now have a single source of supply for turning, mill/turning or milling at a competitive price.
From the range of six machines, with further models under development, the same philosophy has been applied to the vertical machining centre as in the lathe range providing new orders of rigidity.
This element enables power and accuracy to be combined with a specification that provides that little bit of extra in capacity and capability to fulfil the subcontract shops need of being able to accommodate that larger or more challenging component.
Indeed, from the smallest Storm 500L with axis travels of 510mm by 410mm by 460mm and an up to 12,000 rev/min spindle with 20 tool magazine, to the Storm VMC 1600S with 1600mm by 800mm by 700mm travels and either a 4,000 or 6,000 rev/min geared head, the six machine range provides a wide choice at a cost-effective price.
Storm has also been developed to provide the user with two main options - high speed axis movements through linear guideways or for the more demanding customer requiring heavy duty milling capabilities, hardened and ground solid slideways are available.
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