Product category:
CNC automatic lathes
News Release from: Tornos Technologies | Subject: Sigma 20 turning centre
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 July 2007
CNC turning centre ousts three machine
tools
Metrology products maker reported that its CNC turning centre has improved its production rates and has released shop floor space by replacing three existing machines.
Solartron Metrology, in Bognor Regis, UK, wanted to replace three Tornos 'Elector' turning centres - supplied in the 1980s - and chose a Tornos Sigma 20 model The machine has increased productivity by over 50%
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Jun 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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"When looking at a new machine, we evaluated the market and found the Tornos was the best fit solution for our business.
We already have turning centres from many suppliers including Tornos and from experience, the service, support, expertise and relationship Tornos provides far exceeds that of its competitors," said Solartron's machine shop supervisor Peter Shepherd.
Solartron manufactures very many components.
Further reading
Turnkey, multi-spindle lathe has own bar-feeder
At the EMO in Hanover during September of this year, Tornos will unveil as a first throughout the world, its new multi-spindle lathe working on the DECO concept: - the MULTIDECO 32/6 i.
Advanced CNC automatic enhanced further
Since its first appearance at the EMO, Hannover, last year, the Tornos 20a has been further improved aesthetically and the counter spindle increased in diameter.
There are over 60,000 parts passing through the machine shop each month on a Kanban system.
A very important factor in machine choice was the ability to switch the Sigma 20 from one part to the next.
"We produce batches from 10 to a 1,000 off and we are continually changing jobs.
The Sigma 20 has easy access and is well lit for changeovers whilst the user friendly Fanuc control has reduced programming times, giving us considerable time benefits when changing over jobs," added Shepherd.
"We manufacture hundreds of families of part variations, so versatility is crucial to us and the Sigma 20 has already proved its worth with the changeover aspect of our production," said Shepherd.
Solartron machines mostly 400 series stainless steel on the Sigma 20 and carries out a lot of drilling.
As Shepherd said: "A lot of our components involve drilling; the powerful driven tooling unit on the Sigma has a torque monitor that enables us to gauge the performance of our drills.
This lets us know when tools are close to wearing out or breaking.
This has improved our quality process and enables our operators to work in confidence; they now know exactly when to change tooling without any breakages".
The through coolant feature on the Sigma 20 raises the drilling performance further and has improved productivity as well as cutting tool life.
"The new Sigma 20 compliments our two Tornos Deco 10 machines and has improved our production rates whilst freeing up space on the shop floor by replacing three machines.
We operate a two shift system and the new Sigma 20 is running almost non-stop," concluded Shepherd.
* About Solartron - known as a world leading provider of precision dimensional measurement and position measurement transducers and instrumentation, Solartron employs 130 and is ISO9001 registered.
The company exports 90% of its production and holds an 80% market share of the global transducer market.
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