Held from 11-14 October at the company’s Watford headquarters, the Open House saw the company’s technology credentials underlined with the launch of its Low Frequency Vibration (LFV) cutting technology, fitted to a Citizen CincomL20-VIII model sliding-head lathe, and the presence of two Citizen Cincom sliding-head turn-mill centres fitted with integrated laser cutting.
LFV technology is a solution to the problem of stringy swarf. Slideway oscillation is introduced into the cutting process, which sees swarf chips created in a controlled and predictable fashion (pictured below). Unmanned production in previously challenging materials is now possible with this technology, which adds about 10% to an L20’s price.
Says sales director Darren Wilkins: “We have often demonstrated how new machine tool technology reduces non-cutting time. However, this was the first time we have radically broken new ground in changing the machining process and the cutting of material. It has certainly created interest, with us taking orders for machines with integrated LFV technology due for delivery in January and considerable longer term pre-order intent.
“Most visitors were able to appreciate the opportunity to remove or reduce the need for high pressure coolant, as well as the potential advantage to increase productivity and reduce the cost of expensive consumable tooling.
“Many sliding-head users immediately recognised the advantage of LFV in greatly improving the removal of swarf from the machining area and its help to reduce downtime as a result of damaged or worn tooling. As the vast majority of our customers run Citizen machines unattended, they therefore welcomed the opportunity to extend their production capability and were enthusiastic over the ability to switch, as required, to suit the application between the ‘programmable’ chip control development and a conventional non-LFV machine.”
The laser-cutting sliding-head showed how high carbon steel tube in its hardened state (very difficult or impossible to cut with conventional tools) could be processed to create very open, interlinked structures (pictured below) on an L20-VIII model. First developed in the US some two years ago and then demonstrated at a Citizen event in Japan last year, the UK is kitting the system out in a lower cost fashion to bring it in at under twice the price of a standard machine.
* Prize winners - Luke Dealhoy of Gedore Torque drew the top prize of an Orange mountain bike fitted with high specification Hope equipment produced on both Citizen and Miyano machines at Hope’s factory in Bartnoldswick, Lancs. To qualify for the draw, Dealhoy remembered to bring along his token from his visit in April to the Citizen stand during MACH 2016 at the NEC.Meanwhile, Simon Lilley of S Lilley & Son is now the proud owner of a new Citizen Eco Drive watch from the visitors’ card draw at the event.
