Unicut installs another Citizen M32-V sliding-head lathe as business passes 2008 peak-year levels

The machine is required to support levels of business for the firm that exceed the peak levels of work achieved in 2008. It will join 18 other Citizen sliding-head machines of various bar capacities, but all with high specifications to meet the wide variety of turned-milled parts produced in single operational cycles passing through the production shop. The M32-V is able to carry up to 80 tools, of which 20 are driven, and is able to cut with three tools simultaneously at the main and sub-spindle. It is fitted with the 2,000 psi CoolBlaster coolant system, IEMCA bar feed, mist extraction and automatic off-loading. The specification will enable it to perform more general, single operational cycles involving turning and milling to free up other machines that will be used for more dedicated cycles in cell-type configurations. For example, a rapidly growing part of the business is the supply of multiples of family part groupings under vendor managed contracts. "Through our investment programme, we are finding we are becoming increasingly competitive in winning contracts especially from overseas, helped by the value of sterling, the cost of fuel and shipping, a reluctance to supply smaller batch quantities and uncertainty of supply," explained Jason Nicholson, managing director.