Heralded as the busiest Dugard Open House yet, drawing over 100 visitors, visitors were mainly subcontractors from a good cross section of engineering industry, with representatives from general engineering, automotive, aerospace and medical, as well as a few large OEMs.
The newest addition to the range, the Dugard 52SY Swiss-type CNC lathe, was one of the first machines sold. Addressing a unique gap in the market, a sliding-head machine with up to 52 mm capacity, built in drives on the main and rear spindle, and a full range of turning/milling tools, the 52SY is ideal for manufacturing extremely complex parts.
The Dugard X5-800 5-axis machining centre also enjoyed its UK launch, and attracted a similarly positive reaction.The 64-tool unit sports an 18,000 rpm, 25/35 kW built-in Kessler spindle, as well as an 800 mm diameter table that can handle a maximum load of 1,300 kg. This capacity is contained within a footprint of 5,600 by 2,600mm for the 20,000 kg machine.
Other new machines included: the Dugard X5-320 5-axis VMC with BT40 15,000 rpm spindle and 30-station ATC and BT40 spindle taper; the Dugard i42U high production multi-axis CNC lathe, a competitively priced Taiwanese machine with flexible duo system offering simultaneous machining that saves up to 45% on cycle time; and the new Samsung SL2500BSY CNC lathe with 76 mm bore diameter and Siemens 828D control.
Existing machines also drew interest, including the Dugard 1000Y Plus VMC, which has long been one of the company’s best sellers. Having a 610 mm Y-axis, it also sports a Big Plus taper 12,000 rpm spindle as standard (15,000 rpm option), boasts 30 tools and 20 bar through-spindle coolant.
On the lathes side, the Dugard 65TTSY CNC lathe was where the interest lay. The double-turret design puts the Y-axis on the X-axis block, saving space and simplifying control while delivering increased stability and precision cutting.
Representatives from Chevalier were also available at the event to explain all the intricacies of the comprehensive selection of grinders. With the Smart 818 ADIII surface grinder on show, requests for demos came thick and fast. Chevalier grinders are very competitively priced, saving Dugard customers up to 50% on competitors’ machines, so visitors were keen to see what was on offer.
