Managing director Richard Floyd says: “The expansive range of collets, guide bushes, grippers and machine accessories are continually expanding into specialist solutions that can solve issues for sliding-head turned-part producers which no other UK company can supply. This capability has been acknowledged by Citizen with this permanent booth. We probably have the most comprehensive range of tooling and accessories for sliding-head machines in the UK, and the ever-closer partnership will provide opportunities in the future to combine the resources of Floyd Automatic and Citizen Machinery for product presentations, machining trials, project support, and assistance with special applications.”
At the recent open house staged by Citizen at Brierley Hill, which attracted around 300 visitors, there were a number of highlights from a Floyd Automatic perspective. For instance, there was “huge interest” in the newly developed compact Evocut parting-off tools from Applitec. With the work envelope of sliding-head turning centres becoming increasingly compact and machine kinematics seeing tools clamped ever closer to the workpiece, the improved accessibility of Evocut parting-off tools offers simplified and faster insert changes for end users. The range, which features through-coolant supply, can part-off bar up to 44 mm in diameter.
With event visitors clearly focused on reducing non-machining times, the HEB Mini-Plug quick-change adaptors for high-pressure coolant also proved a point of interest. The extended HEB Mini-Plug range now includes the type 1 and type 2 hose designation that supports hose diameters of just 5 mm, making the adaptors suitable for small machine tools.
High interest was also reported in the MASA Microconic sub-spindle collet system. The Microconic system improves component machining when holding workpieces from 0.15 to 10 mm diameter in most popular sliding-head machines using a sub-spindle dead length collet such as the F20, F25 or F37. The system consists of two major components, the Microconic cartridge, which fits into the sub-spindle collet sleeve, and the Microconic collet, which fits into the cartridge. No modifications to the machine are required.
