"The ProTURN RLX 780 is the first of our large-capacity lathes to be given the option of the ProtoTRAK control, but it won’t be the last,” says Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ Machine Tools. “With the development of the Delta drives and motors they are now fully compatible with the ProtoTRAK control, meaning we can scale up the range of machines available, which will be a very attractive proposition for existing ProtoTRAK users. With the option of an eight-station turret, along with the ProtoTRAK control, the RLX 780 is now a cost-effective competitor for any large-capacity turning centre.”
The ProTURN RLX 780 shares all the attributes of its sister machine, the XL 780, with a between-centre distance of 3 m, 160 mm diameter spindle bore and a 32 kW spindle coupled to a gearbox providing two speed ranges between 20 and 1300 rpm. A 500 mm diameter three-jaw chuck and four-station automatic indexing turret are also standard equipment.
The major change is, of course, the ProtoTRAK control, with its 15.6” touchscreen control enhancing ease-of-use and programming. Users of ProtoTRAK can generate complex programs either offline or directly at the control, via conversational programming, where intuitive features such as ‘Look’ allow operators to verify input data in real-time while generating tool paths, and ‘Verify’ that presents a graphical interpretation of the part to be machined.
For those wanting to program offline there are the options to use G-code generated by CAM systems, or DXF and Parasolid converter software.
The programming options available deliver control for producing the one-off and low-volume parts typically machined on large-capacity lathes.
