Six new machines from Citizen at MACH 2014

Among first show appearances in the UK from the latest Citizen sliding head, Miyano fixed head and Ocean Cincom automated turning cell ranges are the Citizen L12-Vll, Citizen L20-Xll and Citizen MC20 – the latter was first shown as a prototype at EMO 2013. From the Miyano stable the BNA-42GTY and BNE-51MSY will be demonstrated alongside the Ocean Cincom GN-4200 automated machining cell, which is targeted towards high volume production. A prime example of technology-sharing within the Citizen group is the Miyano BNA-42GTY turning centre that incorporates Citizen's Cincom control software with Miyano's moving headstock design. Here, Citizen's software influence is said to enable non-cutting times to be reduced by 27%, while overlapped operations and three-tool simultaneous cutting can be performed utilising the 45 tool capability of the machine. Also at the show, the Citizen L12-Vll claims to bridge the gap to cost-effectively meet both long and short component requirements on the same machine through quick and simple removal or replacement of the guide bush assembly. The machine carries up to 27 tools with a 15,000 rpm main and 10,000 rpm sub-spindle with rapid traverses of 35 m/min. Again from the Citizen stable, the L20-Xll mid-range, sliding head turn-mill centre also incorporates the added flexibility of an interchangeable guide bush assembly. It has a 40 tool capacity and incorporates a 135° swivelling B-axis to service both the main and sub-spindles with four double-ended driven tools supporting angled milling and drilling cycles. MACH 2014 visitors will also be able to see the production version of the new 9-axis Citizen MC20 modular production centre. This machine features three independent spindle assemblies that are able to be combined into the same production operation. Each spindle can be configured and used to perform processes including turning, milling and even grinding or measuring cycles, says Citizen. In addition to a bar feed, the integrated handing system also enables forgings, castings or billets to be processed. A further Miyano launch at MACH 2014 will be the BNE-51MSY, a 51 mm capacity 7-axis, twin 12 station turret turning centre. This model uses Cincom control technology with a third axis (X3 and Z3) to service the second spindle and help provide three-tool simultaneous machining. The main spindle is 15 kW and the second spindle is 7.5 kW. Driven tools provide speeds of 6,000 rpm from a 2.2 kW motor delivering 20 Nm of torque. Meanwhile, the GN-4200 lathe marketed under the Ocean Cincom brand is launched using a thermally symmetrical and damped flat bed machine base. It has an integrated 154 m/min, 2-axis gantry loader feeding a 'wing-fixed' 45 mm air or 40 mm collet chuck. It can be fed from a pallet stocker, a pallet conveyor or an in-out conveyor system. The 3.7 kW spindle motor delivers 8,000 rpm, while a six-station linear tool platen is standard.