Tornos SwissNano first user speaks up positively

A supplier that relies on Swiss-made machines to produce parts for the watchmaking, connector, micro-mechanical and medical sectors, Krattiger SA's technical m, Clovis Brosy, says: "When we saw it on paper, we thought that the SwissNano would the perfect machine to meet our requirements, in terms of producing large numbers of watch parts. "Looking back, about two months since the machine was installed, we have not been disappointed - quite the opposite in fact. We already have EvoDeco machines installed, which are a great asset in the production of complex parts, but this equipment is too high performance for 80% of watch parts. The SwissNano is the perfect complement to our machine inventory." The new addition runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and was set up to produce a barrel arbor in 20AP steel for the watchmaking sector. "As we had the opportunity to collaborate with Tornos in testing the machine, we decided to make quite a complex part to see what the machine was capable of. In future, we plan to make lots of simpler parts. The results are encouraging, in terms of geometric/dimensional tolerances and surface finishes, we are right on target for our watchmaking customers," Mr Brosy reports. Krattiger CEO Juan Arrieta adds: "For an equivalent investment, the SwissNano offers more options. It is equipped with 5 axes and a counter-spindle mounted on three axes, and both are highly responsive powered spindles. As they are cooled, they contribute to the machine's thermal stability." Although the design of the SwissNano is new, it makes use of technological solutions that are already known. Says Mr Brosy: "The SwissNano is not a technical master-stroke and that's a good thing. You don't always need to reinvent the wheel. The machine is well-designed; although we only received a prototype, we were quickly able to produce parts." This provided Tornos engineers with detailed and direct feedback from Krattiger AG on the machine performance. Continues Mr Brosy: "The machine is simple to program – it is a dual channel numerical control and is equipped with many Tornos macros, in particular for offsets and feeding. A programmer with a knowledge of ISO could master it in no time. Tool changes are also very straightforward. The machining area is accessible and we can fit the standard tools of the trade without having to modify them, as is often the case on small machines designed for watchmaking. The kinematics of the machine are well-designed, the counter-spindle on three axes enables the tools to be centred with precision and end operations are simplified. With 13 tool positions (double toolholders can be fitted), we can easily cover the range of 80% of watchmaking parts that we were aiming for. "The SwissNano is a machine designed for watchmaking and will open up new markets to us, enabling us to produce a category of parts that we were previously not able to do competitively. For us, the SwissNano is a vital component in the watchmaking workshop of the future. Eventually, we plan to use our bank of EvoDeco machines to produce the 20% of complex parts, and use a new bank of SwissNano machines to complete our capacity. This machine totally won us over." And speaking about the machine performance, he concludes: "At present, we only have data for a couple of weeks' production, but I can confirm that the machine is very stable: swarf is not broken and we have no problems with micro-vibration. I was surprised by the concentricity between the spindle and counter-spindle; it's perfect and we've obtained excellent results straight away."