Hardinge GS51A offers automated turning at under £80,000

With its GS Performance Plus Package and Gantry Part Exchanger, it has been developed as a compact production cell, taking just 3.1 m by 1.5 m of floor space. It is available for under £80,000 as a ready-to-run operational cell using the Hardinge collet-ready spindle with a maximum machining diameter of 284 mm by 456 mm turned length. The 12-station turret can also be upgraded with C-axis positioning and a driven tool option. Constructed on a single-piece cast iron base giving maximum rigidity the machine features the benefits obtained from Hardinge's CMA (Continuous Machining Accuracy) with a thermal package incorporating headstock cooling and linear scale positioning within 5 microns on X and Z axes. As a result, high orders of machining stability, accuracy and surface finish can be expected. The double-gripper, vertical gantry loading arm interfaces with an external patented 10-platen slant magazine located at the headstock end of the machine, with each platen able to accept multiple parts. The system has automatic centre position adjustment for component pick-up and deposit after machining. It takes just 9 seconds to exchange the component with the Hardinge high rigidity collet system that maintains the component in close proximity to the spindle bearing arrangement to maximise the influence on roundness, concentricity and surface finish. As an option, a 3-jaw chuck can be specified. Rapid traverse rates are 30 m/min in X and Z-axes. There are customer-specified options of Fanuc or Siemens control and drives packages with the machine. The Fanuc 0iTD control and drives provide an 18.5 kW spindle motor giving 5,000 rpm and 210 Nm of torque, while the alternative Siemens 828D system delivers 25 kW, 5,000 rpm and 205 Nm of torque. A wide range of options include barfeed in place of the loading gantry system, giving 100 mm maximum machining diameter by 120 mm turned length. Driven tools, a fully programmable tailstock, arm-type fully covered parts-catcher, automatic tool probe, hinge or scraper swarf conveyor and high pressure 20 bar coolant system are also available.