Mill-turn centre duo cover entry level up to medium complexity

Star Micronics has introduced two new sliding-headstock, 7-axis CNC mill-turn centres for the manufacture of turned parts up to 20 mm diameter ranging from relatively simple to medium complexity. The traditional version with guide bush, SR-20J, is suitable for high precision machining of long, slender components, but is equally capable of producing short, complex parts. Star says that it is almost as capable as the high end SR-20RIII but has a 15 per cent smaller price tag aimed at early entry users expecting to progress quickly in their use of the technology. The absence of a guide bush in the second machine, SR-20JN, results in drastic reductions in material costs, especially when machining short parts approaching the lathe’s maximum bar capacity. The headstock is able to grip the material very close to the point of machining, so the remnant is only around a quarter of the bar length when using conventional sliders. Specification includes a 3.7 kW/10,000 rpm main spindle, 35 m/min rapids in all linear axes, and C-axis positioning of the main and counter spindles. Both robust models have an installed weight of 2.2 tonnes, providing very high accuracy and surface finish. Spindle cooling for thermal stability also contributes to high precision machining.