A twin-spindle, front-loading style CNC lathe, with fully integrated high speed 150m/min gantry loader, provides a fully automated production cell for first and second operation component cycles.

Developed by Fuji Machine Tools to meet demanding automotive and bearing industry requirements, the PMD-2000 twin-spindle, front-loading style CNC lathe, with fully integrated high speed 150m/min gantry loader, provides a fully automated production cell for first and second operation component cycles in a very compact and rigid machining environment. Now available from Fuji Machine Tool's European distributor, 600 Centre of Shepshed, Loughborough, UK, the PMD-2000 is able to machine components up to 120mm diameter by 100mm long and has two identical eight-station turrets to serve the two 6in (8in option) chucks. The 7.5kW, 4,000 rev/min zero-centre design spindles are mounted on independent X-axis slideways each having 200mm stroke and the horizontal axis turrets on independent Z-axis slideways having 150mm travel.

Control is by Fanuc 180i-TB.

The high rigidity base, with a compact footprint of 1650 mm by 1725 mm, is designed as two individual handed carcases in order to prevent any influence from spindle to spindle during cutting.

For instance, witness marks could result when one spindle is engaged on roughing or intermittent cutting and the other on high tolerance or close surface finish machining.

And, from its automotive ancestry the design of the machine means excellent access is available to serviceable items, swarf control is paramount and highly efficient, with chips falling unhindered onto a central conveyor for speedy exit at the rear of the machine.

Central to maintain high levels of productivity, the machine and its ability to run under limited manning or unmanned situations is the Fuji developed high speed three-axis LX-10S gantry robot.

Available with single or double gripper it has a loading time of 4.5s and minimum cycle time of 24s.

This can be reduced to 12.5s for the twin gripper version.

Rapid traverse speed is fast at 150m/min in the X-axis, with 115m/min for vertical axis and 50m/min in the Z-axis.

Controlled via the Fuji MAX SPI robot control system, data entry is via touch screen from which the software automatically computes the most fluid and shortest time for movement.

A range of work stockers with 10, 12 or 20 stations can be integrated to input and exit stations with interfaces to measuring devices with feed back correction.