The November open houses at XYZ Machine Tools' Blackburn and Nuneaton showrooms resulted in orders for 17 machines valued at just over £500,000.

The November open houses at XYZ Machine Tools' Blackburn and Nuneaton showrooms resulted in orders for 17 machines valued at just over £500,000. With two more open house events scheduled for Glasgow (2-3 December 2004) and the newly extended 60 000 ft² HQ near Tiverton, Devon (20-21 January 2005), XYZ's managing director Nigel Atherton is confident the upward trend in sales will continue. While the company's Prototrak-equipped manual/CNC mills and lathes are much in demand from the prototype and small batch sector of the market, Mr Atherton says the XYZ Mini Mill 560 is 'probably the best selling vertical machining centre in the UK as an individual model'.

This success reflects XYZ's determination to increase its share of the machining and turning centre market, and why a star attraction at the two 'open houses' was the competitively priced 22.5 kW (30 minute rating)/17 kW (continuous rating) XYZ 250 TC turning centre featuring a full c axis and driven tooling.

Designed specifically for volume production, the machine's robust ribbed cast iron construction guarantees the optimum combination of performance, reliability and productivity when machining at spindle speeds up to 3500 rev/min.

Maximum turning diameter is 250 mm and maximum bar capacity is 77 mm, complemented by x and z axes travels of 195 mm and 580 mm respectively.

VDI 40 tooling can be located in any of 12 positions on the 410 mm diameter tool turret, with rigid tapping as standard, and is powered by a 12.7 kW (30 minute rating) ac motor capable of generating a maximum speed of 4000 rev/min and a maximum torque of 27 Nm.

Productivity is further enhanced by rapid traverse rates of 12 m/min (x)/20 m/min (z) and an automatic tool setting probe, both of which ensure that non-cutting time is kept to the minimum.

A smaller machine, the 12 kW (30 minute rating)/9 kW (continuous) XYZ 200 TC is also available with driven tooling.

It, too, features a ribbed cast iron construction, with rigid induction hardened slideways and bedways protected by a one-piece guard.

Both machines carry full CE approval and certification, and feature the proven, easy-to-use Shopturn conversational programming system running on the Siemens 810D control.

Standard on both machines, which can also be supplied with Fanuc controls, is a programmable tailstock, parts catcher, swarf conveyor and flood coolant, while laser calibration and Renishaw ball bar testing are also included in the standard package.