The lathe programme run by the GILDEMEISTER group has now become so extensive that there really is no machining job any more that these machines cannot do.

The lathe programme run by the GILDEMEISTER group has now become so extensive that there really is no machining job any more that these machines cannot do. This has been the case at the latest since the buyback of 86% of the shares in Gildemeister Italiana S.p.A. - the seven clearly structured and closely interrelated product lines as well as a large number of new developments have now created the conditions necessary to provide the really optimal solution for every case and without compromise.

The new developments also include the SPRINT 42, a CNC bar automatic which focuses particularly on the segment of highly complex short parts (so closing one of the last holes in the portfolio).

Short parts in this sense are workpieces with a length about three times their diameter turned, often found in particular in the fields of hydraulic systems and automotive engineering.

To date these parts were manufactured on conventional lathes with a movable spindle nose and were characterised by short cycle times, the greatest part of machining operations taking place on the work spindle, and a comparably high number of drilling operations.

It is exactly these basic conditions that the 4-axis CNC automatic lathe SPRINT 42 perfectly masters.

On the one hand, simultaneous machining with at least two tools gives rise to an enormous increase in productivity, and on top the CNC system (compared with cam controlled machines) ensures maximum flexibility with respect to tooling times - of decisive importance in times of decreasing batch sizes.

The SPRINT 42 has a work spindle fitted with a universal turret holding 12 tools (VDI 25 tool holding fixture).

Machining can take place on either the work spindle or the holding spindle, both of which can be used with powered standard tools.

An interesting option is a Y axis for the turret, which facilitates milling operations on both the work and holding spindles.

Installed opposite the work spindle is a saddle fitted with two axes.

This saddle supports in turn a turret with seven tool holders and is used for facing operations that can run parallel to the operations with the universal turret.

This second turret is also fitted with an integrated counter-spindle that transports the workpiece after the cut-off to a third turret fixed to the machine bed.

This third turret is also provided with seven tools, of which four are powered.

Finally, an ejector deposits the finished workpiece on a discharge belt.

This discharge process, by the way, also runs parallel to the production time, i.e when the next machining operations are underway on the work spindle.

The only thing left to mention here is that all axes of the SPRINT 42 are fitted with servo motors controlled by absolute encoders.

In addition, the relatively large working area of this new CNC bar automatic ensures not only good accessibility, but also a good chip clearance.

Besides the SPRINT 42, also the SPRINT 20, SPRINT 32, and Sprint 65, likewise new machines, round off this model series.

The SPRINT 20 and Sprint 32 offer up to 6 axes for the highest production capacity and target a segment that to date is dominated by conventional single-spindle cam-controlled automatic lathes.

The essential features of these machines are the motor spindle and the arrangement of the tool holders that allow simultaneous multi-tool machining as well as configurations with up to six axes - all in all, features that facilitate the manufacture of turned parts with minimised cycle times and operating costs.