In designing the RL-203 front-loading twin-spindle chucking lathe, Mori Seiki set out to double the productivity of previous models and reduce the required floorspace by two-thirds.

In designing the RL-203 front-loading twin-spindle chucking lathe, Pollard Mori Seiki set out to double the productivity of previous models and reduce the required floorspace by two-thirds. Mori Seiki has achieved this by increasing the speed and accuracy of the two-axis front-loading parts-handling gantry, increasing the indexing and traversing speeds of the tool turrets and improving the acceleration/deceleration characteristics of the main spindle drives. Consequently, the twin 11/7.5kW spindles accelerate to 4500 rev/min in just 3.8sec and decelerate in 3.6sec.

The eight or 12-tool turret heads traverse at up to 24m/min in the X and Z-axes and index, tool-to-tool, in 0.8sec.

Axes travels are 130mm and 150mm for X and Y respectively.

The optional parts loading gantry performs load/unload operations in 6.6sec, turnover in 5.4 sec, and pick-up from a stack in 3.7sec.

These times add up to a total loader tactical time of 27.6sec including machining time of 21 sec.

Longer machining cycles involve only 6.6 sec loading/unloading cycle time.

Machining capacity includes a 240mm turning diameter by 150mm turning length.

Pollard Mori Seiki has built in precision to the RL-203.

For a cutting depth of 6mm in steels, surface roundness is maintained typically at 0.59 microns.

The material is S45C carbon steel cut at 120m/min with a feedrate of 0.33mm/rev.

The RL-2031s volume production capacity has been neatly packed into a machine footprint of only 4.6m2.

The machine suits the processing of workpieces such as flanges, collars, brake drums, pipe joints, nozzles and the like.

Machine design is based on a one-piece cast bed which includes the slideways for the turret carriages either side of the two spindle heads.

The spindle heads are pitched at 340mm centres.

The CNC system used is Pollard Mori Seiki1s MAPPS.

It requires only dimensional input from which MAPPS will select the tooling, cutting conditions and the most efficient machining sequence.

Features include process simulation, tool lists, time studies, conversational programming and editing, periodic maintenance management and a special program for soft jaw turning.