Ever-greater flexibility for setting 'one-hit' production methods and increasing productivity on up to 32mm diameter mill/turn type components feature the latest sliding head auto developments.

A whole new series of product launches for 2003 are planned by NC Engineering of Watford following the recent exhibition and citizen cnc sliding head machine previews at the recent JIMTOF machine tool show in Japan. Charged with maintaining its significant market leading position in CNC sliding head lathe technology, Citizen Machinery has brought forward its development programme and is introducing new machines and models with ever-greater flexibility for setting 'one-hit' production methods and increasing productivity on up to 32mm diameter mill/turn type components. Among the new developments are linear motor drives which can help reduce cycle times by up to 40 per cent, improved data processing in the control system and extension of Citizen's well-established simultaneous cutting capability.

Even higher tool capacities and improved driven tool performance have also been introduced on certain new machines.

Targeted at high speed, very accurate production of parts below 4mm diameter, the new Citizen R04 introduces linear motor technology to its 13 tool capacity twin tool post slideways.

The machine is very compact having been designed to fit into the floor space of a traditional cam auto and can even be interfaced with a traditional cam machine bar feed system.

With a 20,000 revs/min spindle, the R04 can cycle 10 per cent faster than a cam machine with the same cutting data or 40 per cent quicker when CNC variable speeds and feeds are utilised.

New global top selling L-Series 16mm, 20mm and 32mm capacity machines now incorporate a more rigid base casting axis slide on the two smaller versions and the L32 is now built on the larger M-Series Citizen base giving improved access for setting.

The front internal working tools and the back spindle are now separated to accommodate simultaneous cutting and tool capacity is now increased to 22.

Meanwhile, the L16 and L20 now have 19 driven tools with 1kW motor, an increase of 25 per cent in power.

A further development is the ability to switch three cross-driven tools to six face-driven working positions by turning the holders through 90deg.

Using the same M-Series base, the new Citizen C20 and C32 have been developed to accommodate hard metal machining and the ability to utilise three gang tool slides.

This achieves a higher flexibility for setting up simultaneous cutting at both main and secondary spindles.

The new tool post configuration accommodates 28 tools of which 19 can be driven.

Y-axis milling, gear hobbing, polygon machining and high speed threading can all now be accomplished on these higher capacity C-Series lathes.

With a new high performance control, computing time is now reduced and the combination of the latest high speed macros shorten cycle times.