THE MICROTECHNOLOGY INFORMATION PORTAL/THE SHOW
10.11.2017
A - Machines
MULTISWISS : more and more capabilities
The part quality achieved with these machines are unequaled in the market and their capabilities are almost unlimited. A brochure presenting various optional equipment has just been published and we would like to take the opportunity to get back to the countless capabilities featured by MultiSwiss 6x16 and the MultiSwiss range in general. So, decomagazine has talked to Rocco Martoccia, Tornos’ Product Manager responsible for MultiSwiss. Below is what he told us : The MultiSwiss machines are very easy to handle. Needless to say they are able to produce highly complex parts with the optional Y axes, in addition to various other features. The slides may be equipped with up to 3 tools per position that enables the machines to keep up with competitive machines of higher complexity. Nevertheless, the machines are ultra-accessible for any operator, regardless of his physique. They are easy to use and boast excellent ergonomic features at a superb cost/performance ratio. It is often said that the MultiSwiss machines form a bridge between single-spindle lathes and the world of multi-spindle technology. We prefer to put it differently and emphasize the fact that, thanks to unique technologies and an intelligent product design, we managed to make the world of multi-spindle technology accessible to the users of single-spindle lathes.
“Thanks to its hydrostatic features, an excellent surface finish can be achieved and tool wear can be reduced by 30 % to 40 %”
Technology at the service of the users #1 Users who are not used to working with multi-spindle machines, shrink away from investing in a complex system that, to their mind, is difficult to manage and to integrate with their workshop. Our MultiSwiss machines, come fully equipped with a container that contains the peripheral units specifically adapted to the machine. Consequently, the user gets a compact machine with suitable and tested peripheral equipment. By default, MultiSwiss is equipped with a loader, a cooling unit and a two-stage filter system. Apart from these units and the bar feeder, the machine enclosure comprises the chip conveyor whereas an optional oil mist extraction system can be easily connected. Thanks to this unique concept, a MultiSwiss can be installed instead of a single-spindle lathe with bar feeder or a cam-type machine of similar capacity. Furthermore, the peripherals have been specifically dimensioned for and adapted to the machine which makes the system a turnkey solution.
Technology at the service of the users #2
Apart from the space requirements, the programming of such a machine is another recurring concern for the users. Regarding this, the MultiSwiss is much easier to use than one might expect. First, it comprises a PC integrated with the touch panel so that the TB-Deco software can be used directly on the machine. With this software, machine programming is very easy – the MultiSwiss machines are undoubtedly the machines with the highest ease of programming of the entire Tornos range. A MultiSwiss 6x16 machine is programmed in the same manner as seven lathes with 2 or 3 axes. We have a maximum number of 4 tools per position and everything is very easy. The software and machine carry out various synchronization processes and undertake bar feeding, workpiece clamping and part ejection.
Technology at the service of the users #3
A third concern of the customer usually relates to tool management. They often think that if production is five times faster, they have to adapt their machining strategies accordingly in order to avoid fivefold tool wear. On the whole, this may be true, but here as well, the MultiSwiss machine range offers a solution : thanks to its hydrostatic features, an excellent surface finish can be achieved and tool wear can be reduced by 30 % to 40 %. This significantly simplifies the management for machining on multi-spindle lathes. MultiSwiss has been specifically designed to make life easier for the operator. Against this backdrop, the connection points for lubrication have been arranged directly on the slides. The cooling lubricant supply is connected directly and the tool holders are provided with internal fluid channels for direct cutting oil supply to the tools. Special attention has been paid to the design of the tool holders in order to avoid chip traps. The chip conveyor and the open design of the machining zone facilitate chip management. The MultiSwiss has really been designed with the operator in mind. The most difficult part is to make our customers understand that MultiSwiss is not a conventional multi-spindle lathe and that its use is not restricted to large-batch production. Many of our customers produce batches of 500 pieces and less on their MultiSwiss lathes. This is a true paradigm shift : henceforward, it is possible to work with a machine that has the output of five to eight single-spindle lathes while being as easy and fast to set up as only one of the mentioned lathes. Interested customers find this hard to believe when are talking about this issue. Fortunately, with more than 250 machines that are already being used in workshops, it is quite easy for us to demonstrate reality by referencing to current machine users.
Suitable options for any demand
Just recently, we finished a brochure specifying the options for the MultiSwiss 6x16 machine. You are invited to discover it under https://goo.gl/GoS9T1 This brochure specifies various options such as stationary or driven tool holders. The portfolio comprises a vast range of tool holders and quick-change tool holders are also available upon request. It should be noted that all driven tool holders for MultiSwiss feature a Plug & Run system. The drive system and the tool holders form an integral unit and the tool holders are recognized by the machine as soon as the appropriate plugs have been connected - everything is ready for use. Various auxiliary attachments are available : radial or front drills/milling cutters, thread whirling unit. MultiSwiss enables all types of machining to be performed with ease. On MultiSwiss 6x16, up to three tools can be mounted at each position. MultiSwiss 8x26 and MultiSwiss 6x32 can even accommodate four of them. Just a few clicks and you will find a whole range of tool holders that enable you to tackle any machining challenge. And, what’s more, the machine can be equipped with a tool wear management system and a remote maintenance function for even enhanced ease of use. A brochure with the options for the MultiSwiss 8x26 and MultiSwiss 6x32 machines is under preparation.
A ‘Chucker’ version
Depending on the market requirements, billet or blank clamping, i.e. a so-called ‘Chucker’ version of the machine is required. By replacing the bar feeding system with a supply system for drop-forged or forged blanks, the production cost can be cut down drastically. Based on the specific requirements, workpiece loading can be realized in different ways (by means of gravity, linear axis or 5-axis robot). With its open kinematics that leaves plenty of space for the loading device, MultiSwiss is the ideal platform for this kind of application. Thanks to its mobile spindle, it is no longer necessary to equip the machine with micrometer stops since the Z axis permits numerical Since the MultiSwiss unites various embedded technologies, it is able to reach a precision and a production consistency that are seldom available in a multi-spindle lathe. With this machine, precision tolerances of +/- 5 microns can be achieved, and these can even be reduced further.