Lathes Turn Complex Parts

Both of these lathes are ideal for heavy-duty jobs that deliver precision machined parts fast in mixed-volume, short-run or dedicated high-volume applications.

Chevalier Machinery Inc. (Sante Fe Springs, CA) gets great reviews for the newly designed FBL-360, with its 45 deg slant bed, rigid box ways structure and programmable tailstock. Its tool setters help reduce set-up times and keep non-machining times to a minimum.

The FBL-360 slant-bed lathe features a 15 in chuck, 4.5 in bar capacity, 30.3 in maximum swing, maximum turning diameter of 22.4 in, and maximum turning length up to 80 in. The ribbed Meehanite cast iron mono-block casting has hardened and ground hand-scraped slideways to resist deflection and vibration during heavy machining and ensures stable end-to-end cutting of long shafts.

The flexible and accurate FBL-360 is ideal for mixed-volume, short-run or dedicated high-volume applications, delivering fast parts machining of bars up to 4.5 in diameter at speeds up to 2,500 rpm, X and Z travels of 12.6 in and up to 78 in, with 708 ipm rapid traverse.

The X- and Z-axes positioning accuracy is ±0.0002 in while repeatability is ±0.0001 in. The lathe features a 35 hp, AC digital spindle motor with a two-speed gearbox and a 15 in hydraulic chuck.

It produces 735 ft-lb torque at lower rpm. Its fast 10-position servo-indexing turret offers 0.5 sec tool indexing time. The OD shank is 1¼ in and the boring bar holds up to 2.5 in. The carousel is held by a large curved coupling and clamped by hydraulic pressure. Standard equipment includes a 15 in 3-jaw hydraulic chuck, oil skimmer, chip conveyor and Renishaw tool presetter.

Also offered is the new FVL-1250VTC Series vertical lathe for heavy-duty turning applications. With its optional live tooling function, the series offers additional flexible machining capabilities to make more complex work­pieces with one machine. Its one-piece column and bed is made of high-grade Meehanite® casting that provides better damping character for heavy cutting capabilities.

The wide-span ribbed-box structure dramatically decreases vibration, thermal expansion and deformation caused by cutting stress. The cross-rail elevation system uses two large ballscrews for positioning and can be locked in any position with four independent hydraulic break systems. As a result, the spindle RAM is able to closer approach a workpiece, thus eliminating an overhang problem.

The unique patent lock mechanism has eight hydraulic locking cylinders with curvic coupling to assure the turning holder is perfectly stationary on RAM. This mechanism provides highly rigid cutting power without vibration or cutting chatter. As a result, there is no transfer of stress on the RAM spindle bearings, which substantially prolongs spindle life.

The table is supported by double-roller cylindrical bearings that can handle heavy part loads along with worry-free aggressive deep cutting.

The maximum swing and cutting diameter for the FVL Series is up to 98.4 in with a maximum turning height up to 63 in. The maximum workpiece weight is 30,000 lb. The enormous 60 hp Fanuc digital spindle motor, with a two-speed gearbox, can generate up to 11,461 Nm of torque in lower 37 rpm.

The optional live tooling model provides a powerful milling capability along with a standard Fanuc 25 hp spindle motor that includes a two-speed gearbox, providing up to 478 Nm torque. It can easily handle up to M30 tap or 50 mm drill with tough material. The full C-axis function can be programmed in minimum 0.001 deg indexing.

The Fanuc Oi-MD’s 8.4 in LCD display is a standard control feature. Working with the Chevalier multi-function touch screen and Chevalier’s human interface software, an operator can easily control the machine with simple procedures and increase productivity. www.chevalierusa.com