Lathe Control Turns New Functions on Complex Parts

New upgrades that are now standard on new purchases of the top-of-the-line CNC Pilot 640 lathe control from Heidenhain Corporation (Schaumburg, IL) include the TURN PLUS feature that allows the creation of a lathe program by the push of a button with up to 90 percent time savings. The new versions of the control software also include other improvements, such as added Functional Safety (FS) features and expansions that provide the machine operator and the machine tool builder with more benefits. The CNC Pilot 640 contouring control is perfect for lathe applications of complex parts because it combines simple operation with reliable, high quality series production. It allows 5-axis simultaneous machining and combined turn-mill operation, full surface machining with B-axis and counter spindle, as well as up to three channels for asynchronous multi-side machining.

Multi-touch operation allows swiping and zooming in and out, and high-resolution 3D simulation graphics have been added. Machining operations with one or several setups (multi-channel operation) can be programmed separately through structured programming. The maximum number of controlled axes and spindles has been increased to 24 by using appropriate options. The CNC Pilot 640 lathe control is available with two screen formats: 19 in and 15.6 in with up to 25 configurable fields. Also, this control now works with display handwheels HR 520 (FS) and the HR 550 FS radio handwheel system. New CFR Compact Flash memory cards and SIKs are also available. For users interested in connected machining, the CNC Pilot 640 can be incorporated into such systems by utilizing the options Remote Desktop Manager (option 133) and State Monitor for capturing machining data.

Heidenhain Corporation, 333 East State Parkway, Schaumburg, IL 60173, 847-884-4761, jrenz@heidenhain.com, www.heidenhain.us.