Pneumatic unloading system for Swiss DT26 machines

The latest innovation from Tornos to support its sliding headstock lathe customers is the pneumatic unloading system for the Swiss DT26 machines. This system has been specially conceived to avoid any damage to the particularly intricate or fragile machined workpiece features.

For long and fragile workpieces with delicate features such as a fragile thread, the standard long-part system on the Swiss DT and Swiss GT sliding head machines may not provide the careful handling of the part required by the end-user. For such types of workpieces with a diameter up to 24mm and a maximum length of 260mm, the Tornos engineers have now designed a solution that enables parts to be removed with particular care.

The new solution has been specifically designed on demand by the engineers of Tornos’ development team for specialist tasks. The internal team of experts are always on-hand to develop special solutions to meet the demands of customers, regardless of the machine model. Such solutions are not restricted to sliding head lathes and bar turning applications but also developed for milling, automation and robot automated purposes.

Designed to unload workpieces without damage to the machined features and to preserve the excellent surface finish achieved by the capabilities of the Swiss DT26 machine, this system can solve various problems related to fragile workpieces. Mounted on the tooling block for back machining it does not impair the possibility of using the T510 and T520 tools.

Ejection is done pneumatically by using clamping jaws adapted to the respective workpiece type and material to ensure there is no harm to the workpiece. The jaws can be manufactured using a 3D printer and can be customised to the workpiece form to be machined, giving endless possibilities.

The system is equipped with sensors used to monitor the machine movements and to provide optimum protection of the device and avoids interference with the counter-spindle of the machine. With the addition of this system, a machine can be kept up to date and in conformance with customer component requirements, whilst employing only minor modifications. Existing machines can be easily retrofitted with this function and the appropriate software functions loaded into the machine control.

The system is used in conjunction with the standard parts conveyor belt of the machine but can be supplemented by the addition of a robot for workpiece palletising or even workpiece cleaning and measuring functions. Based on the measured data, it is also possible to update offset values on the machine automatically. The system offers numerous enhancement options for sliding head lathes and Tornos’ other bar turning and milling products and we encouraged customers new and existing to discuss their specific needs with our Tornos specialists.