SW North America, CNC Machines and Automation
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New to Swiss-Types? You’re Not Alone

As builders push Swiss-type lathes to new levels of versatility, increasing numbers of job shops are adopting these machines for the first time.

Matt Danford
Matt Danford
Former Senior Editor, Modern Machine Shop

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You’ve probably heard builders of Swiss-type lathes claim that increasing numbers of manufacturers are turning to that platform for processing low-volume, diverse batches of small, intricate parts on a single machine. However, such broad statements about industry trends are often based on experience and observation, as opposed to hard, quantifiable data. That’s why this particular point was really driven home for me when I heard the following statistic: In any given year, between 18 and 25 percent of U.S. shops that purchase a Tsugami Swiss-type have never used one before.
 
So says Jeff Boulden, marketing manager at REM Sales, Tsugami’s U.S. distributor. And the machine that Mr. Boulden and I were discussing, the S207, provides a good example of why Swiss-types are becoming more attractive for the traditional job shop. The machine features a swiveling B axis capable of continuous cutting with live tools on both the main and subspindles. In addition to aiding in the production of parts with complex-geometry parts, this capability is said to reduce the need to reconfigure the tool zone for a different part or machined feature. Developments like this ensure that flexibility-seeking shops will continue to look to Swiss-types to avoid secondary operations and the time-consuming setups and change-overs that come with them. 
 

Learn more about the S207. 

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