Used SWISS LATHE equipment

Swiss lathes are particularly good for making pieces with precision tolerances. They are called 'Swiss' not because of where the machines are produced, but because these machines were originally used by Swiss watch builders to produce the intricate parts that make up their watches. Actually, most CNC Swiss machines are produced by companies like Citizen, Star, and Tsugami in Asia.

Swiss lathes are designed for turning parts with small bores and complex features so are used for manufacturing specialty items for aerospace, medical, and automotive industry. Although they are designed for small bore machining, some are capable of handling bores of 1 1/4".

A Swiss style lathe differs from a traditional lathe in that the bar stock moves in and out of the headstock through a guide bushing so that the cutting tool always machines close to the headstock. This minimizes part deflection and chatter of the workpiece or tool. With longer workpieces, a subspindle can also support the workpiece simulataneously with the headstock providing additional rigidity.

These machines usually have 'C' and 'Y' axis milling tools to produce complete parts in a single setup. There are companies produce parts with complex 3 axis simultaneous milling features complete on Swiss machines. This requires more memory, but may be an option.

Because some machines allow you to control up to 3 machining operations, operation requires a well trained operator with excellent knowledge of the machine.

Some features of Swiss style lathes are:

• Easy tool replacement
• Quick equipping
• Augmented precision
• Capability of complex machining