New Superabrasive Turning Machine from Holroyd

The Edgetek SATurn Superabrasive turning system from Holroyd employs CBN wheels to achieve productivity rates far in advance of those obtained with hard turning, according to the company’s press release. They are designed to remove stock from the OD of cylindrical parts (including parts with slots, grooves and forms) in all types of materials-including sintered-at rates up to 40% faster than conventional lathes. The CNC Holroyd Edgetek SATurn system provides cutting speeds up to 12,200 meters/min. due to a high power, variable speed 37kW spindle motor operating at a maximum rpm of 9,000; and CBN electroplated wheels provide a long wheel life. Holroyd said this combination is optimized by the new design of the coolant nozzle, which improves control of coolant direction and delivery rate to reduce risk of heat being transferred to the workpiece. The result is a machine that allows heavy stock removal on straight outside diameters or special form diameters to grinding machine tolerances on difficult materials of high hardness. Paul Hannah, sales director for machine tools and rotors at Holroyd, says, We already have major expressions of interest in our Edgetek SATurn machines from market leaders in both the automotive and aerospace industries. It’s easy to see why. In one Beta site application, we have reduced the cycle time for producing automotive sprockets manufactured from sintered metals from one minute and 10 seconds per compound to just 22 seconds. At the same time, the SATurn CBN technology is cutting consumable parts costs, achieving a reduction from $1 U.S. to just $0.33 per component. Options include a 30,000 rpm spindle version that provides ID capability for straight- or spherical-shaped bores and a robotic automatic part loading/unloading function. For high production environments, the automated system can also feature dual workheads mounted on an index table facing 180 degrees from one another. This arrangement allows for in-cycle auto or manual loading.