Manufacturers in many industries are recognizing the benefits of Swiss style tools such as cutting costs and being more efficient.
A number of industries are starting to now use Swiss type machining. The durable goods industry has discovered that Swiss-lathes are highly beneficial and help improve output. The electronics and medical industries are becoming more reliant on Swiss lathes and other Swiss machining tools.
There are a lot of Swiss machining tools on the market, all which have major benefits. The Swiss style lathe has a turning center that allows the part to move in the Z-axis, while the tool is stationary. Conventional CNC lathes have the part stationary while the tool moves. One of the major differences is the holding mechanism is not exposed to the bed or the tooling.
Here are some of the other benefits of using a Swiss type machine:
1. Better Support for all Stock Material
This is the greatest benefit of Swiss style lathes. It provides much better support than a traditional lathe. There should be fewer defective parts due to the reduced risk of the support material moving. If the material is not adequately supported, an uneven cut will result. This is especially a problem if you are trying to create a thread for any cylindrical object. The threads will be useless if the depth of the cut is not uniform across the entire length of the threaded area.
2. Superior Tolerance
Swiss style lathes use the process called guide brushing which enhances rigidity and leads to a higher tolerance level.
3. Ability to Work with Smaller Parts
Standard lathes are not ideal when working with small parts. You would need to use more expensive machining processes such as making laser cuts. Swiss style lathes are able to handle very small parts and are often the most affordable option to make cuts.
The latest Swiss lathes are fully CNC operated and often have additional capacities such as milling and laser cutting. Not only can both tuning and milling be performed on a Swiss machine but they can be performed simultaneously. A Swiss lathe allows for the machining of intricate designs utilizing drilling, knurling and other unique processes on a single machine.
Manufacturers with Swiss machines can produce long runs of small, complex parts faster and cheaper than traditional lathes. This is an ideal addition to boost efficiency, productivity and capabilities in your business. Swiss lathes are great for high production work, often with cycle times under a minute. An Escomatic machine is an ideal Swiss type screw machine for turning accurate parts produced in high volume with diameters up to 5mm. Parts machined on a Swiss lathe are often found in the electronics, medical device and defense industry.
Sheldon Precision prides themselves on producing highly engineered parts. Contact us today to request a custom quote: https://sheldonprecision.com/request-a-quote/
Article adapted from: https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2020/02/03/understanding-swiss-type-machining/29461/