Driven tools (live tool holders) for lathes

To-day, the product ranges of the most of machine manufacturers include CNC machining centres with such options as live tooling (including C-axis motion) and an additional Y-axis. Driven tools themselves are often not included in the supply scope of equipment.

The range of AdvaCut live tool holders is rather wide and comprehensive. You can find here a live tool holder conforming to any standard and suitable for equipment of various world-known machine manufacturers and brands.

The lathes providing milling operations play an important part in the up-to-date machining. The share of is type of machines is growing from year to year. As a rule, this is due to a sort of flexibility provided by this type of equipment. If the production tasks are suitable for a turn-mill machine, this solution, as a rule prevails over selection of two separate (turning and milling) machines.

At the same time, the purchase of a turn-mill machine with Y-axis (or without that) can not be called the best solution and a  100% first choice for any tasks.

Live tooling always implies both certain advantages and a number of disadvantages.

The main advantages:

• lower production areas,
• fewer operating personnel,
• lower upfront investments,
• saving time on auxiliary works due to avoidance of additional installation of a workpiece onto a milling machine,
• strict surface-to-surface tolerances (due to the use of the same base during operation).

At the same time, the following disadvantages shall be considered:

• the difficulties of tooling setup and installation into the turret,
• the difficulties with a control program preparation for workpieces requiring large volume of milling operations,
• fewer milling modes (the milling drive of a turning machine has much lower power compared to the spindle of a full-featured milling centre),
• restrictions due to working stroke length of the machine and Y-axis.

We shall remember that a turning machine shall remain first of all a turning machine. According to statistical data and the experience of our customers operating turning machines with live tooling, the milling load shall not exceed 30–40% of the total machine workload. Otherwise, the technology will be inefficient and unfeasible, because, in any case, the main purpose of a CNC turning centre is machining of rotation bodies.

AdvaCut stations are manufactured in Europe. Each unit has a serial number to track each live tool holder’s lifecycle, from the assembly personnel to bearings’ manufacturer and serial numbers. This ensures the highest quality and reliability standards.

We shall separately note the high repairability of AdvaCut live tool holders. AdvaCut has assembly drawings of all live tool holders, all the components are numbered and available for ordering. Based on these technical documents, failed components can be determined and ordered for future repairing of the live tool holder.

CNC lathe set up with live tooling