Being supplied by Ward CNC, two new, Spanish-built SoraluceFP8000 travelling column floor-type milling machines and apre-owned Marafuku travelling-table machining centre are en routeto Newburgh Engineering Co - a Derbyshire, Peak district-basedspecialist medium-duty machinist and fabricator - to satisfy along-term, high-volume machining contract. The new Soralucemachines are scheduled to join the already-installed Marafuku inthe summer and, in the meantime to meet the throughput demands,Newburgh is utilising a re-sited horizontal borer and a Zayer bedmill that is on loan from Ward CNC. Of travelling column design,the Soraluce FP8000s purchased by Newburgh have 30 kW spindlesand X, Y and Z axes travels of 8,000 mm by 2,000 mm and 1,200 mm.The machines are fitted with orthogonal auto-indexing heads thatoffer 144 by 144 programmable positions on two perpendicularaxes, thus enabling the machining of X parallel angled faces - anessential requirement of Newburgh's contract.

Additionally,the machines are to be equipped with automatic indexing tablesfor pendulum machining, and will feature auto componentrecognition and hydraulic clamping.

When faced with the selectionof the additional capacity to meet the contract, Newburgh did nothesitate long in choosing Soraluce.

The company has been using aSoraluce SP-10000 fixed bed, travelling column milling machinefor some time and it has proved a very good machine.

This coupledwith Ward's ability to provide a complete turnkey solution,and the confidence gained from seeing Soraluce build machines intheir excellent facility in Spain, secured the order.

As expectedof a machine developed under the auspices of the DanobatGroup's IDEKO research and development facility in Spain,the Soraluce FP8000 combines high-quality build andtechnologically advanced features for unmatched heavy-dutymilling performance based on stability and rigidity obtained viaheavy-duty cast iron construction.

Soraluce CNC milling machinesare available in three variants - TL, TR and TF travelling tabletypes; SL, SP and SM travelling column, bed types; and FP, FS andFR travelling column floor types.

Capacities range from 1,500 mmto 16,000 mm plus in the X axis, from 1,000 mm to 4,200 mm in Yand up to 1,500 mm in Z, with the latest linear guidewaytechnology offering rapid traverse rates up to 15,000 mm/min.

Offive- and six-axis configuration, high-speed models withelectro-spindle are also available.

Other options includeuniversal indexing head and two-axis gyroscopic head for five-and six-axis applications.

Automatic toolchangers with up to 80stations or more can be provided.

The machines are proving idealfor applications in the aerospace, heavy machinery, mould andpress tool, fabrication, power generation, equipment andmedium/heavy-duty sub-contract machining industries to name but afew.