JULY OPEN HOUSE

An open house will be held from 6th to 8th July 2004 at Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools, Gosport, where in excess of 20 turning and machining centres from German machine tool builders, Index, Traub and Hermle will be demonstrated, many of them never seen before in the UK. There will also be an opportunity to see Geo Kingsbury's own range of MHP lathes in build as well as a number of automotive test stands, including one for FAW in China, the company's first order from that country.

Contact for further details is Paula Carter on telephone: 023 9258 0371 or e-mail: paula_carter@gkholdings.com

An exciting development on show from Index will be the new C-type, twin-spindle CNC lathe, available as a 42 mm or 65 mm bar machine. It has a novel turret guideway system comprising a cast iron plate sliding over ceramic-coated steel strips, driven in X and Z by kinematic rods behind the bed. The machine has the ability to cut with three tools simultaneously.

Noteworthy too will be the Index MS18C CNC multi-spindle, one of three that will be exhibited, the others being the MS32C and the MS52C with robot which will also be making its debut in the UK. The MS18C offers faster and significantly extended, simultaneous back- working. One or two kinematically-driven, synchronous pick-up spindles, with C and Y axes in addition to X and Z, present the parted-off component to four driven or static tools, allowing complex and asymmetrical metalcutting on the reverse end of components.

For the first time also will be an Index V160 vertical turning lathe in opposed-spindle and 'compact' configurations; and four 5-axis vertical machining centres from Hermle, the C 30 U, C600U, C40 U, and C30UP which has multiple automation options for pallet change, transport and storage as well as for loading, handling and unloading components

The Index V160C compact hanging-spindle lathe will be
one of many new machines to be launched in the UK
at the Geo Kingsbury open house in July.