Dave tells MTDCNC about the Dugard i42U CNC lathe

New to our range of production lathes, the Dugard i42U is very impressive – watch Dave tell all to MTDCNC.com in the video below.

Fixed head machine with twin turrets and twin tooling blocks

With 2 spindles and 2 turrets the i42U is already looking good but add to that 2 platens, 20 tools on the main spindle, 20 tools on the sub spindle, a B axis and a fixed head this machine is really quite an innovation.  Speed is a defining characteristic as the platens significantly reduce set up and tool to tool change time as well as the absence of the mechanical turret movement gives it an extra push.  The fixed head gives an advantage over sliding head lathes as it means you don’t have to use expensive ground bar, and the bar end is much smaller if you’re bar feeding – making the i42U, with its maximum 42mm bar diameter, very economical in production.

Generous 40 tool capacity

The 40 tool set up is generous.  There are platens for fixed tools, as well as 5OD tools on the main spindle, 4 boring tools, internal drilling and 12 driven tools with the B axis which can be set to any angle. The area inside the machine is expansive giving you great space for loading and also for the operator to change tools.  With up to 4000rpm on the driven tools there’s plenty of power and speed to handle an array of milling, drilling and tapping.

Now with Fanuc control

In the past, the Dugard 42mm production lathes have only been available with a Mitsubishi control, now however, the i42U is available with Fanuc.  Programming can be done offline, the demo in the video was programmed offline using SolidCam.  Dave points out in the video that it’s not just us, lots of our customers use SolidCam too, giving a really good synergy.  In the video Dave talks about how easy it is to programme, with everything you’d expect from a Fanuc control in the i42U.

Stand out features

The i42U has a very small footprint for a machine of this capacity at just 2900mm long x 1900mm wide x 1900mm tall.  As already mentioned, 40 tools is generous and it can satisfy bigger bar capacities than a lot of sliding head machines, putting the i42U in its own little niche!

If you want any more info on the Dugard i42U, just call us on 01273 732286 or email [email protected]