TL-1 Toolroom Lathe: Seamless Transition from Manual to CNC

The company says its new TL-1 toolroom lathe eases the transition from manual machines to CNC. The lathe combines the full functionality and simplicity of a manual lathe with the power and flexibility of the easy-to-use Haas CNC system, according to the company. The lathe provides a maximum cutting diameter of 16" and a maximum cutting length of 30". The maximum part swing is 16" over the front apron and 8.5" over the cross slide. The lathe features a powerful 7.5-hp (peak) vector drive spindle that spins to 1,800 rpm, and it comes standard with an A2-5 spindle nose that accepts a number of optional chucks. For additional part support, an optional manual tailstock is available that provides 30" of travel. Brushless servomotors on all axes provide precise positioning, and a one-piece cast-iron base damps vibration and provides rigidity for heavy cuts. The lathe runs on either single- or three-phase power. The lathe operates in three modes. In manual mode, X and Z axes are moved via handwheels, with the Haas control providing accurate (displayed to 0.0001") digital read-out (DRO) of position, according to the company. In combined manual/CNC mode, the lathe provides jog travel limits, motorized feeds and index jogging, again with accurate, easy-to-read DRO, says the company. In full CNC, all axes are controlled by the Haas control via a G-code program. The toolroom lathe comes standard with 1 MB of program memory and the company's Visual Quick Code, a proprietary conversational programming system with a graphical interface that the company says makes creating simple part programs nearly effortless. Through an interactive graphical environment, the control software guides the operator through the steps necessary to create a part program. According to the company, operations that would be difficult on a manual machine, such as compound angles, radiuses, tapers, profiles, ID and OD threading and rigid tapping, are all possible on the lathe--without knowledge of G-code programming. Content-sensitive help menus are available directly on-screen, if needed, and dry-run graphics allow the operator to check work before running a part.