HEAVY-DUTY BENCH LATHE SYSTEMS
RUGGED YET PRECISE AUTOMATED LATHE SOLUTIONS
Like the Precision Benchtop Lathes, the Heavy-Duty Bench Lathes are purpose built to be a compact self-contained unit to minimize the overall footprint without limiting function or capabilities. They feature precision rotary motion with enough weight capacity to tackle a wide range of applications. Synchronized driven tailstocks are an option that can provide additional control and accuracy as well as minimizes or eliminates the need for pre-tacking parts. AMET builds the Heavy-Duty Bench Lathes for circ seam welding in several industries including aerospace, mining/drilling, nuclear, and defense industries.
Coupled with our advanced weld controls, the lathes are highly customizable and versatile. They are configurable for circ seam welding, OD cladding, and even longitudinal welding using PAW, GTAW, GMAW, and Variable Polarity welding processes.
Advantages
The Heavy-Duty Bench Lathe offers the following benefits over manual welding or non-automated welding systems:
- The precision rotation of the headstock and motorized torch lift provides controllable motion for performing single or multi-pass circumferential welds without additional setup or stopping in between passes.
- The torch tower is servo motor driven which allows for programmable location. This is essential for performing multiple welds on the same part with only one weld program. This increases productivity because a separate program does not have to be loaded for each weld, and the torch does not have to be manually repositioned for each weld.
- The lathe is designed to be compact and self-contained. A workstation is included for mounting the headstock and tailstock, which also includes an equipment platform for the welding power supply and electronic components. This makes the system more organized while also minimizing trip hazards.
- Once a program is created, it is repeated by simply pressing the Start button on the Controller until a new program is loaded. This increases throughput for large volume part runs.
- These lathes are versatile. They can be used for a range of applications such as:
- Circumferentially welding end caps
- Cladding the outside of a part
- Welding additional components to the outside of parts such as stiffener rings
- Longitudinal welds
Standard Features
1. The precision headstock provides programmable and controllable rotation for part welding. The headstock features a manual 3-jaw chuck for holding the OD of parts up to 6 in (152 mm). The speed is controllable from 0 to 20 RPM.
2. A pneumatic slide is included for horizontal motion of the torch. When activated, the slide quickly moves the torch towards and away from the centerline of the lathe. This motion can be programmed into the weld schedule to facilitate part loading and unloading, or controlled manually.
3. The vertical torch motion is provided by a precision motorized slide. The vertical motion is programmable for torch retraction after the weld to aid in part loading and unloading, and height adjustments for multi-pass welds.
4. The tailstock features pneumatic clamping to help hold the two pieces of the part in place during welding. The clamping is performed by a pneumatic cylinder that extends the tailstock horizontally towards the headstock to apply pressure to the two halves of the part being welded. The tailstock includes a faceplate with four tooling slots to provide mounting for tooling such as manual chucks or specialized fixtures.
5. Precision rails are included for both the tailstock and torch tower motion to ensure smooth and accurate positioning along the length of the lathe. These axes also include cable carriers to protect and organize the hoses and cables of the system.
6. The lathe includes a workstation that provides a mounting location for the lathe assembly as well as the weld equipment. The welding power supply and other equipment are mounted beneath the workstation tabletop to provide a complete system that can easily be moved with a forklift. Only 1 pneumatic hose, 1 gas line, and 1 power circuit are required for this system to operate.
