Mazak SYNCREX Takes Swiss-style Turning to New Levels

Sep/12/2023
  • Swiss-style turning
  • SYNCREX

Mazak’s Kentucky-built SYNCREX Series – the company’s entry into the Swiss-style turning machine market – provides shops a feature-rich machine platform that meets the growing demand for both low-mix/high-volume production and high-mix/low-volume production. While they are especially adept at machining complex, unconventional parts, the machines in the series can also run any part that could be turned on a standard lathe.

Swiss turning has become much more popular and flexible and is no longer limited to just high-volume production. More job shops in high-mix/low-volume production environments are producing families of smaller parts from 12-ft long bar stock that is 1.5” in diameter and less. It is for this reason that Mazak developed the SYNCREX Series machines that improve upon existing market designs and technologies to take Swiss-style machining to the next level.

Mazak’s Swiss-style machines come in four barstock capacities (20-, 25-, 32- or 38-mm) and set themselves apart from the ground up. Built on one-piece High-Damping Composite Castings (HDCC), the machine bases weigh approximately 3,400 pounds and are 10% more rigid than cast iron for superior surface finishes compared to their cast-iron counterparts. This polymer-composite footing provides a stunning 80% reduction in vibration at the cutting point, which helps increase tool life by 30%. Additionally, the HDCC technology reduces thermal distortion, lessening part variation by 25% for more consistent and reliable production.

High-volume and lights-out production is aided by Mazak Dynamic Chip Control (MDCC), which effectively manages long, stringy chips that are often the byproduct of long periods of uninterrupted turning. Instead of a “bird’s nest” of chips that can cause tool breakage and mar surface finishes, MDCC oscillates the Z axis to create chip flakes with no significant decrease in surface finish due to the HDCC technology.

To reduce setup times, the Mazak Swiss Set-up Assist (MSSA) function prequalifies tools inside the machine with a removeable probe that is mounted in the main spindle guide bushing or in the collet on head two (a dual probe option is also offered). Only found on SYNCREX machines, the system can set up 35 tools with positioning accuracy of less than 3mm in 15 minutes, cutting setup time by as much as 50%. A removeable guide bushing adapter also allows operators to preset the guide bushing outside the machine, so it keeps working uninterrupted.

SYNCREX Series machines feature Mazak’s MAZATROL SmoothST CNC. Outfitted with a 15-inch touch-panel and full mechanical keyboard, the control streamlines programming for even shorter job setup time.

Like all Mazak machine tools, the SYNCREX Series carries a two-year warranty and is backed by the company’s industry-leading MPower Complete Customer Care service and support program for the life of the machine.