A specially developed off-line programming software for CNC sliding-head lathes has reduced programming times for new jobs from around 1.5h to 10-15 min each.

Ronco Engineering, facing a surge in business for its small precision turned parts has just added a Citizen C16 CNC sliding head auto from NC Engineering of Watford to its existing fleet of two Citizen L20 and one L32 machines. By adopting Citizen's specially developed off-line programming software, Alkartpro, Ronco has gained a massive leap in productivity cutting programming times for new jobs from around 1.5 hours to between 10 and 15 minutes each. Production director Paul Cottrell explains how in recent months the company has seen a significant increase in volumes against existing orders: 'We have three existing citizen machines and their accuracy and repeatability has proven to be second to none.

For this reason we did not look anywhere else when placing the order for the C16.' Based at Stanley in County Durham, 23-employee Ronco Engineering supplies precision components to industries including off-road, electronics and oil and gas.

Its biggest customer is the Articulated Trucks Division at Caterpillar, where Ronco was the first company approved to Caterpillar's Certified Supplier status.

Since its installation in May 2005, the Citizen C16, along with the other Citizen sliding head autos, was immediately engaged on one particular family of components that form a solenoid assembly as part of safety critical braking systems.

Ronco produce 40 different stainless steel parts in the contract in batches ranging from 500 up to 20,000 and when introducing the components to the Citizen machines, NC Engineering's Alkartpro offline programming software, based on its operator friendly Windows based machine tool control, made an immediate significant difference.

Maintains Cottrell: 'Alkartpro has been a revelation, by increasing our programming output and accuracy'.

'What used to take 1.5 hours can now be done in just 10-15 minutes and on this family of 40 solenoid components alone, it equates to a saving in excess of 50 man-hours.' Alkartpro can be applied to the best selling Windows-based machining sequences on the C, L and M ranges of Citizen machines.

Based on five material groups, with relevant speeds and feeds generated from its customisable tool library, programming is based on a 'picking list' of machining cycles such as turning, grooving, drilling and milling.

Important for Citizen users is that incorporated within the cycle generation are operational functions and cycle elements such as sub-spindles, workpiece-unloading, C-axes and even long part machining.

'In use, it becomes a simple matter of adding finish sizes to a schematic diagram that is automatically created for the part as the required operations are input,' says Cottrell.

'When first deciding to invest in sliding head technology we selected Citizen because it offered the best price per part produced to specification ratio,' says Cottrell.

'This has turned out for us to be a very wise move.

The ease of use and consistency of the machines in production has proven to be so important.

Also, whenever we need backup from NC Engineering it could not be a better support service.

It all means we now run the Citizens 'round-the-clock', six days a week, without any concerns whatsoever.