Citizen Cincom M16-VIII

The Citizen Cincom M16-VIII is a 16 mm sliding-headstock automatic lathe with three tool posts: a gang tool post, a turret and a back tool post, each with its own axes and rotary tools. Main and back spindles both run to 12,000 rpm, the machine holds 36+α tools, and one chucking covers 200 mm.

The turret is what separates the M16 from a gang-type Swiss lathe. Citizen's table gives it X3, Y3 and Z3 axes rapiding at 32 m/min and rotary tools that drill 5 mm and tap M5, driven by a 0.69 kW motor of its own. With the gang post, the turret and the back tool post all able to cut, operations on the front and back of the part can overlap, which is how a machine of this layout shortens the cycle on complex small parts.

The back end is unusually generous for a 16 mm machine. Up to 125 mm of the workpiece can protrude from the 16 mm back spindle chuck, so long parts can be supported for back machining. The back spindle drills 8 mm and taps M6, and back rotary tools drill 5 mm and tap M5 at up to 8,000 rpm on a 0.75 kW motor. The Y2 axis rapids at 8 m/min and X2 at 16 m/min, slower than the 32 m/min of the other axes.

At the front, drilling reaches 10 mm with M8 taps through a 20 mm spindle bore. The main spindle motor is listed at 2.2/3.7 kW and the back spindle motor at 0.75/1.5 kW. Turning tools are 10 mm square and sleeves 19.05 mm.

The machine weighs 2,950 kg, a heavy frame for this bar size, with a 1,150 mm centre height. Power requirement is 7.9 kVA, with 5.4 kVA average under load.