Ecoca EL-4610

The Ecoca EL-4610 is a flat bed CNC lathe with a 460 mm (18.1 in) swing over the bed and 930 mm (36.6 in) between centers. Ecoca describes the EL series as combining the merits of conventional lathes and CNC lathes, and the layout shows it: a horizontal bed with a tailstock, like a toolroom engine lathe, driven by AC servo motors and precision ball screws on both axes.

That combination suits a particular shop. One-off shafts, repair work and short batches are set up on a flat bed lathe much as they would be on a manual machine, between centers or in a chuck with the tailstock brought up, but tapers, radii and threads come from the program instead of from attachments and change gears. It is not a production turning center, and the specification makes no claim to be one.

The spindle nose is a D1-6 camlock, so chucks and faceplates of that standard fit directly. Spindle power is 9 kW (12.1 hp). The speed range is 275~2,000 rpm, with 415~3,000 rpm listed as an option; the standard range favours larger diameters, and the optional one is worth asking about if most of the work is small. Swing over the cross slide is 258 mm (10.2 in) and center height 225 mm (8.9 in).

Ecoca builds the base as a one piece casting for stiffness and vibration damping, and fits a separate coolant tank and a removable chip tank for cleaning. The machine weighs 1,850 kg (4,078 lb), a modest load for a workshop floor. For longer shafts the EL-4615 has the same headstock and swing with 1,430 mm (56.3 in) between centers. The table names no chuck, tool post or control, so settle those in the quotation.