Hardinge GS-51

The Hardinge GS-51 is a 51 mm (2 in) bar-capacity lathe with a hydraulic, programmable tailstock and 510 mm (20.08 in) of Z travel. It carries a 200 mm (8 in) hydraulic chuck and, in the listed figures, turns up to 356 mm (14 in) in diameter and 510 mm (20.08 in) in length.

The tailstock shapes the work. With the part held in the chuck or a 16C collet at one end and on a centre at the other, the whole 510 mm length becomes usable for shafts, pins and spindles that would chatter or deflect if left unsupported. Because the tailstock is programmable it can advance and retract inside the cycle, which matters when each part needs support only after the first cuts are done.

Cutting capacity comes from a 15 kW (20 HP) continuous spindle with 175 Nm (129 ft-lb) of torque and a 5,000 RPM top speed, on an A2-6 nose. Collet runout is listed as 3 microns (0.00012 in) or better.

Twelve tools fit the VDI turret. Box ways, hardened and ground, guide the axes; X moves 200 mm (7.87 in), and rapids are 20 m/min (787 IPM) in X and 24 m/min (945 IPM) in Z. The control in the listed figures is a Fanuc 0i-TF Plus and the machine weighs 3,800 kg (8,378 lb). Tailstock thrust and quill size are not given, so ask for them along with confirmation of the rest.