Honor Seiki PL-160CM

The Honor Seiki PL-160CM is the smallest of the PL series, the maker's vertical lathes with a Y axis. It swings and turns 2,000 mm (78.7 in), takes parts 1,000 mm (39.3 in) tall and carries 8,000 kg (17,637 lb). Honor Seiki describes the design as a high rigidity vertical lathe combined with a gantry-type Y-axis mechanism, able to do machining operations similar to a bridge type machining center.

That sentence is the point of the machine. A conventional vertical turning center reaches off-centre features by rotating the table and moving along one radial axis. With a gantry carrying the head across the table in Y as well, the PL can cut straight slots, square pockets and flat faces anywhere over the part the way a bridge mill does, and can still turn it. For large plates, die sets, machine bases with turned bores and ring segments with milled joints, that covers two machines' work in one clamping.

Tooling is listed as R16+L60. The page does not explain the notation, and it should be clarified before tool lists are planned. The speed row in the PL table is labelled as live spindle speed, but its values fall as the table grows and look like table speeds, so no spindle speed is quoted here. Ask Honor Seiki for both the table speed and the milling spindle speed.

Standard equipment is richer than on the VL machines of similar size. A lubricant chiller for the spindle bearing and gear and a cabinet air conditioner are both standard, along with a table with manual 4-jaw chuck, a coolant bed shower system and a hinge type chip conveyor. The VL-160CM offers the same diameter and load with 1,170 mm (46.0 in) of height, without a Y axis.