Honor Seiki VL-500C

Eighty tonnes is the figure that marks out the Honor Seiki VL-500C. Its table is rated for 80,000 kg (176,367 lb), double the 40,000 kg (88,183 lb) of the VL-400C below it, and the machine swings and turns 6,000 mm (236.2 in). Turning height rises as well, to 2,600 mm (102.3 in).

In the Large vertical lathe range the VL-300C and VL-400C share a 2,000 mm (78.7 in) height; the VL-500C and VL-600C share 2,600 mm. So the range splits into a lower pair and an upper pair, and the VL-500C is the first of the upper one. The extra height and the doubled load bring in parts that are bulky in every direction: hub castings, large gear rims, yaw and pitch bearing rings in stacked fixtures, mill heads.

It is a turning-only lathe with 16 tool positions. Standard workholding is a table with a manual 8-jaw chuck, which lets a large ring be supported at eight points and adjusted true. Honor Seiki lists a hydraulic chuck and cylinder as an option, along with high and low pressure chucking.

The maker's description credits a wide span column, box ways and the patented Solid lock tool clamping mechanism, and points at hardened material and the wind power industry. It also mentions an optional dual spindles model.

At this scale the missing data is the important data. Table diameter, table speed, main drive power, ram stroke, machine weight and footprint are not on the page. Neither is the control, though a Siemens controller is listed as an option. Expect the real specification to be set in a project discussion.