Burlescombe-based XYZ Machine Tools (www.xyzmachinetools.com) is now offering the latest Heidenhain TNC 620 control as a standard option for machines in its heavy-duty range of vertical machining centres.

Customers ordering an XYZ 660 HD, 800 HD or 1100 HD VMC can now choose be-tween a Siemens or Heidenhain control as standard.

The TNC 620 — a successor to the iTNC530 control, which is being phased out by Heidenhain after 18 years — has a brand-new architecture designed around the latest machine tool features.

The addition of this control to the heavy-duty range of machines will deliver the performance that customers in the aerospace, mould and die, tool-making and education sectors require.

XYZ’s managing director, Nigel Atherton, said: “We have provided a Heidenhain control option for many years, but we have found it to be a slow seller across the range, due in part to the complexity and cost incurred.

The arrival of the new TNC 620, with its touch-screen user interface and latest technology, means that the time is right to offer it as a standard fit on machines within our heavy-duty range.

Thanks to our independence as a machine tool supplier, we are free to adapt our machine range quickly to ensure that we feature the latest in control technology to meet the needs of our customers.

“With some machines fitted with earlier Heidenhain control systems reaching the end of their lifespans, the arrival of the Heidenhain TNC 620 opens up new opportunities for those companies that are existing Heidenhain users.

“We recognise that control choice is important to customers, and that they tend to be loyal to a particular control, due to their familiarity with it.

“We already offer Heidenhain on our flagship UMC-5X machine, and we are confident that machines like the XYZ 660 HD with the Heidenhain TNC 620 control will be attractive to both new and current customers.”