The latest development from Milton Keynes-based Hydrafeed Ltd (www.hydrafeed.co.uk) is its MSV80 short-magazine bar-feed system — a full servo-driven unit that eliminates the need for compressed air and achieves high levels of performance and accuracy. Moreover, the precision-ground ballscrews incorporated in the unit are similar to those used in machine tools, thereby ensuring a bar-positioning accuracy of 0.1mm.

The MSV80 accommodates bar diameters from 5 to 80mm and bar lengths from 200 to 1,550mm; bespoke solutions are available to suit the individual customer. Standard features include bar-length measurement (and the ability to accept random bar lengths), a bar-feed or shaft-loading system, a push-rod backstop facility and a user-friendly HMI screen that displays up to 100 part programs.

The new bar-loading mechanism ensures that bars are ‘soft loaded’ from the storage magazine onto the rollers; it can also load irregularly shaped bars or bars with a rough surface finish. Meanwhile, the bar-storage magazine has a standard depth of 0.6m and a simple gradient adjustment that allows it to be fitted to the front or rear of the bar-feed unit.

The HMI stores production information to ensure that change-overs are simply a case of keying in the various bar diameters. Further simplifying the set-up process is the floor-mounted sliding rail; once the MSV80 has been moved from the home position, the turning centre can be accessed safely and quickly. Options include a bar-support unit for bars that are longer than the headstock by up to 1.55m, and the ability to accommodate bar diameters up to 102mm. Hydrafeed can also support unmanned production with a multi-stacking system.