Located in Saint-Aubin-Sauges, Switzerland, Oxomedic is a screw-machining company that was founded in 2000 and focuses on luxury watches, medical equipment, connectors and prototype development. It acted as a test site for the new SwissNano lathe from Tornos (www.tornos.com) and installed one of the first production machines.

Oxomedic owner and director Stéphane Liechti, who now works exclusively with Tornos turning machines, says: “When I decided to start producing parts with high added value for the watch-making and medical sectors, I considered several manufacturers, but ultimately it was Tornos and its Deco machine that impressed me the most.”

In early 2013, the company needed to invest in a new machine to boost its capacity for small-diameter work involving bar less than 3mm in diameter, and Mr Liechti decided to purchase a machine equipped with an LNS bar feeder. “I analysed the market and decided on another product — until Mr Almeida, the Tornos Switzerland sales manager, showed me the SwissNano. The kinematics immediately won me over.”

Mr Liechti’s son Allan said: “From installation to production of the first parts took just one week. There is great access to the machining area, and the pivoting control can be positioned very easily to suit your needs. In terms of gear hobbing, everything is much quicker and simpler than on the Deco, which itself was particularly straightforward. We simply enter the tooth data in the program; everything is synchronised automatically, and production can start immediately. We prepare programs on a PC, then transfer them to the machine. Up to now, we have produced parts with tolerances of around 5-6µm — without pushing the machine’s capabilities. The SwissNano is incredibly stable, and there is no noticeable difference between the first workpieces produced on a cold machine and those produced at different points throughout the day.”