There was a great turnout at the Dugard open house – with over a hundred customers making the trip down to Hove in just 2 days, it’s most definitely the busiest so far. The visitors were mainly subcontractors from a good cross section of the engineering industry, with representatives from general engineering, automotive, aerospace and medical, as well as a few large OEMs. With five machines making their UK debut, and a huge variety of Dugard stock on show, the visitors were undoubtedly spoilt for choice.
5 new machines launched at the open house
The newest addition to the range, the Dugard 52SY Swiss type CNC lathe was one of the first machines sold. It had already generated a lot of attention at EMO in Hannover, and the buzz continued when it was unveiled in Hove. Addressing a unique gap in the market, a sliding head machine with up to 52mm capacity, built in drives on the main and rear spindle, and a full range of turning/milling tools, the 52SY is ideal for manufacturing extremely complex parts.
The Dugard X5-800 also enjoyed its UK launch, and garnered a similarly positive reaction. The 5 axis behemoth sports an 18,000rpm, 25/35kW built-in Kessler spindle as well as an Ø800mm table with a maximum load of 1300kg and up to 64 tool stations. This huge capacity is complemented by a minimum footprint at 5600 x 2600mm for a 20,000kg machine. With the ability to fulfil a wide range of complex machining demands, the Dugard X5-800 is an impressive 5 axis machining centre and the video will be available on the Dugard website shortly.
The list of new machines goes on to include the Dugard X5-320 5 axis VMC with 15,000rpm, 30 station ATC and BT40 spindle taper. The Dugard i42U high production multi-axis CNC lathe, a competitively priced Taiwanese gem with flexible duo system simultaneous machining that saves up to 45% on cycle time. Finally Dugard introduced the new Samsung SL2500BSY CNC lathe with 76mm bore diameter and Siemens 828D control.
11 machine sold at the open house
It’s not just the new machines that caught customers’ interest at the open house, the core Dugard range also did fantastic business. The Dugard 1000Y Plus VMC has long been one of the best sellers and yet again the visitors to the open house were very impressed. The Y axis is extended to 610mm, 12,000rpm is the standard direct drive spindle speed (with an option for 15,000rpm), it comes with Big Plus taper, 30 tools and 20 bar through spindle coolant, proving that quality is always available at a good price. Dugard CNC lathes took their turn in the spotlight too, with the Dugard 65TTSY CNC lathe showing off its capacity and versatility with larger workpieces. The unique double turret design puts the Y axis on the X axis block, saving space and simplifying control while delivering increased stability and precision cutting, the 65TTSY didn’t disappoint the open house guests. Representatives from Chevalier were also available to explain all the intricacies of the comprehensive selection of grinders. With the Smart 818 ADIII surface grinder on show, they were inundated with requests for demos. Chevalier grinders are very competitively priced, saving Dugard customers up to 50% on competitors machines, so visitors to the open house were understandably keen to see what was on offer.
The Dugard door is still open
The open house may be over, but visitors are always welcome at the Dugard showroom in Hove to see the machines in action. Just call us on 01273 732286 or email sales@dugard.com for more info.
