In this edition of the MTD CNC Podcast, the team engage in some banter and discuss sliding head lathes. Paul, Joe and Colin record the first podcast of 2019 at the studio, discussing their purposes, why engineers should invest in them and also why engineers already are investing in them.

But first, Paul, Colin and Joe get rid of the elephant in the room by shedding some light on MTD’s defeat at the hands of SECO for the Tooling Cup last week. While Paul claims that his managerial skills were not to blame for the defeat, Colin and Joe simplified it as "Bad."

The team also discuss the differences between sliding head technology and how it has evolved, and fixed head turning. Colin claimed that compared to where they used to be, the intricacy of the machines, milling and sub-spindles of speed and technology alongside active chip breaking, are creating components at a much quicker rate and creating a competitive market with lights-out work, helping UK companies such as APEX win work from abroad performing at a much more efficient speed, and consistency.

Comparing Colin to a human version of a lights-out machine, Paul and Joe concluded that it does not take twenty minutes to set him up, just a simple rev and go; that breaks down a lot with an ability to insert 3 inches!

Covering serious turning topics in this podcast alongside light-hearted banter, make sure to have a listen and to subscribe for regular updates!

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