Advanced
Technology

Duo-stable™...
A new concept in thermal
and mechanical stability

Total engineering from the floor up          Thermal Stability          Mechanical Stability

The Colchester/Harrison TORNADO is the only CNC lathe with its own foundation. This revolutionary machine design utilizes our patented Duo-Stable™ technology to advance generations forward in both thermal and mechanical stability.  This advanced engineering design makes use of an inert polymer concrete encapsulated in a heavy duty steel reinforced base.  This Duo-Stable™ design is not only much heavier, but also greatly more thermally and mechanically stable than a traditional cast iron base.

 
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Carriage assembly: Travels on precision linear rails, allowing an extremely high acceleration and deceleration response for superior positioning and repeatability accuracy. 

60° cast iron bed: Meehanite cast iron bed mounted on the patented Duo-Stable™ base.

Foundation: Patented Duo-Stable™ base for maximum vibration dampening and thermal and mechanical stability.

Thermal stability...
The conventional cast iron base, used by other lathe manufacturers, takes a very long time to reach thermal equilibrium between the hot cutting area and the cold floor. Heat sources such as coolant, hot chips, hydraulic oil, transformers and motors dissipate heat into cast iron causing it to expand and contract in unpredictable manners.

Colchester’s Duo-Stable™ construction insulates the cutting area from these heat sources allowing thermal equilibrium to be reached three times faster for increased accuracy.

Thermal Stability Time Graph

Mechanical stability...
The built-in foundation of the Colchester/Harrison CNC lathes means that the height of the spindle above the foundation is at an absolute minimum, resulting in reduced vibrations during the cutting process. Stability is further improved by attaching components such as drive motor, coolant and hydraulic pumps, chip conveyor etc. directly to the foundation, isolating the cutting process for improved accuracy and surface finish.

 
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