Tormach Inc., a leading supplier of affordable and compact CNC machines, introduced the 8L lathe, its newest machine.
The new 8L lathe is a small machine with big capabilities, and has the ability to fill turning needs in a variety of spaces. Rigid enough to cut anything, whether it’s plastic, stainless steel, or even titanium, this machine can handle it, and at an approachable price point. Starting at $6,595 for the basic machine with tailstock and fully-assembled enclosure, an 8L lathe deluxe package with numerous features — including a robust machine stand with integral coolant tank, separate chip drawer for easy removal, storage drawers and optional side shelving, as well as PathPilot controller, tool holder/tool kit, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and more — is available for $8,875. The fully-loaded 8L build comes in under $10,000.
“We are excited to introduce this new lathe to the market,” said Cory Bailey, Tormach’s product engineer. “Tormach was founded on the idea of bringing cost-effective and capable CNC equipment to market and this one provides users with everything needed to face, turn, bore, groove, and thread. We know of no other machine that offers such advanced software and capabilities at such an affordable price.”
The 8L lathe features a 5C spindle that accommodates parts up to 1-inch diameter, which meets the needs of most lathe users. For larger pieces up to 8 inches in diameter, users can simply add a 3- or 4-jaw chuck to cut the stock. The stepper motors on the X and Z axes provide a feed rate of 150 IPM (3.8 m/min).
Like all Tormach CNC machines, the 8L lathe will be controlled by the PathPilot software system. That means users can use intuitive conversational lathe programming, do rigid tapping, and leverage built-in Dropbox™ support for transferring programs. PathPilot and PathPilot HUB has been known to be incredibly powerful for beginner CNCers, as well as veteran machinists and educators.
The new 8L is unique, not just among other Tormach machines, but also in the general machine tool market, because it offers a 1.5 HP (1.11 kW) spindle that runs at 180-5,000 RPM. It already comes with the machine in a fully assembled enclosure as part of the base model, but the footprint remains small (26” x 50”), and the lathe itself is attached to a hand-scraped 140-pound cast base. Like all Tormach machine tools, the 8L runs on standard single-phase household power (115 Vac, 50/60 Hz, and a 15 A breaker).
Travels on the 8L are impressive for its compact size. The maximum workpiece length is 10 inches with the tailstock. The X-axis travel is 4.5 inches, so users can accommodate a part that fully uses the 8-inch swing.
It’s configured for Industry Standard OXA Quick Change Tool Post. Instead of the operator needing two wrenches that turn hardware in opposite directions, the machine itself can lock down the tool holder. By allowing “one-hand tool changing,” this takes a typically inconvenient task and not only makes it easier, but also greatly reduces the time required to change the tooling.
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