Vurcon · Industries
CNC machinery for the hydraulics industry
Hydraulic cylinders, rods, tubes and flanges call for a lathe with a large spindle bore and enough distance between centres for the cylinder stroke: Vurcon's PL63 and PL80 have a Ø104 mm bore, Ø630–800 mm swing and 1,000 to 4,000 mm between centres. For longer barrels and rods, the large-format lathes reach 8,000 mm between centres with a Ø142 mm bore, and for glands, end caps and pistons in batches, the SBL slant bed lathes run live tooling at up to 5,000 rpm.
Typical parts
- Piston rods — long, slender parts: outside turning, piston seat, threads and flats milled at the ends.
- Barrels and tubes — outside turning, facing and end preparation; the tube passes through the spindle to reach each end.
- Pistons — seal grooves with a good finish, thread or bore to fix the rod; repeat batches.
- End caps and glands — internal seal grooves, threads and axial holes: short parts in batches.
- Flanges, eyes and clevises — turning plus radial and axial drilling in a single set-up.
- Valve blocks — prismatic parts full of cross-drilled and tapped holes: a vertical machining centre job.
Machining challenges
A hydraulic cylinder combines two kinds of parts. The long ones — rods and barrels — are slender and prone to chatter: they need turning between centres, with a steady rest when required, and the tube must pass through the spindle to work the ends. Spindle bore (Ø104 mm on the PL63 and PL80, Ø142 mm on the large lathes) and distance between centres are what count.
The short ones — pistons, end caps, glands, flanges — are made in batches and carry seal grooves where surface finish is critical. A slant bed lathe with live tooling pays off here; with Y-axis and sub-spindle (SBL66MYS) the part comes off finished on both sides in one cycle.
Recommended Vurcon machines
How we work
Send us your maximum stroke, barrel and rod diameters and the batch sizes of your short parts. From there we propose the mix: a long lathe for barrels and rods, a slant bed lathe for pistons and caps and, if you make blocks, a vertical machining centre.
The PL63x2000, SBL66MYS, SBL713M and PL140/5000 are in stock in Spain, as are several VL machining centres. Installation and commissioning, operator training, service and spare parts, within Grupo Ferrotall.
Frequently asked questions
What spindle bore do I need for hydraulic tube?
Larger than the tube's outside diameter if you want to pass it through the spindle to work the ends. The PL63 and PL80 have a Ø104 mm bore; the PL140/5000 and PL180/8000 large-format lathes have Ø142 mm.
What distance between centres do I need for rods?
Your longest rod plus room for clamping and tooling. The PL63 and PL80 range from 1,000 to 4,000 mm between centres and the large-format lathes reach 5,000 and 8,000 mm.
Why a slant bed lathe for caps and pistons?
Because they are short batch parts: the 12-station live tooling turret cuts grooves, threads and holes without moving to another machine. The SBL66MYS adds Y-axis and a sub-spindle to finish both sides in one cycle.
Which machine suits valve blocks?
A VL vertical machining centre: 650 to 1,700 mm of X travel, 10,000 rpm and a BBT40 spindle, well suited to the cross-drilled and tapped holes of a block.
Are machines in stock?
Yes: the PL63x2000, SBL66MYS, SBL713M, PL140/5000 and the VL-116, VL-137, VL-157 and VL-178 machining centres are in stock in Spain.
Tell us which part you need to machine
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