A good turn for subcontractor

Located near Nottingham City centre, Doosan Precision Engineering specialises in CNC turning; producing parts for sectors so diverse that the small business covers everything from motorsport to the food industry.

Although no relation to the Doosan machine-tool brand, the company has invested heavily in Doosan machines from Mills CNC. The company name is a culmination of the directors’ family names.

As a machine shop primarily conducting turning activities, Doosan Precision Engineering is not typically a facility where hyperMILL five-axis CAM software from Open Mind Technologies would be found.

David Booth, director at Doosan Precision Engineering, says: “We’re spending a long time setting-up some quite difficult turned parts with some very intricate set-ups to cater for difficult features. This was the reason we initially looked at hyperMILL. The prolonged set-up times were increasing our costs and we were losing work, some overseas. However, since we invested in hyperMILL we’ve managed to win this business back.
“HyperMILL has reduced our set-up times massively,” he adds. “Some parts were taking 4 to 5 hours to program and set, but the new CAM system has reduced this to as little as 30 minutes.

“We did a three-day training course at the Open Mind UK facility in Bicester, which was primarily focussed upon milling with some turning aspects. However, the system is intuitive and easy to pick up from scratch. HyperMILL will certainly pay for itself in a short period of time. Of course, we also use it for all of our milling machines.”

For further information www.openmind-tech.com

Former Finland PM selects Surfcam

For many years, even when he was Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä has relaxed by designing and milling a variety of items.

Now he has taken his hobby to a higher level, with a new four-axis CNC machine tool and Surfcam CADCAM software from Hexagon’s global portfolio. He machines aluminium, brass, plastic and wood, and was looking to upgrade his milling machine and CNC router, along with the software to drive them.

Before entering politics, Sipilä was an industrialist, owning a number of manufacturing companies, which gave him his first taste of machining. And he quickly realised that physically making things with his hands helped him to relax and solve abstract business issues.

Surfcam has totally changed how Sipilä uses both CAD and CAM. Typically, he today creates a 3D model in Surfcam Designer and exports it into Surfcam Traditional for producing fast, accurate tool paths. He is particularly impressed with the ‘Waveform Roughing’ strategy for milling aluminium and brass. “My CNC machine has a spindle speed of 24,000 rpm, so Waveform means I can have light cutting with fast feed rates,” he says.

Sipilä has already undergone initial training on Surfcam Designer and basic two- and three-axis machining, and will complete training on four- and five-axis tool paths later in the year. As Prime Minister he was not able to pursue his love of producing lifestyle products as much as he would have liked, but now his duties as an MP mean he has more time – and with his new machine tools and software he is looking forward to creating many more.”

For further information www.surfcam.com

Electric press brake in Bison showroom

Bison Machinery has added a Morgan Rushworth servo-electric press brake to its showroom stock.

The machine is now commissioned and set up for demonstrations, and will be of interest to users of hydraulic press brakes that want to save time and money by reducing energy consumption and maintenance, while increasing cycle times.

The recently introduced XPE servo-electric press brake from Morgan Rushworth brings many benefits to the table when compared with traditional hydraulic models, says the company. For instance, servo electric models save energy, require much less servicing and feature faster cycle times. Not only that, but they are quieter to operate and do not produce hazardous waste products such as used hydraulic oil.

A major benefit is that the XPE press brake only uses power when it is actually working, delivering up to 50% savings in electricity consumption.

Further advantages include: the use of an O-frame design that reduces deflection of the machine frame; no requirement for hydraulic oil, thus reducing hazardous waste output; cycle times are up to 30% faster than an equivalent hydraulic machine; quiet operation improves the working environment; only requires around 25% of the servicing compared with a hydraulic model; and produces much more even bending pressure across the width of the machine.

The XPE servo electric press brake features proven belt-drive technology for a long working life with low maintenance requirements. All models feature the high-specification ESA S675 widescreen control and a generous level of standard equipment, reports Morgan Rushworth.

For further information www.bisonmachinery.co.uk

Strategic acquisition completed

Belgrave & Powell Ltd, a specialist engineering services group, has acquired assets, IP and goodwill from Addition Manufacturing Technologies Ltd based in Preston, UK.

Operating from the same facility in Walton Summit, Preston, the business will now trade under the name Addison Forming Technologies Ltd. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Addition was a global supplier of tube-bending equipment and tooling to the aerospace, automotive and nuclear industries. With the acquisition, Addison Forming will continue to offer a comprehensive range of services and products to its customer base, alongside new solutions that include automation and robotics.

Paul Ward, a partner in Belgrave & Powell, will lead the company as part of Belgrave & Powell’s Machine Technology Group. He says: “Despite the uncertain economic climate we recognised the long-term value in this activity, the highly skilled workforce and the company’s reputation for quality and innovation. Our vision is to provide clients with unsurpassed service, quality and technology.

“We’re delighted with this acquisition as it’s a key advancement,” he adds. “It complements our existing specialist services companies, while simultaneously allowing us to accelerate our ambitions in terms of offering advanced automation and robotic solutions. The retained team have some of the world’s best skills in the field of tube bending, tooling design and automation and, with the support of the group, we will offer immediate benefit to historical and new customers requiring support in this specialist sector.”
Belgrave and Powell Ltd is a UK-based specialist engineering services group with activities including specialist machine-tool services, tooling manufacture and distribution, operating from facilities in Preston, Halifax and Tamworth. Businesses in the group include Weld UK, Dean Smith & Grace, GAC Rail, Techni-grind and Maydown International.

For further information www.addisonforming.co.uk

Finance options available for Vericut

CGTech, the developer of Vericut CNC simulation, verification and optimisation software, is offering new financing options to help manufacturers get back up and running during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The WorkSmart finance scheme allows businesses to install Vericut for an affordable monthly cost. Vericut simulates all types of CNC machining and operates independently, but can also be integrated with all leading CAM systems.
The software eliminates manual prove-outs, ensures machining is collision-free, and increases machine capacity.

For further information info.uk@cgtech.com