One version of the truth for CNC 2010

Investment in a PSL Datatrack production control software system has brought a number of organisational benefits to CNC 2010 Ltd of Buntingford. These include enhanced traceability, improved management and the establishment of “one version of the truth”, reports Emily Coleman, director of the subcontract precision engineering company.

Before implementing PSL Datatrack, CNC 2010 relied on manual methods for quoting and managing its business operations. However, the company now feels more confident in its processes due to PSL Datatrack’s standardised approach.

CNC 2010 learnt of PSL Datatrack through a fellow precision engineering subcontractor, a long-term supporter of the system in its 20th year of use. Coleman says that the sales process for the software was “smooth, with no pressure and comprehensive explanations of the software’s features and benefits”.

She adds: “We ultimately chose PSL Datatrack because it is specifically for the subcontract precision engineering industry and offered bespoke functionality tailored to our requirements.”

Utilisation of PSL Datatrack aligned with CNC 2010’s aims for the business. By streamlining the entire production process, it provided an opportunity for growth.

“We had reached maximum capacity in terms of administrative processing with our existing workload and PSL Datatrack helped us to overcome this limitation,” says Emily.

Since implementing PSL Datatrack, CNC 2010 has been able to process more orders and increase sales. Moving forward, the company’s focus is to leverage the software to optimise stock control and material handling. CNC 2010 also aims to obtain ISO 9001 accreditation, further enhancing its credibility and market position.

“We now have one version of the truth,” she concludes.“Processing times have reduced and there is no lost information as there was with our previous paper-based system.”
For further information www.psldatatrack.com

Open Mind showcasing hyperMILL at EMO

Open Mindis focusing on turning, milling and the importance of CAM software and MES in connected manufacturing environments at EMO 2023 taking place in Hanover this week (18-23 September). Located in hall 9, stand A05, the 150 sq m booth is Open Mind’s largest ever at EMO.

Live demonstrations are taking place on a Grob G350T mill-turn machine to showcase the multi-tasking capabilities of hyperMILL Tsolutions. The live demos also include milling, drilling and angle-head support, as well as how to use a ‘virtual machine’ to simulate the machining of finished NC code.

Open Mind’s hyperMILL Turningsolutions include technologies for turning, turn-milling and mill-turning, meaning they are suitable for all corresponding machine configurations. Last but not least, the company’s demonstrations also feature automation solutions to help make creating error-free NC programs simpler and faster.

Open Mind has been positioning hyperMILL as a vital building block in the digitalisation of process chains since the acquisition of MES manufacturer Hummingbird in early 2022. Connected manufacturing is also on the agenda at EMO – under the motto ‘Create the future of manufacturing together’ –highlighting the important role of the CAM system in a connected manufacturing environment.

A large number of show parts are present on the booth to help visitors truly understand what optimised machining looks like. The examples of industries in which hyperMILL provides particular value range from tool and mould-making to aerospace and medical technology. There are also components from the semiconductor industry on display. These components have to meet particularly high requirements in terms of dimensional accuracy and surface quality.
For further information www.openmind-tech.com

Titanium machining

Starrag (hall 12, stand B50) says it is revolutionising titanium machining performances with its new ultra-rigid and robust STC 1250 HD horizontal machining centre, the first machine in its large-capacity class with hydrostatic guideways for zero friction/non-stick/slip movements. The machine – one of the highlights of Starrag’s EMO stand – reduces roughing times by up to 50% and decreases overall machining times by up to 30%. It also reduces energy consumption during machining by 33%, and offers more dynamic finishing and therefore more precise parts courtesy of higher acceleration and jerk rates.
For further information www.starrag.com

PTC software aids new compressor development

The first reinvention of air compressor technology in more than 85 years is rolling off the production line of a new£17m smart factory in Doncaster. Lontra, an engineering technology company led by innovator Steve Lindsey, is committed to answering increasing demand by quadrupling the production of its LP2 blade blower year-on-year until 2025.

Backed by the design and PLM capability of PTC’s Creo and Windchill platforms, Lontra integrated its proprietary and patented blade compressor positive displacement technology within the custom-engineered LP2 blade blowers. According to the company, the upshot is world-class performance, reduced noise and, importantly, electricity savings of up to 34% compared with traditional products.

Inneo Solutions introduced Lontra to PTC’s cloud-based 3D CAD software Creo and this platform proved critical in achieving the complex geometry that makes the LP2 different to its predecessors.This includes add-ons covering FEA and behaviour modelling, which were used by up to 10 designers to achieve the necessary stillness and distortion requirements that deliver the environmentally sustainable performance.

Another key element of the portfolio is Windchill, PTC’s PLM suite, which makes a big difference in Lontra’s efficiency and sustainability by saving not only time but also waste.
Windchill ensures that the record of materials and components used in its products remain up to date, helping it capture learning from the design and development process, as well as reducing errors, scrap and waste on the factory floor.

Elliot Clarke, UK and Irelanddirector at PTC, says: “Both of Lontra’s sites have access to Windchill, as does the firm’s teams who work remotely.The power of the software ensures that everybody is working off the most up-to-date data.”
For further information www.ptc.com

TIMELY INVESTMENTS MEET INCREASE IN DEMAND

An increase in demand for its high-quality machining services from existing customers, coupled with a growing number of new and significant machining contract ‘wins’ from new customers, provided the catalyst for Burcas Ltd to invest in two new machine tools from Mills CNC.

The new machines, both DN Solutions’ models, comprise: a large-capacity, heavy-duty 21” chuck Puma 5100LMB long-bed, box-guideway lathe equipped with driven tooling; and a 10” chuck SMX 2600S multi-tasking mill-turn machine equipped with two opposing (left and right) spindles and a B-axis milling head.Both machines feature the latest FANUC iPlus control and 15” touchscreen iHMIs. Ordered at the same time, in early 2023, the machines increase Burcas’ in-house capabilities and capacity at its West Bromwich facility.

The Puma 5100LMB and SMX 2600S are the second and third machines Burcas has acquired from Mills CNC in its 82-year history – the first being a large Mynx 9500/50 vertical machining centre that arrived in November 2020 to machine high-value, high-precision tooling, prototypes and components primarily for customers in the nuclear sector.

Says Mike Burrows, Burcas’ owner and managing director:“The Mynx 9500/50 has been a great investment and more than proved its worth since being acquired.Day in and day out the machine delivers the high part accuracies and fast processing speeds that we, and our customers, demand.It has undoubtedly helped us strengthen our supply chain position within the nuclear sector and, over the past three years, has been more than instrumental inhelping us secure a number of new machining contracts in the sector.”

The nuclear industry remains important to Burcas, and the company is actively working towards the “Fit for Nuclear’ accreditation to consolidate and strengthen its position in the sector still further.

Burcas’ positive experience with its Mynx machine, and with Mills CNC in general, was a prime motivator in the company investing in its new Puma 5100LMB and SMX 2600S machines.

“It was around September 2022 when enquiries from customers in the defence, aerospace, oil and gas, rail, and nuclear sectors really took off,” recalls Burrows. “This was clearly great news for us, but in order to meet such an increase in demand, we needed to evaluate our existing in-house machining capacity and capabilities, and stress-test our processes and systems, to make sure we could cope.”

As a company committed to continuous improvement, systematic monitoring and analysis of its production processes is not something new, or alien, to Burcas.Identifying and addressing, in advance, any potential production bottlenecks and pinch points, before the new business came on stream, were necessary pre-requisites. The company believed this would make all the difference between seamlessly ramping up production and struggling to meet its new manufacturing targets.The audit identified that Burcas needed to strengthen its turning and milling capabilities.

Says Burrows:“The new business we acquired was all high precision in nature and involved the machining of different materials: everything from aluminium and nickel-chrome-molybdenum steel, through to stainless steels, titanium and Hastelloy.With such diversity, we needed versatile machines capable of performing heavy-duty roughing operations, right through to super-fine finishing operations and everything in-between.To improve our productivity and process efficiencies, we also knew that multi-axis machines would be the direction of travel.”

Armed with a clear understanding of its new machine tool requirements, Burcas approached the market in early 2023 with Mills CNC being one of its first ports of call.

“We like Mills’ business approach and have built a good relationship with the company in a relatively short period of time,” says Burrows.“The depth and breadth of the DN Solution’s range of machines is extensive and Mills’ progressive stocking policy means that machine availability is good.These strengths, combined with Mills’ after-sales and service support, put them in a favourable position vis-à-vis our new investment requirement.”

Subsequent discussions between Burcas and Mills ultimately resulted in both parties agreeing a two-machine-tool package.

The Puma 5100LMB is a large-capacity,long-bed, box guideway lathe with a 650mm maximum turning diameter and a 2002mm maximum turning length. It features a 45kW/1500rpm/2957Nm spindle, driven tooling (4000rpm) and a 12-station turret. The machine supplied to Burcas also features a dead-centre tailstock and through-coolant (20bar) capability.Since installation, the Puma 5100LMB has been put through its paces machining a range of prototypes and parts for the company’s defence, rail and oil and gas customers.

“The Puma 5100LMB is a great acquisition that has considerably strengthened our in-house turning capabilities,”states Burrows.“The machine’s driven tooling capability also means that parts do not need transferring to a machining centre and can be completed in one set up.”

DN Solutions’ SMX 2600S is a multi-tasking mill-turn machine equipped with two opposing 30 kW/4000rpm spindles which, with its 12,000rpmB-axis milling spindle, can perform a range of machining functions such as turning, milling and synchronised cutting in a single set-up.The machine features a 40-position automatic tool changer and was supplied to Burcas with linear scales (X and Yaxis) for improved accuracy and a SLU-X4 steady rest for machining longer parts.

Says Burrows:“The SMX 2600S has only recently been installed but it’s already making a difference machining high-precision, complex parts to completion, in one set-up, for our newly-acquired aerospace and defence machining contracts.The machine’s mill-turn capabilities also means that we have been able to re-imagine and develop new, more efficient machining processes for existing parts, freeing up time and production capacity on our other lathes and machining centres.”

Whether its machining anti-tilt bars for Burcas’ rail customers, down-hole components for oil and gas customers, wobble-box components for aerospace customers or glove-box components for the nuclear industry, the new DN Solutions machines are proving their worth delivering significant productivity and process efficiency gains to a company whose machining services are in demand.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk