NIGEL ATHERTON PROVIDES THE INSIDE TRACK ON 40 YEARS OF XYZ MACHINE TOOLS

Nigel Atherton, the Managing Director of XYZ Machine Tools, recently took time to reflect on 40 years of trading since he founded the business in 1984. His thoughts touch on what has changed, how the company has grown and what the future holds for the UK’s largest supplier of CNC machine tools.

Nigel Atherton was just 22 when he launched XYZ. Like many things in life, it was little more than circumstance that prompted the ambitious young engineer to embark on a career of entrepreneurship.

“I served an apprenticeship building machine tools, the latter years of which focused on demonstrating CNC systems,” he explains. “Remarkably, the company I worked for in Yorkshire was unconvinced about the future of CNC. Unhappy with this stance I left to work for a company in Nottingham. However, it was tough times economically and unfortunately the business closed. Then a friend offered me a job in Devon so, at a loose end, I headed southwest keen on the idea of living in Torquay as a 22-year-old.”

The move proved a useful stop-gap while Nigel considered his options, a thought process that led him to start his own business, initially focusing on the rebuild and refurbishment of Bridgeport turret mills. Originally called XYZ Systems and Service, the company started out in a 500 sq ft unit in Newton Abbot. The venture proved fruitful, with XYZ soon diversifying into importing new machines. XYZ’s first two King Rich machines arrived from Taiwan in 1986.

“I couldn’t afford the flight to Taiwan, so I bought two machines blind,” he says. “But there was no need to worry as I discovered the machines were absolutely fantastic upon their arrival in the UK. Today we take approximately 70% of King Rich’s build.”

A major step-change in the growth trajectory of XYZ arrived in the early 1990s when Nigel became interested in the ProtoTRAK® control. He invited a representative over from Southwestern Industries, the US-based manufacturer of ProtoTRAK®, who duly provided a demonstration. Within 10 minutes, the potential of this innovative system was plain to see, particularly regarding the simplicity of programming. Nigel ordered 12 ProtoTRAK® controls on the spot.

ProtoTRAK® offered the potential to make a monumental change in the machining of small batches and 1-off components. XYZ paired the control with a machine and, once word got out, the company sold 406 ProtoTRAK®-controlled machines in just 18 months. Indeed, as a result of ProtoTRAK®, XYZ’s sales would grow from £3m to £15m over the next five years.

The time to expand the company’s machine portfolio arrived in 1996. Until then, XYZ had only offered ProtoTRAK®-controlled CNC machines but, with a £30,000 vertical machining centre (VMC) from a rival supplier appearing on the market, Nigel headed to Taiwan to source a machining centre of his own. This allowed the company to provide the right machining solution to users, be it bed mill or VMC and, as a result, the business continued to soar. This growth meant that just two years later the company moved to its current location in Burlescombe near Tiverton.

“Since then, our range has continued to expand based on what customers tell us they need, whether it’s larger machines, five-axis VMCs, twin-spindle lathes or whatever,” says Nigel. “Customer feedback drives our ongoing evolution.”

Such is XYZ’s success that the company now supports its Devon headquarters and production facility with a number of satellite showrooms around the UK. The first was Nuneaton in the Midlands, with Livingston, Huddersfield, London (Slough) and Sheffield (in partnership with cutting tool manufacturer Ceratizit) subsequently coming on board. The company also has distributors in over 20 European countries, as well as the Middle East and South Africa.

After 40 years of such a rollercoaster adventure, which included selling and buying back the business from Southwestern Industries, XYZ is today unrecognisable from the company Nigel started with just £3000 of capital back in 1984.

“Our success is as much a surprise to me as anyone else,” he states. “Back then, I could never imagine in 40 years’ time that I would be sat at the helm of the UK’s largest CNC machine tool supplier with 90 employees and a 100,000 sq ft manufacturing facility.”

The underlying reasons for XYZ’s leading market position are numerous, but Nigel has his own thoughts on the matter: “Always treat people – customers, suppliers, employees – the way you would like to be treated. With that policy you won’t go far wrong.”

Despite recent challenges such as Brexit, soaring energy prices, global supply chain fragility and labour shortages, Nigel always manages to take hold of the situation and move forward in a positive way. This is unlikely to change in the years ahead.

“The future for XYZ Machine Tools is more evolution, without doubt,” he concludes. “As for me, at 62 years of age, I’ve no intention of retiring. You can expect to find me here for a number of years yet.”

For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Raft of innovations on show from Horn

Paul Horn, the solid-carbide tooling, carbide insert and tool-holder manufacturer has supplied more than 200,000 special tooling solutions over the years and currently offers 25,000 standard products, including five that were introduced to the UK market at the recent MACH 2024 exhibition in Birmingham, UK.

For instance, an addition to the Horn Supermini boring, grooving and chamfering system was announced, namely a variant with a precision-ground rake face for producing ultra-fine bores. The ground cutting edge is free from notches at a magnification of x200 and the tool is suitable for machining components with an inside diameter from just 0.3 mm. Sharp insert geometry ensures process reliability, even with very small infeed and cutting feed rates. The special coating is suitable for stainless steels, non-ferrous metals and other metals.

Notably, the Supermini Type 105 system insert requires only one tool holder for well over 1000 insert variants, which applies equally to left-hand and right-hand versions. Carbide inserts are available coated or uncoated in various grades for a variety of applications, including hard machining up to 66 HRc. The patented, droplet-shape cross section has a vibration-damping effect and delivers high repeatability during insert exchange. Internal coolant supply to the insert increases tool life, enhances cutting performance and improves chip removal. Horn offers the tools with face clamping elements that allow easy changing of the insert without removing the holder from the machine.

Horn has also developed a new solid-carbide milling cutter range for machining stainless steels used widely in the watchmaking and other precision engineering industries. Due to their geometry and efficient chip breaking, the mills are also suitable for machining numerous other materials.

More information www.phorn.co.uk

Get smart with large-diameter boring

Precision hole-making system manufacturer Big Kaiser is launching its new bridge tool that comes complete with a smart damper holder. Available in the UK from cutting tool manufacturer Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC), the product marks the advent of a new family of bridge tools.

The Big Kaiser bridge tool with smart damper features the CK connection for both rough and fine-boring operations. Notably, the new bridge tools incorporate the company’s patented smart damper that reduces vibration when machining large-diameter bores up to 320 mm.

Giampaolo Roccatello, chief sales and marketing officer for Europe at Big Kaiser, says: “Now, we can seamlessly merge multiple cutting-edge technologies. This system brings together the exceptional modularity of the CK connection, with the anti-chatter capabilities of our smart damper and our bridge tools. With the introduction of this new product family, we’re continuing to push the boundaries of innovation in solutions for large-diameter deep boring.”

The integrated smart damper enhances connection stability, leading to improved precision during boring operations. It creates a stiff system in comparison with using separate or modular components. Additionally, the tools offer the convenience of supporting coolant supply through a central hole. This design delivers cutting fluid directly to the cutting edge to prolong tool life and improve performance whilst simplifying the installation process.

Expected to serve a broad spectrum of industry sectors, the Big Kaiser bridge tools will prove valuable assets in applications within the energy, defence, aerospace and large-part manufacturing sectors.

More information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Floyd shows new innovations at MACH

The recent MACH 2024 exhibition in Birmingham once again provided an opportunity for Floyd Automatic Tooling to demonstrate cutting tools and machining solutions for the sliding-head turning and small-part machining industry, many of which received their MACH exhibition premieres.

As always, the long-standing partnerships that Floyd has with machine tool manufacturers enabled engineers to witness the latest cutting tools in live demonstrations on the stands of sliding-head lathe brands and many other machine tool partners. The partnerships that Floyd Automatic has with cutting tool brands for this niche segment include MASA Microconics, Mikron Tool, Madaula, Schaublin, Ifanger, Schwanog, Applitec, Alesa and many others.

Some of the new products on show from Mikron Tool included the CrazyMill Cool Micro series of micro end mills for micro-machining applications in the electronics, medical, optics, automotive, aerospace and defence sectors. Suitable for operations as diverse as side milling, helical interpolation, slot milling and drilling, the CrazyMill Cool Micro is available in three or four-flute options with diameters from 0.2 to 1 mm and effective cutting lengths of 3xD and 5xD. According to Floyd Automatic, the combination of innovative geometries, high-quality carbide grade and a patented new cooling concept deliver double the tool life and three times the productivity of rival product lines.

Continuing the theme of micro-machining, Floyd introduced Madaula driven tools for sliding-head machines. Part of the extensive range of Madaula products at MACH was the mechanical spindle speeder that works on a 1:4 ratio to provide machines with higher torque and spindle speeds up to 24,000 rpm. Suitable for improving surface finishes and increasing productivity rates, the new system is compatible with all leading turning centre brands.

More information www.floydautomatic.co.uk

Fast three-in-one threading solution

Walter is launching a new range of thread milling tools called Thrill·tec that combines the machining steps of core-hole drilling and threading in a single tool and operation. This is also true of the TC645 Supreme circular drill/thread mill, which additionally produces a chamfer at the thread entry.

Combining work steps improves productivity and makes this three-in-one thread milling cutter ideal for mass and small series production alike. High-volume producers can benefit from longer tool life and shorter machining times. Furthermore, the ability to multi-task results in significantly less machine downtime for tool changeovers. The TC645 Supreme pays dividends for small-scale manufacturers because they only have to use one tool, reducing changeovers and tool positions in the machine.

The left-hand cutting thread milling tool is suitable for multi-tasking operations, credit largely to the milling geometry on its face and the internal coolant supply. According to Walter, the tool optimises chip removal, even at high cutting speeds, and demonstrates high feed per tooth. As a result, the tool is suitable for blind-hole and through-hole threads in dimensions of 2 or 2.5xD. The universal thread milling cutter is for use on all ISO materials from P, M, K, N and S up to 48 HRc, due in large part to Walter’s WB10TJ grade coating.

In addition to high process reliability and universal operation, the main advantage of the TC645 Supreme is its cost efficiency. Faster machining and reduced indexing times keep the cost per thread relatively low. Walter is offering the TC645 Supreme in dimensions of M4 to M12, UNC8 to UNC½ and G1/16 to G¼. Additional variants will become available as the line expands.

More information www.walter-tools.com