James Aiken boosts machining with Colchester Tornado

James Aiken, a precision engineering company based in Aberdeen, has strengthened its machining capabilities with the addition of a Colchester Tornado SL35L.

Specialising in onshore and offshore energy, power generation, food processing and commercial utilities, the company provides high-precision machined components for critical applications. To maintain its reputation for quality, reliability and efficiency, James Aiken needed a turning centre that could meet the high demands of these industries while ensuring long-term performance.

The company duly invested in a Colchester Tornado SL35L two-axis, long bed-turning centre. This particular model was selected to increase production capacity, optimise workflow, and ensure consistent precision for machining complex components used in energy infrastructure and industrial systems.

The Tornado SL35L is a versatile and robust CNC lathe, engineered to meet the rigorous standards of industries where reliability, accuracy and efficiency are essential. The long-bed capability accommodates larger components required in offshore and power generation applications, while its potential for high-precision machining ensures repeatable accuracy for mission-critical components.

Having used Colchester Tornado machines since 2006, James Aiken has continuously relied on the precision, durability and performance that these lathes provide. Its decision to purchase the SL35L was based on this proven track record of reliability, ensuring the production line remains efficient and capable of delivering high-quality components to customers.

Beyond the quality of Colchester machines, James Aiken values the customer support and aftercare provided by Colchester Machine Tool Solutions. Access to expert technical assistance, maintenance and spare parts ensures machining operations remain at peak performance, minimising downtime and maximising productivity.

More information www.colchester.co.uk

PTG Precision automates production with Dugard SMEC

PTG Precision Engineers – an engineering specialist with over 40 years of experience serving the nuclear, aerospace and energy sectors – has taken a significant step towards production automation with the installation of a SMEC NS2000 bar-fed turning centre supplied by Dugard. The investment represents the company’s first foray into automated machining and comes in response to a growing order book and persistent challenges in recruiting skilled machinists.

Over the past 12 months, PTG had experienced a significant upturn in demand, creating operational pressures that existing production capacity struggled to accommodate. When PTG mentioned its interest in a bar-fed lathe to Dugard, the trusted machine tool supplier put together a comprehensive package.

PTG selected the SMEC NS2000A, a bar-fed turning centre that combines accessibility with precision. The NS2000A is equipped with a 6-inch chuck and offers a maximum turning diameter of 310 mm, with a swing over bed of 565 mm.

PTG’s new SMEC NS2000 has been integrated with an LNS bar feeder. The transformation in production has been dramatic. Previously, PTG was processing batches of 25 expanding mandrills at a time on conventional equipment. With the SMEC NS2000 and LNS bar feeder combination, the company now runs batches of 350 off – a 14-fold increase in batch size that has fundamentally changed stock availability and production scheduling.

“The machine requires very little set up,” notes production manager Jim Adkins. “In the morning, we may spend an hour setting the bar feeder, loading it up with bars, putting the programs through again. Then the guys go back and run our other machines. They only return to remove parts from the catcher every half an hour.”

More information www.dugard.com

Bumotec 1000/Cneo: Produce more with less energy

The new Bumotec 1000/Cneo horizontal transfer centre was developed based on industry feedback to optimise every step of the machining process. With shorter cycle times, lower energy consumption and easier handling, the machine has 32 motor spindles running at 25,000 rpm and a new touchscreen interface.

“The aim for our new HMI was to make it easier to train new operators on a complex machine with 32 spindles and nine machining stations,” says Cédric Berger, head of the Software Department. “In view of the shortage of skilled labour, companies often employ people who are not trained as precision engineers in machining technology and who previously worked in other professions. For this reason, it’s important for the HMI to be extremely user friendly.”

Up to 40% shorter cycle times are possible, with Bumotec replacing its 8000 rpm motor spindles with 25,000 rpm models. Further supporting short cycle times, a pick-up arm is now in place featuring vices with a shorter stroke. The time for a parting-off sequence is now 7 seconds, a reduction of 30%, while machining time is now 10 seconds – 51% less than the Bumotec s1000/C model.

Another highlight of the Bumotec 1000/Cneo is the monitoring of energy consumption. Thanks to integrated sensors, the Bumotec 1000/Cneo can display relevant values for compressed air and power consumption on its 24-inch screen. And temperature conditions, too.

The new Bumotec 1000/Cneo has been in operation for several months at a company that manufactures watchstrap parts. According to feedback, the increase in productivity is between 40 and 50% compared with the same workpiece machined on the Bumotec s1000/C.

More information www.starrag.com

Two further Citizen CNC lathes bring total to 21

The decision to set up a turned parts subcontracting business at the start of the worst economic crisis in living memory has paid dividends for Yian Stavrou and George Dingley, joint owners of Luton-based Sub-CNC Precision. Supporting their successful evolution from earning a few thousand pounds a month in 2008 to turning over a predicted £3m in the company’s current financial year has been, from the very beginning, continued investment in twin-spindle, multi-axis, bar-fed lathes supplied by Citizen Machinery UK.

Over the years, the ISO 9001-accredited and JOSCAR-registered subcontractor has bought 25 such machines, part exchanging a few to leave 21 on the shop floor as of the end of 2025. Two-thirds are Cincom sliding-head models for producing parts from 0.5 to 38 mm in diameter, while the remainder are Miyano fixed-head turning centres. Many run lights-out from 18:00 to 07:00. 

In 2017, the introduction of Citizen’s proprietary LFV (low-frequency vibration) chip-breaking software in the Cincom control massively assisted unattended machining. The big advantage of the function is that it can be programmed using G codes to switch on and off during a cycle, added to which it also has different modes to adjust the size of the chips. The function is disabled for parts of the cycle where enhanced chip-breaking is not necessary.

As to the fixed-head Miyano lathes, which produce parts from bar ranging from 8 to 65 mm in diameter, or from billet up to 200 mm diameter, they started arriving at the subcontractor’s factory in 2012. The latest to take its place on the shop floor, alongside a new Cincom L20-XLFV, is a Miyano BNE-51MSY.

More information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Blue laser scanner for CMMs now available from LK

A next-generation laser scanner designed for use on CMMs has been launched by LK Metrology, a global specialist in precision metrology solutions. Building on the success of the L100, the new L100NX introduces advanced blue laser technology, delivering superior scanning performance, accuracy and user experience.

Unlike its predecessor, which utilised red laser light, the new scanner employs a 450 nm blue light laser that reduces noise in scan data, resulting in cleaner and more reliable measurements. The advance is particularly beneficial for high-precision applications where data integrity is critical, such as in the aerospace and automotive sectors.

The L100NX combines speed and precision with a wide stripe width of 110 mm and a scanning rate of up to 530,000 points per second, making it suitable for inspecting large components productively. Its high accuracy ensures that even demanding inspection tasks may be handled with confidence.

At the heart of the L100NX is LK’s 4th-generation ESP (enhanced sensor performance) technology, which intelligently adjusts laser power for all 2000 points on the laser line. This capability allows the scanner to measure multi-material assemblies and reflective surfaces seamlessly without surface preparation or other manual intervention, streamlining the inspection process and reducing operator workload.

To further enhance usability, the sensor features an integrated rotation adaptor, enabling optimal orientation of the scanner for inspecting complex part geometries. Additionally, an integrated FOV (field of view) projector visually displays the scanner’s coverage area directly on to the part, simplifying programming and set up.

The L100NX scanner kit comes in a protective casing that, in addition to the scanner itself, contains all necessary accessories and documentation required for operation and basic maintenance.

More information www.lkmetrology.com