Hartlepool subcontractor JJ Hardy & Sons, which specialises in supplying the rail and energy sectors, has replaced an ageing lathe with a Genos L3000e turn-mill centre built by Okuma, Japan, supplied through sole UK and Ireland agent, NCMT.

The first job on the machine, which involved turning and milling a batch of parts from brass bar, resulted in each component emerging from the lathe 26% faster than previously.
More recently, a batch of 400 components turned and drilled from 40 mm diameter mild-steel bar showed an almost identical saving. Each part previously took 225 seconds to produce and is now completed in 165 seconds on the Okuma. The one minute reduction per part translates into more than six and a half hours saved, an economy that allowed the subcontractor to hold the price for the customer.
Andrew Pailor, JJ Hardy’s managing director since 2002, says: “With material costs going up all the time, purchasing new machinery to bring cycle times down is helping us to increase our competitiveness and win new business. We identified a requirement for another turn-mill solution and recognised Okuma as the leading manufacturer of machinery to fill that need. We did not think we could afford one, but NCMT’s help made it possible.”
The Genos L3000e has box sideways in X and Z to support heavy cutting, while the NC tailstock runs on a linear guide. A total of 12 live tools in the turret have up to 7 kW of power for prismatic metal cutting in conjunction with the C-axis spindle.
Pailor concludes: “The Genos L3000e is an operator-friendly machine that simplifies cleaning, filtration and maintenance. It is a one-saddle lathe that is strong and compact, ideal for cutting a wide range of exotic materials with ease.”
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk