A new £3.5m state-of the-art machining facility in Tewkesbury has taken the next step in its development after installing the latest CNC technology.

The Bowmill Group, which provides precision engineering, grinding and surface processing services to the aerospace sector, has installed a Chiron FZ12 FX Magnum Vario five-axis vertical machining centre to help it supply critical landing gear components to Safran Landing Systems for the Airbus A320/A321.
Supplied by the Engineering Technology Group (ETG), the turnkey package comes with 64 HSK tool stations, the latest measuring cycle probe system from Renishaw and a Fanuc six-axis robot with automated pallet system to support lights-out manufacturing. The machine has now been installed and is producing 1500 units per month, with a 9% improvement in accuracy across all of the 10 prismatic parts that have so far been proven out.
Nick Epps, managing director of Bowmill, says: “More than £2.5m has been spent with ETG on supplying a range of Quaser, Nakamura and Chiron technologies, and this has not only given us significant additional capacity for existing and future work, but allowed us to meet the aerospace sector’s demand for quality, delivery, support and commercial objectives.
“The Chiron FZ12 and Fanuc robot is our latest purchase and is already surpassing expectations in terms of productivity and quality,” he adds. “The change-over sequence and single-point fixturing and work-holding from Hyfore, which has significantly enhanced the tooling we have at our main site in Poole, has contributed to reducing cycle times. We are now exploring the option of machining additional items on this machine.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com