Lincolnshire-based Destec Engineering has recently invested in a large-capacity Doosan vertical turning centre from Mills CNC.

The ram-type machine, a Puma VTS 1620M, is now in situ at the company’s facility in Washingborough, where it is being put through its paces machining a range of large, heavy and performance-critical precision components made from difficult-to-machine materials that include Inconel and Duplex stainless steel.
Once machined, these components, which are custom manufactured to order, undergo inspection and testing before being assembled into Destec-branded, high-pressure containment units used extensively, although not exclusively, by customers operating in the offshore sector.
Specific high-pressure containment systems designed and manufactured by Destec include the company’s best-selling G-Range clamp connector and GSB single-bolt subsea connector ranges.
Many components used in Destec’s larger-sized connectors are being machined on the new Doosan VTS 1620M, as operations manager John Mullenger explains: “We needed additional large vertical turning capacity to meet demand and integrate into our customised, made-to-order manufacturing operation. There were a number of specific requirements, in addition to the machine’s working range and table-load capacity, which needed to be satisfied and, armed with our list of ‘must-haves’, we investigated the market and approached a number of machine tool suppliers.
“The VTS 1620M is a solidly built machine and was 10 tonnes heavier than other machines we considered,” he adds. “We’ve been impressed with the machine’s cutting capabilities. Components can be machined efficiently and the machine’s driven tooling capabilities mean we benefit from reduced cycle times. The VTS 1620M has helped us reduce production bottlenecks caused by having to transfer parts between machines.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk