DMC names Nigel Robinson as COO

The Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC), a new advanced manufacturing venture by KW Special Projects, has appointed Nigel Robinson as COO to deliver the establishment and growth of this stand-alone additive manufacturing (AM) production facility.

With extensive engineering, operations, quality and management knowledge, as well as a focus on next-generation AM technologies, Robinson is a key hire within the leadership team and will be working directly with DMC CEO, Kieron Salter.

Robinson will be focused on the launch and growth of the DMC from an innovation viewpoint, ensuring the latest technologies are represented, as well as building a team around key staff members and developing the client portfolio. With a background in mechanical engineering and AM, his recent experience includes working as CEO at one of the largest AM production sites in the UK.
For further information

www.digitalmanufacturingcentre.com

30,000 control systems milestone

A strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist celebrated a major milestone this month when it delivered the 30,000th control system to Mazak UK.

PP Control & Automation has been working with the machine-tool builder for more than 27 years, and the latest partnership has seen it play a key role in the design and production of the new CV5-500, a simultaneous five-axis machining centre.

PPC&A, which employs over 200 people at its facility in Cheslyn Hay, used its expertise to support the design and build of a new configurable control system and interconnectivity solution. The concept had to facilitate both efficient build at Cheslyn Hay, and simple and effective integration when assembling the machine tools at Mazak’s facility in Worcester. The challenge was even greater when considering the need to achieve a highly competitive price point.

“The relationship dates back to 1993 when Mazak’s senior management team in Japan saw something ‘different’ in our approach and company-wide focus on quality, resulting in placement of the very first order,” explains Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation. “As the years have gone by, the relationship has become more interlinked, with PP C&A increasingly invited to be involved in the design stage of new machine builds.”

Mazak UK engineering director Dave Fisher adds: “PP C&A is one of our critical partners, supporting our ever-changing needs in both engineering and production. The relationship works because we both bring our own areas of expertise to the table, challenging and developing ideas that deliver mutual benefits and unrivalled machining performance for our customers.”

For further information www.ppcanda.com

A good turn for subcontractor

Located near Nottingham City centre, Doosan Precision Engineering specialises in CNC turning; producing parts for sectors so diverse that the small business covers everything from motorsport to the food industry.

Although no relation to the Doosan machine-tool brand, the company has invested heavily in Doosan machines from Mills CNC. The company name is a culmination of the directors’ family names.

As a machine shop primarily conducting turning activities, Doosan Precision Engineering is not typically a facility where hyperMILL five-axis CAM software from Open Mind Technologies would be found.

David Booth, director at Doosan Precision Engineering, says: “We’re spending a long time setting-up some quite difficult turned parts with some very intricate set-ups to cater for difficult features. This was the reason we initially looked at hyperMILL. The prolonged set-up times were increasing our costs and we were losing work, some overseas. However, since we invested in hyperMILL we’ve managed to win this business back.
“HyperMILL has reduced our set-up times massively,” he adds. “Some parts were taking 4 to 5 hours to program and set, but the new CAM system has reduced this to as little as 30 minutes.

“We did a three-day training course at the Open Mind UK facility in Bicester, which was primarily focussed upon milling with some turning aspects. However, the system is intuitive and easy to pick up from scratch. HyperMILL will certainly pay for itself in a short period of time. Of course, we also use it for all of our milling machines.”

For further information www.openmind-tech.com

Former Finland PM selects Surfcam

For many years, even when he was Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä has relaxed by designing and milling a variety of items.

Now he has taken his hobby to a higher level, with a new four-axis CNC machine tool and Surfcam CADCAM software from Hexagon’s global portfolio. He machines aluminium, brass, plastic and wood, and was looking to upgrade his milling machine and CNC router, along with the software to drive them.

Before entering politics, Sipilä was an industrialist, owning a number of manufacturing companies, which gave him his first taste of machining. And he quickly realised that physically making things with his hands helped him to relax and solve abstract business issues.

Surfcam has totally changed how Sipilä uses both CAD and CAM. Typically, he today creates a 3D model in Surfcam Designer and exports it into Surfcam Traditional for producing fast, accurate tool paths. He is particularly impressed with the ‘Waveform Roughing’ strategy for milling aluminium and brass. “My CNC machine has a spindle speed of 24,000 rpm, so Waveform means I can have light cutting with fast feed rates,” he says.

Sipilä has already undergone initial training on Surfcam Designer and basic two- and three-axis machining, and will complete training on four- and five-axis tool paths later in the year. As Prime Minister he was not able to pursue his love of producing lifestyle products as much as he would have liked, but now his duties as an MP mean he has more time – and with his new machine tools and software he is looking forward to creating many more.”

For further information www.surfcam.com

Electric press brake in Bison showroom

Bison Machinery has added a Morgan Rushworth servo-electric press brake to its showroom stock.

The machine is now commissioned and set up for demonstrations, and will be of interest to users of hydraulic press brakes that want to save time and money by reducing energy consumption and maintenance, while increasing cycle times.

The recently introduced XPE servo-electric press brake from Morgan Rushworth brings many benefits to the table when compared with traditional hydraulic models, says the company. For instance, servo electric models save energy, require much less servicing and feature faster cycle times. Not only that, but they are quieter to operate and do not produce hazardous waste products such as used hydraulic oil.

A major benefit is that the XPE press brake only uses power when it is actually working, delivering up to 50% savings in electricity consumption.

Further advantages include: the use of an O-frame design that reduces deflection of the machine frame; no requirement for hydraulic oil, thus reducing hazardous waste output; cycle times are up to 30% faster than an equivalent hydraulic machine; quiet operation improves the working environment; only requires around 25% of the servicing compared with a hydraulic model; and produces much more even bending pressure across the width of the machine.

The XPE servo electric press brake features proven belt-drive technology for a long working life with low maintenance requirements. All models feature the high-specification ESA S675 widescreen control and a generous level of standard equipment, reports Morgan Rushworth.

For further information www.bisonmachinery.co.uk