Largest-ever investment at Tayside Precision

Major growth in the oil and gas sector has seen a Scottish manufacturing specialist tap into the expertise of the Engineering Technology Group (ETG). Tayside Precision Tools Dundee, which is an expert in manufacturing complex parts in small volumes, recently invested in a new Quaser MV184 that has immediately unlocked additional capacity.

“The components we are milling require a very precise finish and the Quaser gives us the ability to produce repeatable accuracy faster than ever before,” explains John Welsh, Joint owner of Tayside Precision. “We’ve already secured a contract in the oil and gas sector to go straight on the machine.”
Tayside’s Quaser MV184 is the largest investment the firm has ever made and is the first time ETG has worked with the company.
Welsh says: “ETG were great, from understanding our milling requirements and identifying the machine, to helping us spec it out in the agreed timescale. I was also very impressed with the training, which meant we could quickly get the most out of the machine.”
Ross Milne, regional sales manager (Scotland) at ETG adds: “The MV184 is a great addition for specialist subcontractors like Tayside Precision Tools Dundee, with the large table area providing superior flexibility for work in progress. The space allows for varied work holding, so you can set up different parts on the table at the same time, which helps reduce set-up times.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

£5m expansion at Protolabs

Protolabs, which claims to be the world’s fastest digital manufacturer of custom prototypes and low-volume production parts, has released investment on a £5m expansion plan at its European headquarters in Telford.

The company, which works with thousands of product designers and engineers across Europe, is building a bespoke 50,000 sq ft extension to its Halesfield facility. Protolabs’ new extension will house at least 50 additional CNC machines and a further 20 additional injection moulding presses. Over the course of the next 2 years, the investment will also create 60 skilled jobs.
For further information www.protolabs.co.uk

Compact and ergonomic machining centre

German machine-tool builder Spinner has introduced a new, vertical-spindle, three-axis machining centre with a generous working volume of 850 x 510 x 510 mm and a small footprint of 1.8 x 1.85 m. This ratio is achieved by adopting a patented method for protecting the saddle’s Y-axis guideway from swarf and coolant ingress using a single wiper system, eliminating the need for a telescopic cover. The depth of the machine is consequently shorter, leading to a 30% reduction in the area needed for installation.

The machine is available in the UK through sole sales and service agent Whitehouse Machine Tools, which points out three other notable attributes of the Spinner VC850. One is that the height with the spindle when raised to its maximum is just over 2.4 m, catering to users that have restricted headroom in their factory. A transport height of 2.3 m without significant disassembly helps access to buildings.
The second feature is that the X-axis guideway also has a single wiper for protection, allowing the table to move to the extremes, so automated loading and unloading from the sides is simplified. Thirdly, a short distance of 160 mm from table to operator leads to ergonomic use that is assisted further by a height-adjustable, swivelling control panel. The latest generation Siemens 840D sl CNC with 24” touchscreen is fitted, while availability of the Heidenhain TNC640 control is imminent.
Rapid traverse and maximum cutting feed rate are 40 m/min, contributing to high productivity, while table load is up to half a tonne.
There are two variants of spindle, a high-torque 12,000 rpm/18.2 kW SK40 or BT40 version as standard, or, optionally, an HSK63 alternative offering 18,000 rpm/18 kW.
For further information www.wmtcnc.com

Innovation drives investment

When pneumatics expert John (Jack) Bushby formed Sheffield-based Air Accessories in 1967, it was as a wholesaler of proprietary products from the world’s leading manufacturers, something that continues to this day.

From those early days, customer service was at the heart of everything the company did, and this vision remains under current owner and managing director Nick McKee. Part of that service is delivering products that meet customer needs precisely, and these don’t always come from a standard catalogue; therefore, a need for additional machining capacity to meet in-house product development was required.
Turnover has doubled since McKee took over the business and led to a push from Ian Malpass, Air Accessories’ production manager, and CNC setter operator Clive Glossop, to extend its in-house machining capacity. Already a user of an XYZ ProtoTRAK mill, an update to this machine seemed to be the obvious route for the company to take, as that control is ideal for the one-off and low-volume work planned. However, Malpass and Glossop had other ideas.
They put forward a proposal to bring in vertical machining centre capacity in the form of an XYZ 500 LR VMC.
“At the back of my mind was the fact that we are pneumatic engineers, not production engineers, and my thought was a machine of this type was a luxury, not a necessity, but I recognise that to get the best out of people you need to have better equipment,” says McKee. “The new machine would also reduce our reliance on putting work out to subcontract and, give us greater flexibility. Now that we have the machine, we may well become production engineers as it gives us the flexibility we need; it’s like having another member of staff.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Hurco UK doubles size

US-based machining centre and CNC lathe manufacturer Hurco has moved the subsidiary serving the UK and Irish markets, Hurco Europe Ltd, to different premises on the Cressex Industrial Estate in High Wycombe.

Covering an area of 26,000 sq ft, the building is double the size of the previous facility. The official opening of the new headquarters, showroom and technical centre was marked by an open day for customers last month, at which 11 of the latest Hurco models were demonstrated under power. The president of Hurco Companies Inc, Greg Volovic, travelled from Indianapolis to formally open the building.
For further information www.hurco.co.uk