£3.5m machining facility takes next step

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

Five-axis portfolio expanded at 2D CNC

Available through UK distributor 2D CNC Machinery is the new German-built Alzmetall GS 1400/5-FTD five-axis bridge-type machining centre. The Alzmetall GS 1400/5-FTD is able to provide a complete in-cycle production sequence involving 3D turning, boring, milling, contour milling and five-sided machining on complex components, including those with customised gear forms.

High orders of precision, contouring form and geometry are aided by the machine’s patent-pending ‘4-Guideway System’, where the bridge is carried inside the structure of the GS 1400/5-FTD. The more traditional method is to mount the bridge on top of the side supports with just two guideways. Thanks to the 4-Guideway System, the machine is able to maximise the benefits of the latest control software technology.
By way of example, when producing customised gear tooth forms, such as those found on compact double helical, herringbone and bevel gears, the machine has the ability to automatically compensate for factors such as residual deviation found within the workpiece material. This compensation is achieved by utilising Heidenhain’s TNC640 control and its Load Adaptive Control (LAC) package. LAC is able to optimise control parameters and enable any possible deviations or minor errors in the cycle to be maintained within 10 µm.
Weighing in at 31,000 kg, the GS 1400/5-FDT machining centre has strokes of 1200 mm in X, 1300 mm in Y and 800 mm in Z, with a rapid traverse of rate of 82 m/min in each axis. Positional accuracy is within 5 µm. The A axis offers ±140°, while both swivel and rotary axes are powered by direct-torque drive motors delivering 30 m/min pivoting speeds.
An 82 kW, 14,000 rpm, 500 Nm spindle is supported by tool magazine options between 33 and 250 pockets.
For further information www.2dcnc.co.uk

Haas aids micron-level machining

March-based Microns Precision Engineering provides a subcontract engineering solution to customers across the UK and Europe.

Founders James Campbell and Garry Mills met while working as machinists at another firm, but in 2008, with a recession looming, they began to visualise starting a company of their own. “We wanted more control,” states Campbell. “We didn’t start with much, but because of the economic downturn things were cheaper. We bought a second-hand Haas mill and started to build up a customer base.”
Microns Precision soon outgrew its original premises, and after expanding into two larger units, began looking to see how it could fill its newly acquired space.
Today, nearly a decade later, Microns has installed 10 Haas machines, the latest of which is a VF-2SS Super Speed mill. With customers in industries ranging from agricultural to motorsport, scientific to gas and oil, the VF-2SS needs to be adaptive. “If something can be machined; we have a customer who wants one,” explains Campbell. “Right now we’re making DTS nano-positioning equipment which is mounted to lasers and microscopes, so the parts have to be dead flat. The accuracy on the VF-2SS is incredible, and it’s undoubtedly the fastest machine we have; the tool changer is so speedy that our jobs are noticeably quicker, which makes the whole process more efficient.
“This is our second Haas with four-axis capability and we’ve found that gives us a flexibility we hadn’t previously seen,” he continues. “As the controls are the same on all of the machines, we can switch from one to another in no time.”
For further information www.haas.co.uk

Smart manufacturing

Renishaw showcased a range of process control solutions for advanced manufacturing industries.

For instance, a machining cell was on display to demonstrate how high levels of automation and connectivity can be incorporated into CNC machining operations. The cell replicated the closed-loop process control applications that Renishaw uses to machine parts at its own production facilities in the UK, such as the 460,000 sq ft site in Miskin, Wales, where the integrated application of the company’s technologies enables productive, automated manufacturing with reduced labour and skill requirements, despite the low-volume, high-variety production environment.
For further information www.renishaw.com

High surface finishes on milled parts

The latest Mikron CrazyMill Cool tool available from Floyd Automatic Tooling made its exhibition debut at MACH.

Developed for milling small dimensions, the CrazyMill Cool Ball Z4 four-tooth finish-milling cutter with shank-integrated cooling is available in the diameter range of 1 to 8 mm for milling depths of up to 5xD. The tool is suitable for machining materials up to a hardness of 54 HRc, and its development has been focused on stainless steels, titanium, heat-resistant alloys and nickel and cobalt-chrome alloys. A flute angle of 30° is deployed on the shorter tools with 2xD cutting length, whereas longer versions have a progressive flute angle
from 30 to 40°.
For further information www.floydautomatic.co.uk