Bridgeport mill boosts 1-off machining

Expert CNC Ltd, a subcontract supplier of precision milling and turning services, has invested in a pre-owned Bridgeport Interact 4 CNC milling machine from Sorted Machine Sales. The move comes in response to ongoing customer demand for greater flexibility in the machining of 1-off components.
Established in 2008, Verwood, Dorset-based Expert CNC serves customers in sectors ranging from marine and aerospace, through to machine building and architecture. Diversity of this nature requires inherent flexibility in the machine shop.
“We never know what work will come through the door tomorrow, and with increasing requests for 1-off parts against short lead-times, we made the decision to source a CNC vertical mill that was simple and quick to program,” explains commercial director Gary Waldron. “We saw a Bridgeport Interact 4 with Heidenhain CNC on Sorted’s website and, after a viewing, deemed it ideal for our needs.”
Phil Bowers, director at Sorted Machine Sales, takes up the story: “The machine had only been used for light work in the aerospace industry, so was in really good condition. We gave it a comprehensive service, and it sailed through a Renishaw ballbar test. Each pre-owned machine is treated as if we were buying it ourselves. This level of service is what ensures we enjoy high repeat sales.”
Indeed, Expert CNC is now in the market for a second pre-owned machine.
“We have earmarked funds for another investment, which will either be a vertical machining centre with a fourth axis, or a turning machine,” says Waldron. “Whichever we decide, Sorted will be our first port of call.”
For further information www.sorted-uk.com
www.expert-cnc.co.uk

Smart wings offer a composite solution

A £1m+ project to develop ‘smart’ composite leading edges for aircraft wings with embedded heaters to protect the wings against ice build-up (while reducing weight and boosting efficiency compared with existing systems), has concluded successfully after crucial wind tunnel tests. The EU-funded ELWIPS programme brought together researchers from the University of Sheffield’s AMRC and aerospace companies Meggitt and AeroTex.
ELWIPS is a programme managed by aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation. The AMRC designed and built a composite wing structure which incorporates electric heating technology and power control systems developed by Meggitt subsidiaries in the UK and France, while specialists in icing prevention and prediction, AeroTex, determined the sizing, zoning, power rating and control strategy for the heaters.
For further information www.amrc.co.uk

TDI Challenge now open to entries

Submissions for the 2017 edition of the Technology Design and Innovation (TDI) Challenge, the MTA’s flagship schools competition for young engineers, are now invited. There are four prize categories to be judged, two in each age group, which are 14-16 and 17-19. Each age category has two prizes on offer for individual and group projects. The winner in each category will receive an individual prize (which include iPads, GoPro cameras, Mini-rig speakers and drones) as well as a £1000 voucher for their school to spend on design and technology equipment. All entries must be received by 12 May.
For further information
www.mta.org.uk/tdi

Good attendance expected at ReTEC

The ReTEC trade fair for used machinery and equipment is set to take place in Augsburg on 25-27 April. Over three days, exhibitors will present pre-owned machine tools and metalworking technologies in halls 5, 6 and 7. Furthermore, some exhibitors will be offering a full range of services relating to used machines, including retrofitting, dis- and re-assembly, special transport and commissioning.
International visitor groups from countries such as Armenia, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the Ukraine have already registered for ReTEC 2017. The demand for machinery in these countries is large but available finances are often only sufficient to allow for pre-owned machinery. As always, MTI magazine will be taking a stand (E02, hall 5) at ReTEC, from where it will be handing out copies of its show issue to exhibition visitors.
For further information www.retec.com

Two-axis lathe turns bar work on its head

The installation of a Hyundai Wia two-axis lathe has not only reduced cycle times by 18% on an existing component at Walsall-based DJT Engineering but, by releasing capacity, is enabling the company to double its output of components derived from bar. Supplied by TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC), the sole UK and Ireland agent for Hyundai Wia, the KIT450 was purchased “because I could see that it would produce immediate benefits on this fairly straightforward alloy steel part”, says the company’s managing director Lee Baker.
Produced from 45 mm bar, the 13 mm long component requires a 23 mm through-hole before parting-off.
“With just two tools involved, I wanted a suitable ‘simple’ and cost-effective two-axis machine that I could dedicate to this component and it appeared that Ward CNC was the only company that could supply such – with the Hyundai Wia KIT450,” says Baker. “The new machine has cut cycle times to such an extent that I have been able to release the former machine for other, similar parts. This has allowed me to process up to 12 tonnes of bar a month, compared with
6 tonnes.”
The Hyundai Wia, which has a swing over the bed of 530 mm and a maximum turning diameter and length of 170 mm and 300 mm respectively, joins a range of machines at DJT Engineering. The company, which specialises in the production of turned and milled parts, also offers the machining of special fasteners and assembly work in all material types, as well as finish coatings.
For further information
www.wardcnc.com