SUBCONTRACTOR TURNS ON PRODUCTIVITY TAP

When it comes to machining turned parts, there are very few companies with the experience, prestige and capabilities of HPC Services. As an industry leader, when Ilkeston-based HPC specifies new fixed-head CNC turning centres, it turns to the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) and its Nakamura-Tome brand.

Established in 1997 with a single sliding-head lathe, the BTMA member now has 10 sliding heads and eight fixed-head machines.Along with sister company Hemlock Engineering, the two companies have more than 80 staff and 45 CNC machine tools. This is why HPC Services and Hemlock Engineering claim to be one of the largest subcontract organisations in the East Midlands.

Typically producing batches from 200 to 2000-off on its fixed-head machines and larger runs on its sliders, HPC Services holds upwards of £1m of stock components for its multitude of long-term customers to ‘call off’ at any point. With the majority of its machine tools operating at a 92% spindle uptime, when stock depletes below a certain level, the company recognises the need to invest in new machines to meet customer demand. So, with stock levels diminishing in line with increased customer demand and the company witnessing a period of significant growth, HPC required more capacity.The answer was a Nakamura-Tome WT150II-F turning centre that arrived in May 2023.

Discussing why the company specified a twin-spindle twin-turret Nakamura-Tome WT150II-F, HPC Services managing director Paul Cobb says: “The Nakamura is the ultimate subcontractor’s machine. It is fast, powerful and productive, but above all else, it’s an extremely flexible machine. That’s what you need when you don’t know what job is coming through the door next.”

The ISO9001 manufacturer now has six Nakamura machines, alluding to which, Cobb continues: “We’ve had Nakamura machines for over 20 years; they never let us down. We had three Nakamura machines and, when the brand underwent a significant upgrade over 10 years ago, we bought a new WT150 machine.Its enhanced capabilities and speed enabled it to replace two of the previous Nakamura models. The major upgrades at that time were a move from worm to tang drives, which increased the rigidity of the axes and milling capabilities. Nakamura also introduced a new control and software system. From that point, we bought another three WT150II-F machines, a WT100 and a smaller single-spindle, single-turret Nakamura AS200.

Nestled between Derby and Nottingham, the subcontractor manufactures everything from high-end kitchen and bathroom taps and ancillaries, through fire suppression systems, camera and scientific devices, to hydraulic components for the rail industry. Primary materials machined include brass, stainless steel and aluminium.

Discussing the variation of parts manufactured, Cobb says: “Our sliders produce small components, while the Nakamura machines are dedicated to larger parts. However, when it comes to machining small stainless parts, we move these to the Nakamuras. The Nakamuras are more powerful and robust, which results in higher cutting speeds and feeds, better surface finishes and extended tool life. Although sliders will be inherently faster than fixed-head machines, the ability to use larger more rigid tools on the Nakamuras, along with the flexibility to machine any part with multiple tools cutting simultaneously, is fantastic. Furthermore, this stability and versatility means we can get jobs off the machines in one hit and, by using the Hydrafeed Rota-Rack system on the WT150II-F machines, we can run the machines unmanned over the weekends.”

Regarding the seamless installation of the most recent Nakamura WT150II-F, Paul adds: “We have our Nakamura machines set-up with the programs and tools ready to run. All our tools are stored on shelves with the pre-sets, so they are ready to go. This means that any time a repeat job arrives, we have the program and tools set. It may be more costly from a tooling perspective, but it drastically reduces set-ups and changeovers. We can have some pretty complex jobs set up and running in less than an hour, and this system of operating also works when new machines arrive. For example, the latest Nakamura WT150II-F was up and running within hours of it being commissioned.”

The bank of Nakamura machines now runs for 18 hours a day during manned shifts and the remaining six hours of the day unmanned. The new Nakamura WT150II-F that arrived in May has run 18 hours a day, five days a week since it landed on the shop floor.

“The Nakamura’s are fantastic,” states Cobb.“We had space under a staircase for a smaller machine and bought a Nakamura AS200 single-spindle machine. Even that has been running around the clock since it came. In fact, we keep our WT150 and WT100 machines for bar-fed work and the smaller AS200 is used for 3-4 inch billet jobs.”

Looking to the future, Cobb concludes: “We’re about to launch a new milling company called Skyblade for high-volume automated milling and we also want a dedicated facility for our Nakamura machines. We are confident that, with our growth trajectory, we’ll have 10 and maybe more Nakamura machines soon.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Unlocking the language of electrification

A landmark initiative that aims to unlock the universal language of electrification launched recently at a major event in London.Over 100 industry experts were present at the Museum of London to take a first look at The Power Electronics, Machines and Drives Body of Knowledge (PEMDBoK). This new resource is set to align understanding of the essential skills and capabilities required by the sector.Hosted on the Electric Revolution Skills (ERS) Hub, individuals, employers, course providers, recruiters and companies can sign up to access information on the skills, competencies and training needed to work in PEMD.
For further information www.ershub.co.uk/body-of-knowledge

Trumpf 3D printers at Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters will use 3D printers from Trumpf to manufacture components for its helicopters, as well as for aircraft from parent company Airbus. The company is expanding its additive manufacturing capabilities with a new 3D printing centre in Donauwörth, Germany, with Trumpf supplying machines for the 3D printing ofstructural components made from titanium and high-strength aluminium.

“With innovative manufacturing processes, we are working on the helicopters of the future in Donauwörth,” states site manager Helmut Färber.“Among other things, 3D printing reduces the weight of components, which helps aircraft operators cut fuel consumption and lower costs. It can also help reduce CO2 emissions in flight. We’ll use the 3D printing process to produce components for the electric-powered CityAirbus, the experimental high-speed Racer helicopter and the Airbus A350 and A320 passenger aircraft, among others.”
For further information www.trumpf.com

Unison launches consumable tooling service

Unison Ltd, a UK manufacturer of tube and pipe bending machinery, is introducing a new bend tooling service to make it simple for businesses to receive quality consumable tooling precisely wheneverrequired.The result of a £500,000 investment to date, with a further £250,000 spend planned by Christmas 2023, at the heart of the service is a new tooling manufacturing centre at Unison’s Scarborough headquarters. From here, the company prepares tailored tooling agreements, with around £100,000 worth of tooling, including mandrel balls and wiper dies, held in stock.

“We’ve been aware of a gap in the consumable bend tooling market for some time,” says Unison sales applications engineer Luke Gibson. “As such, we wanted to extend our tooling service to provide even greater convenience to Unison customers, while also giving users of other makes of tube bending machines rapid access to our consumable and long-life products.”
For further information www.unisonltd.com

Small five-axis machine packs real punch

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions (formerly Doosan) and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has introduced a new simultaneous five-axis machining centre.The DN Solutions DVF 4000 is the latest addition to the company’s best-selling DVF-series of five-axis machining centres and, with its compact size and technical specification, targets component manufacturers looking to improve their productivity and process efficiencies.

The DVF 4000 is powerful, fast, flexible and reliable, reports Mills CNC. It is suitable for processing parts that require multiple machining operations,reducing the number of set-ups required to produce such components to completion.The machine comes with a 12,000rpm (BT 40) directly-coupled spindle as standard, powered by an 18.5kW motor that generates 118Nm of torque. AFANUC 31i-Plus control enables machine shops to use the DVF 4000 in full simultaneous five-axis machining mode with advanced contouring capabilities.

Notably, the DVF 4000 is equipped with a 400mm diameter, integrated rotary tilting table with a zero-backlash roller gear cam design that delivers improved speed and reliability.
Productivity and process efficiencies are further realised with the machine’s 60-tool, servo-driven automatic tool changer and an integrated thermal compensation system, comprising six sensors strategically located within the machine that combat thermal drift issues in real time.

Roller LM guideways deliver improved speed and rigidity, while linear scales on the machine’s X, Y, and Z axes, and rotary scales on its B and C axes, ensure accurate positioning and repeatability.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk