PROGRAMME OF INVESTMENT IN XYZ MACHINES PAYS DIVIDENDS

Matthew Boyt, managing director of CR Engineering in Wotton Underwood near Aylesbury bought the company from his previous employer in 2020 and since then has had a programme of investment in XYZ Machine Tools to keep up with demand.Originally formed in 1947, CR Engineering started off with watchmaking but now makes precision components for a wide range of applications including X-ray machines, bottle filling machines, bath lifts and specialist laser machinery.

“Before I bought the company and worked as an employee, Colin Rapsey, the previous owner, had already invested in XYZ Machine Tools, installing the first machine in 1998,” explains Boyt.“All the employees liked and were familiar with the ProtoTRAK controls and, the machines themselves had proved their reliability and return on investment, so it was an easy decision to continue working with XYZ Machine Tools as the business has grown.”

For turning, the company currently has three XYZ machines: a CT65 HD lathe with 66 mm capacity Hydrafeed bar-feed system, Siemens 828D ShopTurn touchscreen control and tool setting probe; a ProTurn RLX425 gap-bed lathe with 480 mm swing and 2500 rpm spindle (both purchased in July 2022); and a ProTurn SLX 355 with 1000 mm between centres which came with the company purchase.

For milling, the company’s XYZ machines include: a KMX 2000 turret mill with 762 x 380mm travel; an RMX 3500 bed mill with ProtoTRAK RMX control, 787 x 508 x 508mm travel and 5000 rpm spindle; and an RMX 5000 with ProtoTRAK RMX control, 1524 x 596 x 584mm travel and 7.5 hp programmable variable speed head. The latest acquisition is an XYZ 1100 HD vertical machining centre.

“This is my dream machine, and it would not fit in our previous factory,” says Boyt.“We moved to our new premises in August 2022, expanding our operation to 3600 sq ft. Purchasing this machine was one of the first things I did. We can fit three vices on the bed, so typically we can machine multi sided parts in one set-up, simply moving and turning them from one vice to the next to produce a finished part straight off one machine. Not only does this save on handling, it also improves accuracy and quality.”

The XYZ 1100 HD comes with a 33 hp, 10,000 rpm spindle, a 1200 x 600 mmtable and a Siemens 828D ShopMill 15″ touchscreen control or a Heidenhain TNC 620 control.

CR Engineering’s move to its new factory was orchestrated by XYZ’s haulage, moving the all the machinery and installing the new RMX 5000 in the space of one and a half days.

Says Boyt: “To recommission all the machines and install the new RMX 5000 so quickly minimised our downtime and was an impressive feat. Even better, the RMX 5000 paid for itself with the first job we put on it.”

The company specialises in small batch quantities of between 2 and 200 parts in a wide range of materials that include stainless steel, mild steel, aluminium, brass, acetel and nylon. Programming takes placeat the machine control, taking advantage of the easy ProtoTRAK, ShopMill and ShopTurn interactive conversational programming.

“We find this works well for the small batch quantities we make,” reports Boyt.“However, a really useful feature is the TRAKing on all the XYZ machines, which gives us the ability to run forwards and backwards through a program by turning the hand-wheel, quickly proving it out before hitting the start button, avoiding scrap and expensive damage to the machine.”

The investment in new machinery has impressed CR Engineering’s customers and it is seeing a growth in orders thanks to the large-capacity machines it has where some parts are up to 2.5m long. No one locally has the capability to machine components of this size. Similarly, the company is reaping the benefits of reshoring where customers are re-evaluating security of supply. CR Engineering is BS EN 9001:2008 registered, so accuracy, repeatability, traceability and on-time delivery are important parts of its ethos.

CR Engineering has nearly 70 years of experience in producing quality precision components for a wide variety of industries. The knowledge and skill within the company offers a refreshing blend between traditional engineering and modern current practice, allowing the customer to have confidence that both quality and service are available to them, as indeed it continues to be with many long term current customers. However, with Boyt now at the helm, the company is enjoying a new dawn based on investment in both capital equipment and staff.

“We now have 10 employees, adding a further four since I took over in 2020,” concludes Boyt.“Our staff are highly motivated and prepared to go the extra mile for our customers. Working with XYZ Machine Tools gives us the confidence that we can achieve our aims. The machines are well built and reliable, and the service is excellent. We hardly ever have any trouble with the machines and, if we do, it’s fixed the next day. We’ve found the machines to be very good value for money and will continue investing with XYZ Machine Tools as our business grows.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Digital 3D touch sensor wins Hexagon’s support

Hexagon has announced the winner of the second cohort of its coveted ‘Sixth Sense’ open innovation platform, which nurtures start-ups creating solutions to pressing manufacturing challenges.The Sixth Sense platform offers business insight, access to experts and mentorship, as well as exposing them to Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division’s global customer and partner base, which includes the likes of Audi, Airbus, Meta and Zimmer Biomet.

GelSight won the competition, following an intense 10-week programme of product refinement and business development, which culminated in a pitching competition at The Hague, Netherlands, where the team presentedits progress to a panel of judges representing experts in technology, investment and Hexagon leadership. As part of its winning package, GelSight will receive access to Hexagon’s extensive customer base to expand its business, andintegrate with Hexagon products and further resources to aid globalisation.

Youssef Benmokhtar, CEO of GelSight, says: “Many inspections in the industry today are still performed by an inspector simply looking at or touching a part to identify, and sometimes measure, a defect. This is a subjective, non-repeatable, non-traceable process. Our gel material acts as artificial skin, providing extremely detailed and rapid surface characterisation. We have digitised the entire workflow – our technology analyses the readings to give users detailed 3D visualisation with up to 5 million data points that can help automate processes, cutting costs and time.

“Working with Sixth Sense has been such a memorable experience,” he adds.“We are proud and humbled to have been chosen and are looking forward to the future with Hexagon. The real work starts now.”
For further information https://sixthsense.hexagon.com

Trumpf to expand smart factory

Trumpf Group will add 55,800 sq ft to its production building for the manufacture of laser cutting, bending and welding machinery at Farmington, Connecticut. The project is part of ongoing recovery efforts related to damage sustained after an aircraft crashed into the production building in September of 2021. Trumpf will invest an estimated $40m into the project, which will include a smart factory that demonstrates advanced automated and connected precision sheet metal production. Completion is expected in May 2024.

“North America remains our most important business market outside of our domestic market in Germany,” says Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller, CEO of the Trumpf Group. “This project is an important step toward the next generation of manufacturing for Trumpf and our customers across the United States.”
For further information www.trumpf.com

Blum touch probes prove their long service life

Employing measuring systems in the working area of a CNC machining centre is still an unfamiliar idea for some quality experts. With its probes in use at German company Scherzinger Pumpen, Blum-Novotest is demonstrating that automated measurement not only works effectively in this harsh environment and in two-shift operation, but does so reliably and accurately over many years.

“Our core competencies in manufacturing are in milling, turning and grinding, as well as logistics and assembly,” reports Mario Maier, head of process planning at Scherzinger Pumps. “We machine metal as well as plastic and, in so doing, achieve a high level of quality and reliably tight manufacturing tolerances. Blum touch probes and laser light barriers, which we use in many machining centres, help us to accomplish that. The probes have an astonishingly long service life.”

At Scherzinger, the Blum TC50 infrared probes primarily find use for measuring bores and for workpiece zero-point detection. The company machines housings for brine pumps, for example, from two sides by rotating the clamped components in the machine tool. As a point of note, the drive is located on one side, while the two gear wheels of the actual pump are located on the other side. Scherzingermachines the through-hole of the drive axis from the drive side in the first set-up. After finishing one side – there are five housings per set-up – the housings swivel by 180°to allow machining of the pump side.

To ensure that the two machining operations align precisely with each other, the probe (mounted in the machine spindle) measures the position of the through-hole on all five housings after swivelling. The measured positions are then taken into account during the second machining operation so that, for example, the threaded holes for the cover can be precisely aligned, drilled and cut.
For further information www.blum-novotest.com

Museum exhibit features MTC apprentices

Two MTC Training apprentices feature in a permanent exhibit at London’s Science Museum that aims to promote STEM (science, technology and mathematics) subjects to youngsters. ‘Technology Makes it Happen’, features a video of MTC Training apprentices Kieran Bullivant and Evadney Enock, who have recently completed their advanced manufacturing apprenticeships. In the video, the pair talk about their training and the opportunities that have opened up to them as a result. The exhibition is scheduled to remain in place at the Science Museum for at least 10 years.
For further information www.the-mtc.org