Three lathes acquired in five years

Based in Steinhagen, Germany, wastewater pump manufacturer Pentair Jung Pumpen, has invested in three CNC lathes from CMZ in the just five years, mainly for turning steel and cast-iron components.

“We have found the ideal partner in CMZ,” states managing director Stefan Sirges. “Just like at Jung Pumpen, for them, quality is a crucial element in the manufacturing of their lathes. Our third CNC lathe in just five years; I think that says it all. The whole package – the product, service and consultation – is excellent.”

The trio of CMZ CNC lathes at Pentair Jung Pumpen comprises TD-35-Y-1350, TC-30-Y-800 and TC-30-Y-800-L-servo+GL20II models.

Pentair Jung Pumpen started operations in 1924 when the business was founded by plumber Heinrich Jung in Steinhagen.” That humble plumbing business is now a premium manufacturer of wastewater pumps that employs over 350 people, with a yearly turnover of €78m. Since 2007 it has belonged to Pentair Plc, a global supplier of water technology solutions.

Quality is not just a cornerstone of business strategy, it is written into the company’s DNA and forms its main motto. When the moment came to renew its existing machine tools, quality was a non-negotiable condition for choosing a suitable partner.

Sirges admits that when he came across CMZ and learnt about the painstaking manufacturing process of the lathes in depth, his mind was made up. For customers such as Pentair Jung Pumpen, for which quality at every stage of the process is fundamental, this aspect is a deciding factor.

For further information
www.cmz.com

Three years of continuous growth at Zoro

Zoro, a UK supplier of fasteners, tools and equipment to businesses within the engineering sector, is celebrating its third year of continuous growth, a period during which the company’s team has doubled in size and the product portfolio has expanded significantly. Since January 2020 alone, the company has launched over 97,000 new products. Plans are now in place to increase staff by another quarter within the coming year. Zoro supplies PPE and equipment to more than 126,000 companies in the engineering, automotive, aerospace, rail, marine and construction markets across the UK.

For further information www.zoro.co.uk

Aerospace drives jig borer demand

Starrag Group company SIP is currently assembling a series of high-precision jig boring machines destined for installation by multiple customers active in the aerospace industry.

The five machines – comprising a four-axis horizontal model and the remainder of three-/five-axis vertical designs – are scheduled for installation and commissioning during the second half of 2021.

These SIP machines will produce a range of workpieces, including gearboxes, structural components and satellite guidance systems. The quartet of vertical machines under construction will be able to accommodate workpieces weighing ranging from 2500 to 4000 kg, and have clamping surfaces from 1200 x 900 mm to 1700 x 1200 mm. The horizontal machine will handle components weighing up to 4000 kg on a clamping surface of 1200 x 1200 mm.

For further information
www.starrag.com

XYZ helps Wykes on green energy drive

Wykes Engineering is at the forefront of the green energy revolution, manufacturing a range of products for renewable power generation. Demand for new systems and expansion of existing on-site anaerobic generation capacity at its Rushden location led to investment in machining capacity, part of which saw the arrival of large-capacity turning in the shape of an XL 780 lathe from XYZ Machine Tools.

The XYZ XL 780 with its 780 mm swing over the bed and 3 m distance between centres provides Wykes Engineering with the capacity and versatility it requires for the machining of smaller parts. This investment was Wykes Engineering’s first move into CNC turning, so priorities had to include ease-of-use, and support for programmers and operators.
“The Siemens control was completely new to us, but we’ve found it extremely easy to use, especially with the training support we received from XYZ Machine Tools,” says John Houghton, design engineer at Wykes. “We had a demonstration of the machine at XYZ’s factory on a Monday, which convinced us that it was the right machine and control. We placed the order the following week and the machine was installed and commissioned just 10 days later.”

The XYZ XL 780 also offered other advantages to Wykes Engineering, including the price. Having reviewed the market for lathes of this capacity, the company found the XYZ machine to be 10-20% less expensive than its competitors. Also, Wykes was reassured that service support and spares were readily available should the need arise.

“If we had any questions relating to programming and operating the machine, which was all part of our learning curve, they were answered with a simple phone call to XYZ,” concludes Houghton.

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

Edgecam behind vaccine containers

Now that the first vaccine for COVID-19 has gained approval – with others expected to follow – a supplier to the pharmaceutical industry is manufacturing packaging components and delivery systems ready to support distribution once availability is assured. West Pharmaceutical Services has 25 manufacturing sites around the world, including a plant in Bodmin, Cornwall, where it manufactures tools for elastomeric packaging components.

Production of the company’s mould tools takes place on a range of Makino, Haas and Ingersoll CNC machining centres, many with five axes. Interim production manager Chris Tamblyn says all programming, from simple, basic operations, through to complex, fully automated five-axis machining, goes through Edgecam CAM software.

For further information
www.edgecam.com