The National Centre for Eye Proton Therapy, part of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust’s Wirral campus, is a world leader in the treatment of rare eye cancers. The advantage of proton treatment is that the penetration depth of the 60 MeV proton beam can be controlled and only has a maximum range of 31 mm in water, making it suitable for treating any position within the eye and, in many cases, preventing the complete removal of a patient’s eye.

Patients require four treatments over four consecutive days that each take just 20 minutes. Key to the success of that treatment is a small brass component called a collimator, which is tailor-made to shape the beam to cover a specific tumour, while protecting the surrounding area. These collimators are now being machined using a new XYZ 500 LR vertical machining centre, in a cycle time that is 95% shorter than before.

Prior to treatment, a patient has the affected eye scanned to precisely identify the size and position of the tumour. Following conversion of the scan into a DXF file, a Siemens CAD reader generates tool paths for the XYZ 500 LR. From receiving the scanned data to finished part now takes between 15 and 20 minutes (against more than two hours previously), with less than seven of those minutes actual machining time.

This significant time saving has two major benefits. First, it frees-up time in the workshop to carry out other tasks, and second, on those occasions where a quick turnaround is required, it is possible to complete machining of the collimator in the time it takes the radiographer to set-up the proton beam machine and prepare the patient for treatment.

For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied ECAM Engineering with a new NHP 6300 horizontal machining centre.

Installed at the company’s 20,000 sq ft facility, it is the first horizontal machining centre acquired by the company in its 52-year history, as well as its first Doosan machine tool investment.

The arrival of the machine has not only increased ECAM’s machining capacity but also its production capabilities and will, over time, improve the company’s operational efficiencies and productivity levels.

Says ECAM’s managing director, Phil Arme: “We have a number of three-axis vertical machining centres at our disposal and use them to machine precision components, made from steel plate of varying thicknesses, that have previously been through our in-house steel profiling and fabrication processes. The arrival of the new NHP 6300, with its twin-pallet configuration and B-axis table, will enable us to machine these parts quicker and more efficiently. Furthermore, the new machine’s rigidity, large working envelope and BT 50 spindle technology provide significant opportunities for us to secure new contracts that involve the machining of larger and heavier components.”

The NHP 6300 supplied to ECAM includes a 37 kW/15,000 rpm BT50 spindle, a 60-tool servo-driven ATC and the latest Fanuc 31i control. Further features include roller LM guideways, a B-axis table that rotates in increments as small as 0.0001°, twin (630 mm) pallets, rapids of 60 m/min and axis travels of 1050 x 900 x 1000 mm.

Says Arme: “In the near future the machine will be used to machine steel components, often with intricate details and features, to high precision and tight tolerances.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

Subcon 2021 (14-16 September, Birmingham NEC) is free to attend for anyone working in UK manufacturing and engineering, with visitors also gaining access to two further co-located events: The Engineer Expo and – new for 2021 – the Manufacturing Management Show (MMS). The Engineer Expo provides UK engineering professionals with the latest in-house manufacturing and design solutions alongside cutting-edge developments in advanced engineering technologies.

MMS supplies attendees with everything they need to know about running a successful manufacturing site under one roof. From maintenance and materials handling, through to continuous improvement, skills, IT and health and safety, MMS showcases a multitude of topics curated specifically for the UK’s senior manufacturing leaders.

For further information www.theengineer-expo.co.uk, www.manufacturingmanagementshow.co.uk