Oil and gas manufacturer opts for Ibarmia

Cutting and Wear Resistant Developments Ltd, a manufacturer of specialist downhole tools for the oil and gas industry, has undergone a transformative shift in its production capabilities after investing in an Ibarmia five-axis travelling-column machining centre from Dugard. The company, led by managing director Matthew Cooper, has followed a successful growth trajectory over the past 12 years, and the introduction of this advanced CNC machine has played a pivotal role in supporting its expansion.

Prior to the arrival of the Ibarmia ZVH 45 L3000 machine, the company encountered challenges related to the complexity of its tools, lead time constraints and the efficiency of its manufacturing methods. However, the implementation of the new machine has revolutionised their operations.

The Ibarmia machine, equipped with a high-performance spindle capable of speeds up to 12,000 rpm, has enabled Cutting and Wear to reduce lead times and machining times significantly.

Mark Taylor, CNC programmer, says: “We had one tool that previously took us 11 hours to mill; on the new machine, it was reduced to just two hours.”

One of the stand-out features of the Ibarmia machine is its advanced probing capabilities. By integrating probing into the machine’s programming cycle, Cutting and Wear has eliminated the need for manual programming, further streamlining the manufacturing process.

“We can execute everything on the machine as it’s built into program, so there’s no need to remove it from the machine for inspection,” says Taylor.

The Ibarmia ZVH 45 L3000 machine from Dugard is a five-axis travelling-column machine with an X, Y and Z-axis travel of 3000 x 1200 x 800 mm, and a B-axis head range of ±105°.

More information www.dugard.com

New investment pays dividends at Sanoh UK

MACH Machine Tools has supplied Sanoh UK Manufacturing, a tier-one supplier and manufacturer and distributor of tubular products to the UK automotive sector, with a new vertical machining centre. The machine, a three-axis MACH MDV 1160S equipped with the DynaPath control, arrived at the company’s Engineering Centre facility in Avonmouth in April 2025. It replaced two older semi-automatic milling machines that were part-exchanged to help fund the investment.

Since installation, the MACH MDV 1160S has been put through its paces machining a range of different-sized base plates for gauges and assembly fixtures. The plates are made from aluminium and measure 12.7 mm thick. Machining operations comprise the drilling of pre-fixing holes on the underside, allowing secure clamping on the machine table, before the drilling of application-specific holes on the top side that serve to hold a number of posts and blocks in position.

Says Leyton Dunn, Engineering Centre manager: “Prior to investing in the new MACH machine, these drilling operations were performed on our semi-automatic mills. However, the relatively small worktables meant that we were constantly having to stop drilling to unclamp the plates, move them to a different position and re-clamp.”

On a recent project involving the drilling of a series of holes in 10 different sized plates, the size of the worktable on the MDV 1160S meant the number of plate movements and the related re-fixturing operations required was reduced to just four instead of 24. Moreover, the project was completed in 70 hours less than if it was handled on the Engineering Centre’s semi-automatic machines.

More information www.machmt.co.uk

Heller promotes five-axis machining centres

Heller presented its expertise in the productive and flexible manufacture of complex components at the Paris Air Show earlier this month. The accent was on the company’s F and HF series of five-axis horizontal machining centres (HMCs), which see regular use in the aerospace industry for producing various sizes of engine component, doors, landing gear and structural parts.

Especially with regard to the machining of difficult-to-machine materials, Heller says its robust yet compact machining centre solutions are configurable with a choice of automation options, all models being equally suitable for single-part manufacturing or high-volume production, 24/7.

Since the end of 2023, Heller has rolled out five-axis production centres of various sizes in the new F series. In addition to a small footprint, the machines offer acceleration up to 7 m/s² in the linear axes and positional tolerances in X/Y/Z up to 6 µm. A further advantage is the large working volume relative to the external dimensions.

With one-hit machining playing an increasingly important role in many aerospace manufacturing applications, Heller has embraced this all-in-one concept and offers an optional turning function for combined turn-milling on the F series for machines up to 1.6 m in the X axis. The facilitating high-torque rotary table delivers speeds up to 700 rpm, allowing external or internal contouring in the longitudinal or transverse direction in a single set-up, as well as the production of undercuts and recesses. Even the cutting of external and internal threads is possible.

Error prevention features include a digital twin integrated into the Siemens Sinumerik One control system, which supports virtual mapping of a production process before removal of the first chips.

More information www.heller.biz

New range of simultaneous five-axis machines

Mills CNC has introduced a range of simultaneous five-axis machining centres into the UK market. The second-generation DVF 5000 series, successor to the original series introduced in 2018, builds on the success of its predecessor through improved accuracy, faster processing speed and greater machining flexibility.

Faster X-, Y-and X-axis rapids (42 m/min) and 0.4 g acceleration/deceleration rates combine with increased B- and C-axis rotation speeds (25 rpm) and impressive tool-to-tool changeover times of 1.3 seconds to reduce part cycle times and increase throughput.

Standard second-generation machines are equipped with a directly-coupled 18.5 kW/15,000 rpm spindle capable of processing a diverse range of materials in double-quick time. To increase machining capabilities, built-in high-torque 30 kW/15,000 rpm/230 Nm or high-speed 37 kW/20,000 rpm options are available.

Irrespective of the spindle type selected, all options feature advanced oil-cooling which, working in conjunction with strategically located sensors on/in the spindle head, column and bed, monitor thermal displacement throughout the machining process. Automatic parameter adjustment minimises the effects of thermal expansion and drift.

The incorporation of precision roller-type LM guideways and high-accuracy 0.0001° B- and C-axis rotational mechanisms, with the optional IKC (Intelligent Kinematic Compensation) system to monitor and adjust rotary axis errors, guarantees precision even over extended use and lengthy machining runs.

DVF 5000 second-generation machines can handle larger workpieces than their predecessors and feature 630 mm diameter rotary-tilting tables that accommodate workpieces up to 600 mm in diameter and 500 mm in height. There is also a 26% increase in table size, a 32% increase in the machining envelope available, and a 20% increase in X-, Y- and Z-axis travels.

More information www.millscnc.co.uk

Pushing the boundaries of machining accuracy

German vertical machining centre manufacturer Roeders, whose machines are sold into the UK and Irish markets exclusively by Hurco Europe, is rolling out a new range of milling platforms. The machine feature optional integral grinding capability that can achieve extraordinarily tight workpiece tolerances.

The RPT series of three- and three-axis VMCs is said to achieve tolerances half those obtainable using Roeders’ established RXP machines. Roeders’ latest VMCs can remain geometrically stable to within ±1 µm, even if the ambient temperature fluctuates as much as 3°C.

Achieving this level of precision would normally require housing the machine tool in an air conditioned environment. Roeders concentrated instead on holistic temperature management within the machine, integrating PreciTemp technology to achieve a high level of consistency and repeatability.

Customers can specify three increasingly sophisticated levels of temperature compensation and sensor feedback to the CNC, according to requirements. It can involve a combination of some or all of the following cooling measures: temperature control of the machine table and rotary axis bearings; temperature control of the torque motors in the trunnion-type five-axis machines; and temperature control of the air in the working area, surrounding the axis drives and in upper part of the machine guarding.

Thermal stability of the portal structure and machine bed is maintained by embedded pipework carrying chilled water. There is similar circuitry for the spindle and its surrounding sleeve to prevent growth in the Z axis, which is monitored to sub-micron accuracy by an external, non-contact sensor. Software algorithms derived in the course of machine development compensate for any remaining minimal residual errors.

More information www.hurco.co.uk