CNC apprentice key to ventilator push

A 20-year-old CNC machining apprentice is playing a key role in manufacturing over 150,000 critical turned parts for the NHS.

Jacob Benton, who is studying towards his HNC Level 4 with In-Comm Training, is working around the clock with the manufacturing team at Cannock-based Key Precision to produce up to nine different components for use in ventilators being built for the frontline.
The young engineer has programmed three different CNC machines to create five oxygen supply line parts, completing the complex task in just a few hours of receiving the order so the company can meet urgent timelines set by the consortium.
Key Precision is a specialist manufacturer of precision turned parts, inserts for plastic and sheet-metal fasteners, supplying high-profile customers such as Aston Martin, Bentley, JCB and Rolls-Royce. The company, which employs 25 people, has worked with In-Comm Training for more than 20 years, accessing upskilling courses and forklift training for its workforce.
Greg Jackson, engineering and quality director at Key Precision, adds his support: “We are big fans of growing our own talent and actively look to recruit budding engineers who want to go to the very top of our business. Jacob is a prime example. From the minute he stepped on to the shop floor, he has shown a real appetite to learn from his peers, attack new challenges and use his own initiative to come up with solutions.
“In-Comm Training has given him a fantastic grounding in engineering and the ability to continue learning with our support,” adds Jackson. “He really has been instrumental in the ventilator project.”
For further information www.in-comm.co.uk

Mill-turn centres boost Franke

During the pandemic, with the help of machining centres from DMG Mori, German firm Franke GmbH is meeting the challenge of soaring demand for the urgent supply of system components used in medical equipment such as CT scanners.

High-end special bearings with integrated drives for CT scanners, bearings for ceiling lights in intensive care units, and special bearings for medical centrifuges and laboratory equipment, are just a few examples of the components Franke produces for manufacturers in the medical industry.
To meet the high quality that users demand, Franke relies for its production on six machining centres featuring turning capability from DMG Mori, including some with twin-pallet change and an accuracy pack. A special focus at present is on the imminent delivery of two more DMC 125 FD duoBLOCK mill-turn centres with 1,250 x 1,250 x 1,000 mm working volume.
Sascha Eberhard, managing director of Franke, says: “We are being presented with a challenge during the pandemic of ensuring uninterrupted supply of our products to vital industries, while at the same time diligently implementing social distancing and other protective measures in our factory.”
The company has used machining centres from DMG Mori since 2008 to ensure flexibility of production. Depending on the type of product, batch sizes are between 1 and 1000-off per project. Workpiece materials range from diverse types of wire, through aluminium, brass and cast steel, to plastics and carbon fibre.
One of the two recently ordered DMC 125 FD duoBLOCK machines will be equipped with the DMG Mori ‘gearSKIVING’ technology cycle to enable the in-house production of straight and helical external/internal spur gears using skiving tools, reducing both cost and throughput times.
For further information www.dmgmori.com

Ventilator components

When Dr Iain Crossingham, respiratory consultant at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital’s Chest Clinic, identified the need to increase available ventilator capacity by commissioning the design and production of a single-use, consumable exhalation valve, Mackart Additive was ready to respond.

In a matter of hours, Mackart Additive developed a detailed 3D CAD model of the component, which was approved by Dr Crossingham for production to begin the very next day. “When the part arrived it worked perfectly,” says Crossingham. “Over recent days we have used the new exhalation valve to successfully ventilate a test lung, which is amazing.”
For further information www.mackartadditive.com

Influx of bearings

Midland Bearings, a West Midlands-based distributor of high-quality bearings, says it is already starting to see the impact of China reopening its economy.

The company is prepping space to welcome 23 full containers of stock being shipped from China after deliveries were suspended in April due to coronavirus. All 23 containers are due to arrive at Felixstowe within the next three weeks.
For further information www.midlandbearings.com

SwissNano 7 available from Tornos

The new SwissNano 7 is now available in the UK from Tornos. Previously only offered in a 4 mm diameter variant, the 7 mm capacity SwissNano 7 retains the advantages of the 4 mm model, such as the kinematics and thermal stability, to deliver high performance and precision when machining small turned parts.

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Notably, the original machining capacity of 4 x 28 mm has been boosted to 7 x 50 mm, while spindle power has more than doubled (to 2.5 kW) to machine bars from the hardest materials. According to Tornos, the small footprint and machine design means SwissNano 7 occupies the same space as a cam-type machine and can therefore increase output per square metre compared with other CNC machines.
The six-axis kinematics offer numerical adjustment of all tool positions in the X, Y and Z directions. At the heart of the concept is the back spindle mounted on three linear axes, which makes the machine extremely user friendly. The main platen includes three positions for the rotating tools; it can hold transverse drills, a polygon tool or a gear-hobbing tool. This capability opens up the potential of machining operations not previously possible on this range.
Tornos’ SwissNano 7 is suitable for the medical sector when complemented with the addition of a thread-whirling unit. This attachment enables the machine to be used for the production of maxillofacial screws, and can prove a good partner when it comes to the machining of screws for dental implants or straight implants. The machine can also be equipped with high-frequency spindles for back-machining operations, which allows the machine to mill hexalobular (Torx) shapes.
For further information www.tornos.com