Precision packed in a small footprint

Headquartered near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Vilardell specialises in the production of precision parts with high added value and comprises two divisions, the Medical Division and the Industrial Division. Within the Industrial Division, manager Jordi Roy Torras says Vilardell has focused on the production of highly complex parts for some time: “This is our core competence; something we have developed year-after-year and part-by-part.

“We employ 165 staff and they are very important to us,” continues Torras. “Each and every one of us has to remain innovative – irrespective of his or her position or function within the company – that’s essential for our business.”
Luckily, the company has invested in technology from Tornos. The long-standing collaboration means that Vilardell now boasts an inventory of equipment which includes a small number of single-spindle cam machines (T-4, R-10 and MS7) and a large number of multi-spindle models (AS 14, SAS 16 and SAS 16 DC). In terms of CNC machines, the company’s fleet includes the Deco 10, Deco 13, Deco 20, Sigma 20 and EvoDeco 16 machines.
Recently, Vilardell purchased a MultiSwiss 6×16, but what made the company opt for this machine?
“The choice was driven by rational motivation,” says Torras. “In terms of technical specifications, the machine is simply the best on the market. However, we had to also consider the restricted space in our plant. The MultiSwiss boasts the most compact footprint and is definitely the most efficient machine available.
“At first sight, small footprint may seem to be trivial, but it makes all the difference,” says Torras. “The machine is really doing well and the fact that it is equipped with a container comprising all peripherals is a key advantage.”
For further information www.tornos.com

MAN appoints latest chairman

Adam Cunningham, CEO of Muller Holdings, has taken over the reins at the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), a collaboration of eight West Midlands-based subcontract manufacturers and an engineering design agency, just as a new order takes its combined efforts to over £75m of sales generated since formation in 2003. Focus is now on increasing this number to £100m, says Cunningham, who takes over at MAN from Brandauer’s Rowan Crozier.

Says Cunningham: “We are fairly unique in being able to bring together such a wide diversity of engineering disciplines under one banner,” says Cunningham, who started his career with Concentric Pumps in Birmingham. “Our core philosophy is to work together to win new contracts, as this is what keeps us all in business and, over the years, we’ve been very successful in doing that. A recent order from the renewables sector has actually taken us over £75m of sales for the group.”
For further information www.man-group.co.uk

Trio of installations for ETG Ireland

Three machine installations gave Engineering Technology Group (ETG) in Ireland a strong finish to 2019, with bosses predicting a rise in demand for twin and triple-turret format models, and smaller five-axis machines, over the next 12 months.

ETG delivered a Nakamura AS200LMYT to the Limerick Institute of Technology’s training facility and a Quaser MV184 EH vertical mill for one of its longest-established customers in Northern Ireland, taking the firm’s total of machines sourced from ETG to nine. A further Nakamura AS200LMSY sub-spindle lathe headed to Sligo, with a mould-making specialist investing in new technology to help it increase market share in the aerospace and medical sectors.
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Dugard becomes UK agent for Ibarmia

Ibarmia’s range of five-axis travelling-column machining centres is now exclusively available in the UK from Dugard.

The partnership is the result of increased UK interest in machines of this type. “Through working with Dugard, engineers in the UK will have the opportunity to invest in the highest level of technology with the best local service support,” says Ignacio Mera, Ibarmia’s area sales manager for the UK. “We are excited to bring the success of our solutions to the UK and we are confident Dugard is the perfect partner.”
Adds Eric Dugard, managing director of Dugard: “With a full line up of three, four and five-axis travelling-column machines from 1.5 to 12 m capacity, featuring complete turning capabilities, the flexibility, capability and opportunities for UK manufacturers are evident. Built in the Basque region of Spain, an area renowned for its heavy-duty machine-tool building and innovation, the Ibarmia range will give Dugard and its customers machining capabilities and flexibility beyond that of anything else seen in the UK. As well as the travelling-column machines, Ibarmia has introduced a range of universal five-axis machines – the T-series.”
For further information www.dugard.com

Large XYZ lathe features ProtoTRAK

The turning range from XYZ Machine Tools has been extended with the addition of the ProTURN RLX 780, a 3 m gap-bed lathe with a swing of 780 mm that has been engineered to use the latest ProtoTRAK control.

Previously, XYZ Machine Tools’ XL series of lathes had been restricted to the Siemens 828D ShopTurn control system, but with developments in drive technology, the first of these large-capacity lathes can now be married with the ProtoTRAK control, opening up opportunities for existing ProtoTRAK users who previously may have resisted the move to Siemens.
Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ Machine Tools, says: The ProTURN RLX 780 is the first of our large-capacity lathes to be given the option of the ProtoTRAK control, but it won’t be the last. With the development of the Delta drives and motors they are now fully compatible with the ProtoTRAK control, meaning we can scale up the range of machines available, which will be a very attractive proposition for existing ProtoTRAK users. With the option of an eight-station turret, along with the ProtoTRAK control, the RLX 780 is now a cost-effective competitor for any large capacity turning centre.”
XYZ’s ProTURN RLX 780 shares all the attributes of its sister machine, the XL 780, with a between-centre distance of 3 m, 160 mm diameter spindle bore and a 32 kW spindle coupled to a gearbox providing two speed ranges between 20 and 1300 rpm. A 500 mm diameter three-jaw chuck and four-station automatic indexing turret are also standard equipment.
Most notable among the changes is, of course, the ProtoTRAK control, with its 15.6” touchscreen control enhancing ease-of-use and programming.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com