Located near Nottingham City centre, Doosan Precision Engineering specialises in CNC turning; producing parts for sectors so diverse that the small business covers everything from motorsport to the food industry.

Although no relation to the Doosan machine-tool brand, the company has invested heavily in Doosan machines from Mills CNC. The company name is a culmination of the directors’ family names.

As a machine shop primarily conducting turning activities, Doosan Precision Engineering is not typically a facility where hyperMILL five-axis CAM software from Open Mind Technologies would be found.

David Booth, director at Doosan Precision Engineering, says: “We’re spending a long time setting-up some quite difficult turned parts with some very intricate set-ups to cater for difficult features. This was the reason we initially looked at hyperMILL. The prolonged set-up times were increasing our costs and we were losing work, some overseas. However, since we invested in hyperMILL we’ve managed to win this business back.
“HyperMILL has reduced our set-up times massively,” he adds. “Some parts were taking 4 to 5 hours to program and set, but the new CAM system has reduced this to as little as 30 minutes.

“We did a three-day training course at the Open Mind UK facility in Bicester, which was primarily focussed upon milling with some turning aspects. However, the system is intuitive and easy to pick up from scratch. HyperMILL will certainly pay for itself in a short period of time. Of course, we also use it for all of our milling machines.”

For further information www.openmind-tech.com

Mate Precision Technologies now offers modified standard and custom press-brake tools that supplement its range of standard hardened and precision-ground solutions.

While Mate’s standard tools fulfil the needs for most fabricating operations, bending variations may require modifying the angle of a standard punch or die by a few degrees. This alteration is easily accomplished because the induction hardening depth is 3-4 mm. As a result, material removal to modify an angle or change a radius can be achieved without jeopardising the tool’s structural integrity.

Other frequent tool modifications include cutting a window or relief pocket to provide clearance so that a formed part does not collide with the punch during the forming process. Mate offers adjustments backed by extensive experience to ensure its modified press-brake tools perform up to expectations.

When a standard or modified standard press-brake tool is not the best solution, the company’s application specialists can design a bespoke tooling solution. Frequent custom requests include forming multiple bends in one stroke to decrease manufacturing costs by increasing the number of formed parts produced per hour. A good example is a hinge curl tool that can form the curl in two or three strokes.

Mate offers an endless variety of custom press-brake tools for virtually every special bending requirement. All Mate press brake tools – standard, modified and custom – are backed by the company’s 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.
For further information www.mate.com

For over 30 years, Taunton-based Pattern Forme Ltd has been at the forefront of thermoforming mould tool design and manufacture, mainly in the food industry. The company can take projects from initial concept to finished mould tool in lead times as short as 2-3 weeks.

Recent demand has been for larger mould tools to increase productivity, which has led to a need to drill deeper holes. Typically, these holes would range in size between 6 and 10 mm diameter, with depths up to 1000 mm. The traditional solution would be to purchase a dedicated deep-hole drilling machine or subcontract the work. However, the former would require significant investment, whereas the latter brings logistical problems and a lack of control over production. XYZ Machine Tools was able to propose and deliver a quicker and more cost-effective solution.

“It was a chance conversation with XYZ Machine Tools, who have supplied us with several machines, where I mentioned that we needed this extra capacity,” explains Paul Wilkins, managing director at Pattern Forme. “They immediately suggested modifying one of their XYZ 1000 LR vertical machining centres to give the extra Z-axis capability we required. The simple and cost-effective solution was to add a 1050 mm riser block to the machine, which would allow us to drill these holes from either end using the 500 mm Z axis.”

By reconfiguring the machine, XYZ Machine Tools was able to increase the minimum distance from spindle nose to table by 1050 mm. Including the standard Z-axis stroke, this made the maximum distance 1550 mm, which is more than enough to accommodate Pattern Forme’s components. The order for the machine was placed in November 2019 and delivery took place in April 2020.

For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Since 1995, an automated storage tower manufactured by Kasto has been installed at stockholder Heine + Beisswenger, underpinning fast, punctual delivery of an extensive range of steels to customers. However, 25 years of constant operation had impacted performance and availability, so Kasto recently updated the Unitop storage system with a comprehensive retrofit.

The Kasto Unitop automatic cassette system measures 68 m long by 13 m, with space for 1300 cassettes, each of which can hold 4 tonnes of material up to 7 m long.
A feature of the system is the storage and retrieval machine (SRM), which automatically removes a cassette containing the required material and transfers it to a carriage that then makes the stock available at ground level at one of two storage and retrieval stations.
During the retrofit at Heine + Beisswenger, Kasto replaced the existing S5 system control with a modern Siemens Simatic S7 400 PLC and updated the drive controllers, as well as the SRM’s positioning sensors and Profinet connection. The hoisting gear was given an efficient, three-phase drive, while the power supply to the SRM and carriage was renewed to improve reliability.
Another modernisation task was the replacement of the carriage that receives the cassettes and delivers them to the storage and retrieval stations at the front of the Unitop.
The carriage now has two roller conveyors instead of one to allow simultaneous handling of two cassettes. Additionally, the longitudinal travel speed of the new carriage is twice as fast, at 120 m/min, increasing efficiency further. According to the company, 35 seconds is saved per storage and retrieval cycle.
Retrofit works were completed in just two weeks.
The storage facility is now controlled and managed by KASTOlogic warehouse management software, which is connected to the MRP system at Heine + Beisswenger.
For further information www.kasto.com

Meggitt PLC has received a three-year continuation contract with Northrop Grumman Corp for the supply of fuel bladders on the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

The contract is valued at around $20m and deliveries are scheduled to commence this month. Using innovative polyurethane technology, Meggitt’s fuel bladders offer a long-life, lightweight solution that is highly flexible, durable and maintenance-free.
Chris Allen, president of Meggitt’s airframe division, says: “The F/A-18 Super Hornet is the tactical aircraft of choice for the US Navy. We’re very proud that our innovative fuel cell technology has been selected to support this next-generation fighter, protecting both pilots and aircraft in mission-critical situations around the world.”
For further information www.meggit.com