FEATURE ON CNC LATHES AND TURNING CENTRES

B-axis tool spindle instead of a turret

Increasing component diversity and diminishing batch sizes tend to extend periods of unproductive set-up. The CLX TC turning centre series from DMG Mori addresses this issue by replacing the tool turret in the company’s CLX lathes with a ±120° swivelling B-axis tool spindle that offers positioning resolution of 0.001°. The new CLX 550 TC model is now available, joining the smaller capacity CLX 450 TC introduced in 2023.

A tool magazine offering space for up to 60 cutters (30 tools is standard) serves a CompactMaster 12,000 rpm turn-mill spindle with 90 Nm of torque. Tools can be loaded and unloaded in parallel with production to minimise machine downtime.

The main and counter-spindle motors are rated at 4000 rpm/720 Nm, maintaining flexibility when programming the machine to produce complex components on six sides in one hit. Users can deploy chucks up to 400 mm in diameter, while bar capacity is 102 mm.

Maximum workpiece size is 550 mm diameter by 1600 mm in length. The use of steady rests, which are available up to a workpiece diameter of 360 mm, is recommended for machining long components. A Y axis with 270 mm of travel allows eccentric machining.

DMG Mori’s Celos X user interface in conjunction with the Siemens Sinumerik One control and ErgoLine operating panel enable the use of multiple software offerings. They include OP Workbench to enhance the efficiency and productivity of machine operators, as well as dozens of app-based technology cycles.

In addition, 3D Shopfloor Programming, a joint development by DMG Mori and Siemens, uses the 3D model of a component from the design department to create an NC program mostly automatically based on underlying data. Automated feature recognition speeds programming time by up to 80%.

More information www.dmgmori.com

Quest for flexibility brings Nakamura investment

Quest Precision Engineering has been on a trajectory of continuous growth thanks to the acquisition of seven high-end Nakamura-Tome turning centres from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG). The Scottish manufacturer initially acquired two Nakamura-Tome turning centres through the pandemic and has kept adding to the plant list ever since.

The Dundee-based company has four Nakamura-Tome WT150II turning centres, two NTY3-150 turn-mill centres and has just purchased a Nakamura MX-100 from ETG’s Scottish distribution partner RAM Engineering & Tooling.

“We’ve been working with Quest Precision for over 20 years and done a lot of applications together, focusing on productivity and flexibility,” says Ross Milne, company director at RAM Engineering & Tooling. “This is epitomised by the Nakamura MX-100 turn-mill centre with swivelling B axis, opposing spindles and lower turret. We’ve also got a gantry loader and bar feed on the machine. It’s a proper step-change.”

Gordon Deuchars, managing director at Quest Precision, says: “Nakamura one led to Nakamura two in just three months, and then around 18 months later we won a big order. This brought Nakamura three and four online. More recently, we’ve been manufacturing the complex ‘Mark 3’ autonomous valve for the oil and gas industry from Inconel 718. We needed a robust machine to take us to the next level, namely the NTY3-150. We’ve now progressed to the Mark 4 valve, which is why we recently installed the MX-100 multi-axis machine.”

He adds: “Our relationship with ETG has been first class. From the moment we enquired about the first machine they’ve been there for us on every turnkey project. The Nakamura range offers the flexibility, efficiency and reliability that we need as a busy manufacturer in the subcontract field.”

More information www.engtechgroup.com

Dorries VT 28 vertical turning centre unveiled

The Starrag Dörries VT 28 vertical turning centre is now available for the one-hit machining of large components in the aerospace, power generation and offshore sectors. It combines proven technology from the Dörries Contumat VCE series with a raft of new solutions and technologies that the company says enhance both machining performance and productivity.

Capable of machining heavy components up to 17 tonnes with a maximum diameter of 2.8 m and a height of 2.65 m, the Dörries VT 28 is a multifunctional, high-precision, flexible vertical turning centre for everything from rough to finish machining in a single operation. The compact single-column vertical turning lathe is suitable for turning, drilling, boring, milling, grinding and more.

Notably, the column base forms part of the machine’s foundations, increasing rigidity, performance and stability while minimising installation costs and machine footprint. From a dimensional perspective, the Dörries VT 28 offers a 2.8 m swing diameter and a 2.5 m table diameter that permits the machining of exceptionally large components.

The VT 28 delivers torque of 11 kNm with 98 kW on the main S1 drive and a speed range of 250 rpm. According to the company, this enables end users to wield vast depths of cut at high machining parameters while ensuring maximum stability, rigidity, performance and surface finish.

Further enhancing the stability and rigidity characteristics of the Dörries VT 28 are wear-free hydrostatic guides in all linear axes that maximise the vibration-damping performance. The new hydrostatic system reacts with minimum fluctuation to deviations in temperature and viscosity.

From a flexibility standpoint, the Dörries VT 28 has a ‘master head’ concept that enables the decoupling of the milling drive and tool interface to provide additional protection against collisions. More information www.starrag.com

New machines boost productivity at RWG

Mills CNC has recently supplied RWG (Repair & Overhauls) Ltd with two new DN Solutions CNC machine tools: a Puma VTR 1216M vertical turning lathe and a Puma 3100Y multi-tasking turning centre. Both equipped with FANUC controls, the machines arrived at RWG’s machine shop in Aberdeen in March 2024 and July 2024. They are the first DN Solutions machines installed at the company.

RWG is an international, OEM-approved business that provides repair, maintenance and overhaul services for Siemens industrial aero-derivative gas generators and Rolls-Royce marine gas turbines. These services, which all take place at RWG’s facilities in Aberdeen, start with the stripping down of a customer’s gas turbine or generator for cleaning and inspection prior to component repair and reassembly.

As part of a machine shop upgrade programme, the company is currently replacing older manual machines with new CNC models.

The investment in a DN Solutions VTR 1216M, which has replaced an older large-capacity manual borer, was made to re-machine and repair a wide spectrum of large turbine and generator parts that include engine casings, stator and rotor vanes, housings, shafts, seals, valves, and actuators.

“Since installation, the machine has performed well and is hitting non-negotiable, tight tolerances on the performance-critical parts we repair,” reports Angus Donald, RWG’s production supervisor. “Such has been the support and service from Mills during and after the purchase process, that we decided to place an order with them for a new Puma 3100Y.”

The Puma 3100Y – with its 12-inch chuck, 130 mm Y axis and 5000 rpm driven tooling capabilities – was acquired by RWG as part of larger manufacturing repair project to machine a series of complex, high-precision parts in relatively small volumes for a specific engine’s combustion system.

More information www.millscnc.co.uk

Dugard supplies C&K with six machines

With 75% of its turning centres bought from Dugard, it is safe to say that C&K Precision Engineers is reaping the rewards of working with the south coast machine tool specialist. The Stoke-based manufacturer is a subcontract machining, assembly and fabrication business serving the medical, aerospace, surveillance and general manufacturing sectors. Working in these segments, C&K Precision demands machine tools capable of delivering high-quality, tight-tolerance workpieces from the most challenging material grades. 

Matthew Kelsall, Director at C&K Precision, says: “We moved to a larger facility in 2017 and seen continual grown ever since. There’s a skills shortage and we’re lucky to have a good team around us, but we have to maximise that with the most productive machines.”

That is why six of the company’s eight turning centres have been purchased from Dugard Machine Tools. Alluding to why the second-generation business founded in 1969 keeps returning to Dugard, Kelsall says: “One of the main things is reliability. The first Dugard machine we bought has been with us for six years and it’s been very reliable. It’s a very robust and rigid machine with box guideways, and we need that as we cut many exotic materials.”

As a turner operating four machines at C&K Precision, Matthew Gerrard adds: “The machines are built extremely well, and they perform brilliantly on materials like Inconel 625 and titanium. You can make massive cuts on the Dugard SMEC machines, whereas others might stall. This is due to their high-specification motors and box-way construction. Furthermore, if we’re making parts from titanium with less than 1 mm wall thickness, the Dugard SMEC machines ensure we don’t get any vibration.”

More information www.dugard.com