FEATURE ON CNC LATHES AND TURNING CENTRES

Lontra takes advantage of ‘green’ machine tools

There is an unusual parallel between a new, low-pressure air compressor (blower) manufactured by entrepreneurial British firm Lontra and the Japanese-built turn-mill centre from Okuma that machines one of the fundamental components of the Lontra LP2. Both pieces of equipment are engineered to deliver maximum environmental sustainability during operation and both harness Industry 4.0 connectivity to make them even more efficient. Okuma’s UK and Ireland sales agent NCMT describes the multi-tasking turn-milling application.

An Okuma Multus B550 turn-milling centre performs finish-machining operations on the blower rotor, a high-value component critical to LP2 operation. Adrian Pratt, manufacturing engineer at Lontra, says: “We approached NCMT for a turnkey solution. There are not many factories globally that have the machinery or skillset to manufacture a part like this. The Okuma is a very clever, multi-tasking machine that has the size, robustness and technology to machine our large, heavy rotors accurately and repeatably in fewer set-ups. The repeatability aspect is very important as we need to keep all the rotational parts concentric.”

He continues: ” We can machine multiple features in one go on the Multus B550, allowing us to meet the high drawing tolerances by avoiding repeated re-fixturing of the rotor. Without this advanced equipment, we would need 10 operations to complete the rotor component. With the aid of Okuma machinery, we’ve successfully reduced the number of operations by half, further cementing our commitment to lean, smart and sustainable manufacturing practices and continual improvement.”

Greig Underwood, NCMT’s regional sales manager, adds: “What interests me about this installation is the alignment between Lontra and Okuma in their commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices, as well as their shared focus on energy-saving designs for their respective product solutions.”
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

Subcontractor takes-off with 18th Nakamura-Tome

West End Precision is now in possession of its 18th Nakamura-Tome turning centre from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG). The Bideford-based subcontractor serves the automotive, aerospace and general subcontract manufacturing supply chain; all industries that have faced challenges in recent years – but business is certainly booming now. In 2022, the company took delivery of a Nakamura-Tome NTY3-150, a WT150II and it has just added to the plant list with a Nakamura WT150IIF, the third WT150 series machine in 18 months. With over 15 sliding head lathes, multi-spindle autos, centreless grinding and 18 Nakamura machines, West End Precision is no run-of-the-mill manufacturing business.

Alex Dziurzynski from West End Precision says: “We are predominantly a high-volume manufacturer and we’ll typically set the machine and run it for a long time. We do all the programming at the console; we don’t do any offline programming and the onus is that once the machine is set, it will keep running. This means we can have one operator running multiple machines and, as long as spindles are turning, we’re making money. The Nakamura machines give us that ability.”

The latest Nakamura-Tome is machining a family of aluminium 6026 components for a brake system manufacturer.

“We machine two different parts in batches of 10,000 to 20,000-off, with the WT150IIF producing around 6000 parts a week,” says Dziurzynski. “The 60mm diameter cast billets were previously machined on a gantry-loaded machine and the major saving has arrived from our ability to change to bar stock and bar-feed the parts on the Nakamura WT150IIF – slashing component loading times.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Two new entry-level lathes from DMG Mori

A pair of competitively-priced CNC turning centres, T1 and T2, are now available from DMG Mori aimed at the entry-level market. Both machines have a 12-station turret, with VDI 30 tooling on the smaller lathe and VDI 40 on the larger model. They are available as two-axis lathes and in three-axis configuration with a C-axis spindle and driven tools.

The T1 has an 11.7 kW/4500 rpm/140 Nm spindle and an 8-inch chuck, whereas the T2 features a 19.5 kW/3500 rpm/319 Nm spindle and a 10-inch chuck.Bar capacities are 65 and 80 mm diameter respectively, whilethe X-axis stroke is 232 and 300 mm, and the Z-axis figures are 410 and 730 mm. The lathes are highly productive; the T1, for example, is able to achieve a best-in-class depth of cut of 4 mm in carbon steel at a cutting speed of 240 m/min.

A robust machine bed and linear guideways in all axes ensure dynamic and accurate turning. Both lathes feature a linear scale for feeding back the X-axis position to the Siemens Sinumeric One control, which has touchscreen data input and ShopTurn programming. The machines are pre-equipped with IoTconnector networking for integration into a digitalised manufacturing environment.

Each turning centre is available in three versions, Complete, Plus and Pro, to suit the user’s production requirements. Both lathe types are available under DMG Mori’s PAYZR equipment-as-a-service subscription offering, based on pay-per-use rather than ownership. It allows manufacturers to acquire a new machine tool by paying a monthly subscription plus a fee per spindle hour used (no minimum number of hours specified).
For further information www.dmgmori.com

Vision Engineering invests in new Biglia lathe

Vision Engineering, a specialist in microscopy, digital 3D visualisation and metrology solutions, has bought a third fixed-head lathe, an Italian-built Biglia B620YS, for its production facility in Send, near Woking. Supplied by UK and Ireland sales agent Whitehouse Machine Tools, the machine is turning a range of aluminium components for the top-quality objectives in Vision Engineering’s third generation of Mantis eyepiece-less 3D inspection microscopes, launched at the beginning of June 2023.

The company based its choice of turning centre on a set of specific requirements. There is no milling content in any of the cycles, so only turning tools are required and a single tool turret was therefore sufficient. Excellent turned surface finish is essential so that no marks are visible after component anodising, as good cosmetic appearance is important for customer acceptance.

Dimensional accuracy is also key to ensure perfect perpendicularity for precise lens placement and to facilitate cleanroom assembly, bearing in mind that anodising deposits a layer of variable thickness that uses up some of the drawing tolerance. Additionally, Vision Engineering neededa short lead timeso it could ship Mantis 3rd Gen stereo microscopes to its worldwide distributors in time for launch, as well as to maintain production momentum in the immediate aftermath.

Machine shop manager Scott Blackwell says: “The Biglia lathe was available ex-stock from the Whitehouse showroom. This was an advantage due to the large production volumes required across the range of aluminium objectives for our latest microscopes. The Biglia installation has turned out well. It’s a real workhorse; the turned parts it produces are impeccable and the unmanned running has proved to be very consistent.”
For further information www.wmtcnc.com

Cutting plastics down to size and shape

Mills CNChas supplied engineering plastic stockholder and precision subcontract machining specialist, Plastim Ltd, part of the Omnia Plastica SpA Group, with a new, large-capacity multi-tasking turning centre.The machine, a DN Solutions’ 12” chuck Puma 3100Y equipped with a 3000rpm spindle, 12-station turret, driven tooling (5000rpm), integrated Y-axis capability (±65mm) and the latest FANUC control is now in situ at the company’s 12,000sq ft facility in Cheltenham.

The Puma 3100Y sits in close proximityto three other Doosan lathes supplied by Mills CNC over the past 10 years and is machining a range of high-precision plastic parts for a growing number of UK customers operating in the oil and gas, aerospace, motorsport, electronics, transport, chemical, energy, food processing, and materials handling sectors, to name but a few.

The other machines supplied by Mills CNC that Plastim has at its disposal comprise a Puma 3100LY (installed in 2013), a Lynx 220LYA (2017), and a Lynx 300 (2021). All of the machines have FANUC controls ensuring easy program and part transfer between machines.

Says Warren Ironside, Plastim’s operations director:“Our Puma and Lynx lathes are real workhorses. They are powerful, fast, accurate and flexible.A number have Yaxes and driven tooling, enabling them to mill and drill components, as well as machine a range of features likegrooves, threads and other complex geometries, quickly, seamlessly and in one set up.Our lathes, backed by Mills CNC’s aftersales service and support, ensure that we’re able to meet the high accuracy, tight tolerance and fast turnaround demands of our customers.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk