SFC (Europe) manufactures, stocks and supplies safety-critical stud-bolts, bolts and nuts in ASTM and ASME grades for onshore, offshore and subsea applications. The Wolverhampton-based company has enjoyed impressive growth, from a turnover of £1m when it was formed in 2013 to £15m in 2024, boosted by notable investments in CNC turning machines.

Since 2019, operations director Mark Edmonds and his colleagues had been considering sliding-head bar turning owing to its suitability for producing large quantities of components, including unattended overnight. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed things somewhat but by mid-2022 SFC (Europe) was ready to make its first investment in new turning centres. It was, however, a pair of fixed-head lathes (Miyano BNA-42DHY twin-spindle, twin-turret, bar-fed models from Citizen Machinery) that arrived, as machinists at Wolverhamptonwere unfamiliar with operating sliding-head equipment and management wanted modern, productive lathes that would come on-stream quickly.

A couple of years later, SFC (Europe) was ready to revert to the idea of introducing sliding-head, bar-fed lathes. The Miyano machines had performed so reliably in terms of uptime and accuracy that Edmonds looked no further than Citizen for the supply of two Cincom L32-VIIILFV turn-mill centres. Delivered and commissioned in April 2024, the Cincom machines mainly fulfil orders for higher volumes of parts. As traceability is often important, the ability to engrave components in-cycle saves a separate operation and contributes to maximising production output.

“Everyone from our founder and chairman Allan Stennett to machine tool operators on the shop floor are committed to acquiring and using the best production equipment possible,” says Edmonds.“Continued purchase of machines like the Miyano and Cincom lathes will undoubtedly underpin our continued growth for years to come.”More information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

November saw Colchester Machine Tool Solutions host its annual open house, an event that showcasedthe company’s latest products and innovations, including the all-new Tornado sub-spindle turning centre with Y-axis machining capability.

Taking place at Colchester’s European Technology Centre in Elland, West Yorkshire, the open house carried the strapline of ‘multi-axis machining event’. The company reports “overwhelmingly positive” feedback, with many visitors coming away feeling particularly impressed with the number and quality of machines on display. They were also pleased with the amount of machine demonstrations taking place, with Colchester staff on hand to provide additional information.

Taking centre stage was the all-new Colchester Tornado SL25 MSY turning centre. With its integrated sub-spindle and Yaxis, the machine provedpopular at the open house. Its five-axis single-hit machining allows manufacturers to complete complex components with high levels of efficiency. By automatically transferring the workpiece from the main spindle to the sub-spindle, the machine ensures seamless turning, milling and drilling on both sides of the component, reducing cycle times.The addition of Y-axis machining further enhances its capabilities, enabling precise off-centre milling for keyways, flats and contoured surfaces.

Also catching the eye of visitors was the UK debut of Bridgeport five-axis VMCs, a miniature Formula 1 car showpiece, manual centre lathes, Storm VMCs, Student CNC lathes and turret mills. Furthermore, Siemens, LNS, Zerocob and Cutwel were present throughout the event as trusted Colchester partners.

Throughout the open house, Colchester ran a ‘golf darts’ chipping competition where the participant with the highest score over a certain number of shots took away a £500 tooling voucher courtesy of open house partner and cutting tool specialist Cutwel. A first-year apprentice from Tees Components was the deserved winner.

More information www.colchester.co.uk