Hartlepool subcontractor JJ Hardy & Sons, which specialises in supplying the rail and energy sectors, has replaced an ageing lathe with a Genos L3000e turn-mill centre built by Okuma, Japan, supplied through sole UK and Ireland agent, NCMT.

The first job on the machine, which involved turning and milling a batch of parts from brass bar, resulted in each component emerging from the lathe 26% faster than previously.
More recently, a batch of 400 components turned and drilled from 40 mm diameter mild-steel bar showed an almost identical saving. Each part previously took 225 seconds to produce and is now completed in 165 seconds on the Okuma. The one minute reduction per part translates into more than six and a half hours saved, an economy that allowed the subcontractor to hold the price for the customer.
Andrew Pailor, JJ Hardy’s managing director since 2002, says: “With material costs going up all the time, purchasing new machinery to bring cycle times down is helping us to increase our competitiveness and win new business. We identified a requirement for another turn-mill solution and recognised Okuma as the leading manufacturer of machinery to fill that need. We did not think we could afford one, but NCMT’s help made it possible.”
The Genos L3000e has box sideways in X and Z to support heavy cutting, while the NC tailstock runs on a linear guide. A total of 12 live tools in the turret have up to 7 kW of power for prismatic metal cutting in conjunction with the C-axis spindle.
Pailor concludes: “The Genos L3000e is an operator-friendly machine that simplifies cleaning, filtration and maintenance. It is a one-saddle lathe that is strong and compact, ideal for cutting a wide range of exotic materials with ease.”
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

Liberty, part of GFG Alliance, a global industrial, metals and energy group, has announced its investment in a £10m global technology centre in Leamington Spa.

By the beginning of 2020, in time for the 100th anniversary of the start of automotive production at the site, all of Liberty’s design and manufacturing for braking systems – currently in an adjacent plant – will be transferred to the modern facility, which will also become home to its wider research, design and product development activities.
Among the advanced manufacturing equipment will be £5m of new CNC lathes, machining centres and other equipment bought since the acquisition of 920E (originally Automotive Products). The investment includes two Traub turning centres built in Germany and supplied through Kingsbury, which have raised to eight the number of Traub turning machines on site.
First of the latest lathes to arrive in Leamington was a 32 mm bar capacity TNL 32, which has the notable ability to be changed over quickly from sliding-head to fixed-head operation. The second machine to arrive was a TNX 65, another twin-spindle, twin-turret turn-mill lathe but for fixed-head turning only, which is capable of producing parts from bar up to 65 mm diameter.
Production group leader, Bill Dhesi says: “The latest Traub machines produce parts more than 25% faster than the existing models due to their higher spindle speeds, faster axis movements, quicker turret indexing and higher power driven tooling.”
Many of the components find their way into brake systems, calipers and actuation products for marques such as JLR, Mini, Morgan and other major automotive brands. The parts are supplied to production lines mainly in the UK and to outlets for aftermarket sale.
For further information www.kingsburyuk.com

A specialist supplier of components to the aerospace, automotive and oil and gas sectors has invested in the latest five-axis technology and CADCAM software to reduce set-up times and achieve lights-out manufacturing.

Rotec Engineering, which offers fixed-head and sliding-head capabilities from its facility in Evesham, has installed a Nakamura NTRX 300 from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG), building on a long-term relationship with the machine tool supplier.
“In our endeavour to move forward and expand, we wanted a machine with all of these attributes that we could also program directly from our CAM system with full five-axis turning,” says Paul Butler, managing director and owner of Rotec. “We found that just focusing on cycle time wasn’t the right way forward for our business. There is often a lot of downtime between jobs, so the whole idea of this investment is to apply the CAM system and machine flexibility to reduce our set-up times.
“Now, we can set-up complex jobs very quickly and, with a bar feed and auxiliary loader, we can run these challenging parts unmanned and they come off the machine complete,” he adds.
ETG, which is the UK’s exclusive supplier of Nakamura technology, worked with Rotec to source a machine that matched its exact requirements, with the NTRX 300’s milling head and two rotating spindles proving extremely attractive. The challenge was to get all the technology to work seamlessly for the company so that the machines could be trusted to run when employees are not on site.
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

“Achieving superlative levels of component quality, price and delivery, and working with consignment stock and just-in-time supply, are almost taken for granted nowadays,” says Mark Bevan, managing director at MJB Precision Engineering.

“So, any subcontract operation which wants to stand out and continually win new business must bring other USPs to the table.
“Above all, we invest in the appropriate, high-class machinery and supporting equipment to suit specific components and contracts,” he adds. “That said, each machine must also be versatile enough to meet any future new work from perhaps different industry sectors.”
It is a philosophy that today sees the MJB shop floor adorned with a range of quality machinery for both shaft-type and prismatic workpieces, and much of the turning/turn-mill capacity is accompanied by bar feeds or gantry loaders, including a pair of Takisawa Japan turning centres, both with gantry loaders.
“We’ve had experience of Takisawa Japan machines stretching back for 15 years or more, and our team are well-versed in their Fanuc CNC systems,” says Bevan. “So, when we needed to expand our turning centre capacity in response to new contract demands, we had no hesitation in investing in the brand by contacting Ward CNC. From experience, we know that the machines are well-built and very reliable.
“The machines were initially purchased to satisfy specific machining tasks including, in one case, the manufacture of an aircraft power component that is produced in batches of 50 to 100-off. But such is their flexibility in terms of spindle operation and capacity – the newer machine, the TCC1100GA with 6” chuck, can accommodate workpiece diameters and lengths of 220 and 171 mm – they are ideal for additional new work.”
For further information www.wardcnc.com

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied brake and clutch system specialist Alcon Components with three new Doosan vertical turning lathes (VTLs).

The trio of Doosan V8300 VTLs were installed at Alcon’s Tamworth facility as part of a process improvement solution to manufacture the company’s range of high-performance brake discs.
Prior to the acquisition of the Doosan lathes, and the implementation of the new manufacturing process, Alcon machined its brake discs on three horizontal fixed-head lathes. These ‘legacy’ machines, while still performing satisfactorily, are relatively old having been purchased in 1983 when Alcon Components was first established. As a consequence, the machines are slow and increasingly prone to breakdown.
Explains Brian Cutler, Alcon Component’s production engineering manager: “Our business is growing and demand for our braking systems is at an all-time high. So it was clear that we needed to invest in and significantly upgrade our brake disc manufacturing cell.”
The new flexible manufacturing cell at Alcon comprises three new Doosan 15” chuck V8300 VTLs with Fanuc controls. Each is positioned in close proximity to the next, enabling rapid part transfer. A range of different sized brake discs is being produced. The discs are made from cast iron and machined to tight tolerances and high surface finishes. Alcon currently machines approximately 500 to 600 discs per week in the new cell. Brake disc diameters vary in size (from 200 to 405 mm) depending on the end application.
“The machining process using the three V8300 VTLs has enabled us to ramp up production and reduce part
cycle times by up to 40%,” concludes Cutler.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk