FEATURE ON CNC LATHES AND TURNING CENTRES

Low-volume parts delivered fast

Optimas Solutions is offering its customers a new way of receiving low-volume parts with greater expediency than normally possible.

The service has been enabled by the installation of a Takamaz XY120 Plus CNC lathe, which can quickly produce a range of parts in quantities up to 5000 pieces. This rapid component delivery service will be offered by Optimas’ UK manufacturing arm, Barton, as part of a new worldwide express service, which provides low-volume components on greatly reduced lead times to alleviate existing supply pressure on manufacturers.
The service is aimed primarily at the automotive, petrochemical and other pressurised industrial sectors.
Components manufactured from all types of materials are available, including exotic materials, titanium and high-temperature alloys, plus all base-plating options. Male components offered by the express service include hex, flange and banjo bolts; and double ended studs and solid rivets ranging from M5 to M22 diameter at a maximum length of 330 mm. Female variants include nuts, spacers, special forgings and fittings up to a maximum of 42 mm diameter.
The Takamaz XY120 Plus operating at Barton is a multi-axis CNC machine offering a highly automated compound machining capability. Its ability to turn-mill and tap at both ends ensures an integrated and expedient process, which is further aided by a turret that is capable of housing 12 driven tools. The machine is coupled with a Hydrafeed barfeed cassette inherent to the machine.
For further information www.optimas.com

Star set to expand factory in China

Sliding-head lathe specialist Star Micronics has announced details of its decision to construct a new factory building at its machine tools manufacturing subsidiary, Star Micronics Manufacturing Dalian Co Ltd (‘Dalian Plant’), in China. Established as an overseas manufacturing base in Dalian City, China in 1989, Dalian Plant engages in the manufacture of products for sale in East Asia (mainly China), Europe and the United States.

Currently, the Star Micronics group is experiencing a period of continuous strong growth in its machine tools segment operations, both in Japan and overseas. Orders in China are maintaining a particularly high level, substantially above the levels recorded during the corresponding period of the previous year. In fact, consolidated machine tools segment sales are projected to hit a record high for the current fiscal year. As a result, there is an urgent need to bolster the group’s manufacturing structure in order to meet this robust demand.
In expanding its existing manufacturing capacity in China, Star Micronics plans to construct a new three-story building. The first floor will be used as a machine tools option installation and testing area for products that are earmarked mainly for the China market. The second and third floors will house a storage area for components, as well as an area for the assembly of NC operation panels.
In expanding existing facilities with the construction of a new factory building, steps will be taken to consolidate plant operations, which to date have been spread over two locations. Further to improving productivity, this initiative will help bolster the group’s product shipment capabilities and continue to increase sales in China.
For further information www.star-m.jp

Turn-cut technology at Fort Vale

Burnley-based Fort Vale Engineering is a specialist in the design and manufacture of valves and fittings for ISO, gas and offshore tank containers. The company’s owner, Ted Fort OBE, started buying Okuma machining centres and lathes more than 40 years ago. An ex Rolls-Royce engineer and chairman of his company, he recently stated: “Machine tools are our artillery and we always buy the best, without exception.”

Andrew Bryce, the company’s innovation director, who joined as a machinist in the late 1980s, continues to buy Japanese-built Okuma machines from UK agent, NCMT. One-fifth of the 40 CNC machine tools in the factory are currently from that source. Most recently, he purchased an MA600 horizontal machining centre with the ability to ‘turn-cut’, Okuma’s terminology for interpolation turning. Circular movement of the machine’s X and Y axes, coupled with synchronous rotation of a turning tool in the spindle and forward feed in Z, can execute either internal boring or external turning, even on parts with highly complex features.
Process improvement engineer Stephen Maher says: “Interpolation turning is an extremely useful addition. Previously, when producing a newly designed component with a stepped cross bore containing radii, counterbores and chamfers, to generate that single profile we had to specify and purchase up to six special form cutters, and they could take typically up to six weeks to arrive.
“Now, with turn-cut, we can produce the part immediately,” he continues. “One roughing and one finishing boring bar with indexable inserts does the same work, saving on expensive cutters as well as shortening programming and cycle times. It also significantly compresses lead-time from concept to finished component.”
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

Roscomac takes more machines from Citizen

Roscomac invested some £750,000 with Citizen Machinery UK in the first six months of 2017 for the installation of a Miyano BNE-51MSY multi-axis turn-mill centre and two Cincom sliding head turn-mill centres – a top-of-the range M16-V and a L20-VIIILFV. However, such was the immediate productivity uplift and problem-solving from using low frequency vibration (LFV) technology on the L20, that managing director Joe Martello ordered two further Cincom machines, a duplicate specification L20 and a smaller capacity L12-VII, both with LFV.

Says cell leader of the Worthing-based subcontractor, Sean Keet: “We had been experiencing constant problems with swarf when machining certain difficult components made from high-grade alloy and some stainless steels, plus copper, plastics and even difficult specification aluminium. Despite constant monitoring, we often faced significant levels of scrap or reworking, in particular due to swarf marks on critical features.”
Now, however, he maintains that production of these parts has been totally transformed following the installation of the Citizen Cincom L20-VIIILFV turn-mill centre in July, and such was the level of realisation that within weeks Martello insisted we bring forward 2018 investment plans and immediately ordered two further machines with LFV. He adds: “Our production people are now insisting that any further sliding- or fixed-head machine installations must involve LFV as it is such a game changer.”
The technology is based on initiating selectable sequences programmed at the machine control through G-codes to impart the size of chip to be produced. LFV can be switched in or out of the programmed cycle as required.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

XYZ makes life easy for MCC

With an increasing volume of work, MCC Industries Ltd, along with its sister company Automotive Accessories Ltd, recognised the need for additional turning and milling capacity. As a consequence of limited space at their Southampton premises, managing director Mark Cox decided a mill-turn machine would be the obvious answer. In selecting the right machine, he laid out some key requirements: it had to be operator friendly, easy to set up and robust enough to maximise the capabilities of the latest cutting-tool technologies on a range of materials that included stainless steel.

After meeting all of Cox’s criteria, the machine chosen to see MCC Industries enter the mill-turn arena, was the XYZ Compact Turn 65 LTY. The machine’s ease of use and its Siemens 828D ShopTurn control overcame one of the company’s main issues: the availability of skilled people.
“Skilled people can command too high a salary and often have some poorly conceived ideas on the best way to do things,” says Cox. “This isn’t always the best route for companies like ours, so we invest heavily in training people. To bridge any skills shortage, we need machines that are easy to set-up, without compromising the capability to do exactly what we need.”
The XYZ Compact Turn 65 LTY came out on top for a number of reasons; it has 65 mm through-spindle capacity coupled with live tooling, and 70 mm Y-axis travel. These features will enable production cycles to be maximised, allowing complex components to be manufactured on one machine in a single operation.
“Previously we would have to turn and then mill the parts on separate machines, whereas now they are coming off complete in a single operation, releasing milling capacities on other machines,” says Cox.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com