Faringdon Precision Engineering has become the first UK manufacturer to invest in a Doosan lathe equipped with a Siemens control. The company has acquired a new Doosan 10” chuck/81mm bar capacity Puma GT 2600 lathe, with Siemens Sinumerik 828D control, from Mills CNC. Since being installed at Faringdon Precision’s facility in March 2017, the lathe has been used to machine a range of parts for the US semiconductor market.
Comprising different diameters and different lengths, these stainless steel (304) components are machined to high tolerances and surface finishes, before being assembled to create cylindrical-shaped ‘chambers’ that collect, filter and ultimately incinerate hazardous gases used in the manufacture of silicon chips and integrated circuits.
The Puma GT 2600 is a versatile and rigidly-designed box guideway two-axis lathe equipped with a 22 kW/3500 rpm spindle (622 Nm torque).

“Doosan machines are reliable and represent great value, and the GT 2600 lathe delivers excellent cutting performance
as well as providing us with greater process security,” explains Trevor Timpson, director at Faringdon Precision. “We invest in CNC machines with Siemens controls because, from both a programming and operating perspective, our staff find these CNCs easier
to understand and use.”
The preference for, and investment in, Siemens-controlled machines has also helped Faringdon Precision address the thorny issue of skills shortages.
“The intuitive and conversational nature of Siemens controls, combined with their ShopTurn and ShopMill icon-driven software, means that our apprentices do not need to know all the ‘ins and outs’ of G-code programming before they can become productive and set-up the machines to start cutting metal,” says Timpson.
For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

As a manufacturer and distributor of earthing materials and lightning protection equipment, products from Kingsmill Industries are used across a wide range of construction projects. The Pinxton, Derbyshire-based business is seeing significant growth driven by the booming construction sector in the Middle East and, with the majority of its products manufactured in-house, Kingsmill needed to increase production and productivity, and turned to XYZ for help.

Turning was a priority as a replacement was needed for an ageing CNC lathe. Here, an XYZ Compact Turn 52 with an optional LNS barfeed proved to be a good solution. The Compact Turn 52 provides 52 mm bar capacity, a 20 hp/5000 rpm spindle and a Siemens 828D ShopTurn control. The gains that Kingsmill Industries sought were immediately realised with cycle times being cut by 50% compared with the machine it replaced.
“We have a wide range of components that make up our products, and batch sizes can be quite large, so the barfeed fitted to the XYZ lathe is perfect,” says production manager Ashley Jones. “We are confident that we can leave the machine running for extended periods unmanned, with just the occasional intervention to check tolerances and empty the swarf bin. We find the Siemens control extremely user-friendly and the combination of control, machine and barfeed means that the XYZ CT52 gives us what we needed at a price we were happy to pay.”
The XYZ Compact Turn is the second XYZ machine at Kingsmill Industries as the company also has an SMX 2500 bed mill to help manage its milling requirements.
For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

Haco Kingsland says that a CNC turn-mill centre has been designed, manufactured and shipped to an Australian customer. This multi-tasking machine is equipped with a high-specification milling head, a tool magazine integrated with an automatic tool changer, an exceptionally big spindle bore of 360 mm, a special solution for using long boring bars, a sub-spindle, and many other elements that enable efficient and precise machining. The machine provides the possibility to machine workpieces up to 7500 mm in length and up to 1000 mm in diameter.

According to the company it is one of the most technologically advanced FAT Haco machines ever produced.
The shipping of such a large machine proved to be a sizeable logistic task because it was
sent in a single piece. As a result, the organisation of the loading, as well as the transport itself, was challenging for both for FAT Haco and the carrier. However, the whole operation ended in success, with the machine safely reaching the shipping port.
For those interested in seeing FAT Haco machines up close, the company will be represented at the forthcoming EMO 2017 exhibition in Hanover, Germany (18-23 September). On stand B04 in hall 26, a FAT Haco TUR3MN 1300 x 4000 will be presented.
For further information
www.kingsland.com

What do you say to a lathe operator who usually turns highly complex parts with an outer diameter measuring between 0.4 and 0.6 mm? Kudos! IngunPrüfmittelbau GmbH started in a garage and has evolved into a global market leader in the fields of test probes and test fixtures within just a few years. Contributing to this success is a TornosSwissNano CNC turning centre, which the company acquired in 2014.

A highly complex test probe with a crown on its face pushed existing machines to their limits. Therefore, Ingun was looking for a new means of production, spotting the TornosSwissNano soon after its official launch. The machine is small, compact, easily accessible, stable and precise. Moreover, in the course of comprehensive turning trials in Germany, the SwissNano showed what it had to offer.
The oil extraction system and the pick-off device directly mounted on the spindle are particularly interesting features. In charge of the Tornos machines at Ingun is Nick Symanczyk, a young man with huge commitment and enthusiasm. “The machine is amazingly fast and what is particularly important to me is the accessibility and ease of set-up.”
Another aspect applauded by Symanczyk is the TISIS software: “I have felt at ease with it from the very beginning. The machine is easy to program, while the simulation function provides reliable protection against collisions.”
Thanks to various customised solutions on the SwissNano, within two weeks the company managed to land two big orders that would not have been possible previously. In view of so much positive experience, it is not surprising that another SwissNano was purchased in 2014, followed by two additional machines in 2015.
For further information
www.tornos.com

The installation of a Hyundai Wia two-axis lathe has not only reduced cycle times by 18% on an existing component at Walsall-based DJT Engineering but, by releasing capacity, is enabling the company to double its output of components derived from bar. Supplied by TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC), the sole UK and Ireland agent for Hyundai Wia, the KIT450 was purchased “because I could see that it would produce immediate benefits on this fairly straightforward alloy steel part”, says the company’s managing director Lee Baker.
Produced from 45 mm bar, the 13 mm long component requires a 23 mm through-hole before parting-off.
“With just two tools involved, I wanted a suitable ‘simple’ and cost-effective two-axis machine that I could dedicate to this component and it appeared that Ward CNC was the only company that could supply such – with the Hyundai Wia KIT450,” says Baker. “The new machine has cut cycle times to such an extent that I have been able to release the former machine for other, similar parts. This has allowed me to process up to 12 tonnes of bar a month, compared with
6 tonnes.”
The Hyundai Wia, which has a swing over the bed of 530 mm and a maximum turning diameter and length of 170 mm and 300 mm respectively, joins a range of machines at DJT Engineering. The company, which specialises in the production of turned and milled parts, also offers the machining of special fasteners and assembly work in all material types, as well as finish coatings.
For further information
www.wardcnc.com