FEATURE ON CNC MILLS & MACHINING CENTRES

Efficient Subcontracting Using DMG Mori’s MX Strategy

The semiconductor industry presents major opportunities for contract manufacturers. However, increasingly stringent requirements for precision, cleanliness and surface quality demand reliable, reproducible and scalable processes. DMG Mori’s machining transformation (MX) approach combines process integration, automation and digitalisation to address these challenges.

Semiconductor components such as equipment housings can involve long cycle times and tolerances down to microns. Combining milling, turning, grinding and measuring in a single machine reduces set-ups, handling and potential sources of error, helping to improve quality, reduce scrap and shorten lead times.

Automated pallet handling and AGVs support the flexible manufacture of different component variants, while digital tools provide end-to-end data chains, simulation and real-time production information for proactive planning and process optimisation.

Cleanliness is equally critical, which is why DMG Mori integrates Fuchs SE technology into its solutions as part of its Qualified Products partnership.

A practical example is the manufacture of an 800 mm-diameter housing from EN AW-5083 aluminium. The component is machined on a DMG Mori DMC 125 FDS µPrecision five-axis horizontal-spindle mill-turn centre.

The process begins with milling and drilling, followed by automatic alignment using easycenterSET, which corrects radial runout and eccentricity to within 5 µm. Deep flange turning, probing, face-groove turning, deburring and chamfering follow.

Specialised tooling facilitates the high-gloss milling of external vertical faces, creating the ultra-smooth surfaces required to prevent microscopic contaminants adhering to semiconductor equipment. Further operations open and finish grooves on the component’s eight faces before holes are drilled using a 90° angle head. High-pressure internal coolant removes chips and controls cutting-edge temperature.

On-machine inspection is performed throughout the cycle, followed by GD&T inspection on a Zeiss CMM, achieving single-figure-micron flatness and perpendicularity tolerances, with positional tolerance of 15 µm.

More information www.dmgmori.com

Nicolás Correa Incorporates Sales And Service Agent DTS UK

Spanish machine tool builder Nicolás Correa S.A. and Gary Sanderson have announced an agreement for the Correa Group to acquire 100% of the shareholding in Design & Technical Services UK (DTS), strengthening the machine tool manufacturer’s commitment to the UK market.

DTS has been Nicolás Correa’s UK agent for 21 years, while Sanderson has represented the company for 38 years, overseeing machine sales and service support. The long-standing partnership has helped establish the Correa brand as a force in the UK’s large-scale machining market, underpinned by trust, loyalty and mutual commitment.

Nicolás Correa thanked Sanderson for his dedication and for helping secure the future of DTS as part of the Correa Group. The company will continue operating with its existing UK team, ensuring continuity for customers while benefiting from the resources and backing of the group.

Andrew Guy, DTS sales director, will become managing director and lead the business through its next phase. He will be supported by the existing DTS team, maintaining the company’s established approach to sales and customer service.

Sanderson says the acquisition represents the right time for a new chapter, as he moves towards retirement: “I would like to thank DTS, its customers, Nicolás Correa and the other partners I have represented for their partnership, support and trust over the years. It’s been a fascinating and rewarding journey, and I feel the time is right to take a different direction in life.”

The acquisition reinforces Nicolás Correa’s commitment to the UK, which it identifies as a priority market within its current and future strategy. The group intends to build on the foundations established by DTS while maintaining the continuity and expertise that have supported its UK presence for decades.

More information www.nicolascorrea.com/en

35+ Tonne Machining Centre Delivered To Watson Cranes

TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC) has delivered a pre-owned 2010 Hartford PRO 4210 double-column heavy-duty machining centre, complete with an additional rotary table, to Watson Cranes in Kilmarnock.

Weighing more than 35 tonnes, the machine represents a significant investment by Watson Cranes in its production capabilities, providing the scale, rigidity and power required for demanding large-component machining.

The Hartford PRO 4210 is designed for large and complex workpieces, with a 4 x 1.9 m table and rigid double-column bridge construction for stability during heavy cutting. Its additional rotary table enables multi-face machining in a single set up, while a FANUC control system supports precise and reliable operation.

The machine is well suited to industries requiring the heavy-duty machining of large components, including structural steel, crane manufacturing and heavy fabrication.

Watson Cranes manufactures overhead and jib cranes, as well as heavy fabricated steelwork, for engineering and manufacturing customers across the UK and Ireland. The new machine will enable the company to bring large components such as crane end carriages and girder sections in-house, combining high machining capacity with the accuracy of FANUC CNC technology.

The PRO 4210 was originally supplied new by Ward CNC, the UK’s exclusive Hartford distributor, to its first owner. Having now been refurbished and delivered to Watson Cranes, the machine begins a new chapter north of the border.

For Watson Cranes, the investment provides additional capacity to tackle larger and more demanding work while supporting its ongoing manufacturing capabilities.

The installation further demonstrates the ability of Ward CNC to support UK manufacturers with Hartford machine tools, backed by its service and technical expertise.More information www.wardcnc.com

Space Project Prompts First Investment In Five-Axis Machining

Subcontractor Capabilities Beyond Engineering (CBE+) has installed its first five-axis vertical machining centre (VMC), a German-built Spinner U630 supplied by Whitehouse Machine Tools, The aim is to overcome the complex manufacturing challenges of an R&D space component project ahead of high-volume production.

Based in Chesterfield, CBE+ operates from a 100,000 sq ft facility, providing precision CNC machining, electroless nickel plating and complementary manufacturing services. Its integrated approach allows customers to streamline supply chains through a single manufacturing partner.

The investment was driven by the need to produce a complex, high-tolerance aluminium component that would otherwise have required multiple operations on three- and four-axis machines.

“While we had the engineering expertise to produce the part, we needed the right machine tool to enable cost-effective component production,” says Marie Cooper, CEO of CBE+. “The quality and versatility of the Spinner VMC, coupled with Whitehouse’s technical capabilities when configuring the machine for our requirements, proved an ideal combination.”

The Spinner U630 features a 650 mm-diameter tilting rotary table, with a removable outer ring reducing the interference profile to 500 mm when machining at angles of 90° and beyond. This capability provides improved tool access and allows the use of shorter, more stable cutters for high-accuracy features.

“The success of this project has resulted in our becoming a strategic partner to the space industry customer,” adds Cooper. “They were impressed with how we machine the high-value component accurately in a single clamping.”

The investment also supports the ambition of CBE+ to triple revenue over the next 3 to 5 years, while strengthening its ability to offer advanced machining services to customers worldwide.

More information www.wmtcnc.com

Tigfusion Becomes First In UK To Invest In Mazak CV5-700

Tigfusion Ltd, a manufacturer of high-precision vacuum chambers, is the first UK company to order the next-generation CV5-700 five-axis machining centre from Yamazaki Mazak.

The Hastings-based company, established in 2013, has significantly expanded its manufacturing capabilities over the past five years, tripling the size of both its facility and workforce.

“Having invested in a five-axis machine from another supplier four years or so ago, we’ve already greatly expanded our capabilities,” explains Jack Walsom, Tigfusion’s managing director. “Our focus has been not only on increasing our output by orders of magnitude, but also on optimising the quality of our products and delivery time.”

Manufactured at Mazak’s European facility in Worcester, the CV5-700 is part of the latest generation of the company’s UK-built CV5 series, alongside the revamped CV5-500. It can accommodate workpieces up to 700 mm in diameter, 450 mm high and weighing up to 400 kg.

The machine incorporates an optimised structure designed to improve static and dynamic rigidity, subsequently enhancing performance, accuracy and thermal stability. Simultaneous five-axis machining is standard.

“The old machine had an extremely large bed, which effectively meant you could be machining an item that’s only the size of a cup lid on a bed that’s 2.5 m wide,” says Walsom. “This restricted us from boring certain chambers.”

The CV5-700’s more appropriate capacity will allow Tigfusion to increase production while expanding its machining capabilities.

“Our goal was to push capacity ever further while continuing to focus on premium quality,” he adds. “Simultaneous five-axis machining opens the door to producing other parts and finishes that we couldn’t do before, while enabling us to offer a more standardised product range to our customers.”More information www.mazak.com/uk-en