FEATURE ON CNC MILLS & MACHINING CENTRES

Subcontractor gets into gear with Quaser machine

Leicestershire-based Sovereign Gears has recently invested in a Quaser MF400UH five-axis machining centre that follows on from three Nakamura turning centres also purchased from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG).

Director Ryan Spring says: “The majority of our work is 1- and 2-off bespoke gears, as well as jigs and kits for holding, assembling and working with the gears. Unfortunately, with so many complex forms, most of our milling work requires two, three or four set-ups, and this can take a lot of time and slow down our throughput. We bought the Quaser MF400UH with Open Mind’shyperMILL CAM software, also supplied via ETG to reduce our set-ups. The Quaser is our first five-axis machine, but we’re already seeing huge benefits.”

Previously, set-up time were frequently in the order of 4-5 hours, but the Quaser has instantly eliminated 75% of this time, and with only a single set-up required for five-sided machining.The precision of each component is subsequently improved.

“As a small business, it’s imperative that we maximise the productivity of both our machine tools and our staff,” says Spring.“By having the Quaser machine and reducing our set-ups, we’re freeing-up the capacity of two employees. Instead of spending excessive hours repeatedly setting up three-axis machines, staff can be allocated to other tasks.”

He adds: “Since having the Quaser, we’ve improved our ability to machine complex forms and this has ultimately won us new business that previously, we would have turned away. The ability to increase the type of work that we can machine, such as round gear teeth, challenging chamfers, forms and keyways has enabled us to increase our customer base and our offering to those customers.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

British Steel to become world leader in special profiles

Forming part of a £26m investment by British Steel’s owner Jingye Group in the Skinningrove steelworks near Redcar, a travelling-column machining centre with a working envelope of 14,000 x 4100 x 1600 mm is currently being built in Germany by SHW Werkzeugmaschinen. It will arrive at Skinningrove towards the end of 2023, where it will be set up as a turnkey installation by Kingsbury, SHW’s sole UK agent.

Despite being of such large capacity, the Uniforce 4000 five-axis machine will nevertheless hold extremely tight tolerance on special rolled steel profiles produced in the mill. British Steel says that the combination of size and accuracy will set the company’s machining capability apart from that of other global players.

The rationale for the latest project is a legacy situation within British Steel that for the past 20 years has seen special profiles produced in Skinningrove transferred by truck 35 miles west to the group’s Darlington machine shop for processing. The resulting bottleneck limited throughput of the company’s special steel profiles and delayed its just-in-time delivery to world markets.

Dominic Hill, British Steel’s technical manager -special profiles, says: “We opted for this large milling solution from Kingsbury rather than those by other suppliers due to the high build quality of the German machine, as well as certain design features that are unique in this size range.One is counterbalancing of the head driven by twin ballscrews to compensate mechanically for droop, whereas the other OEMs offered less effective software compensation.

He adds: “The other significant plus point is the use of box guideways rather than linear guideways, which translates into higher rigidity, productivity and machining accuracy.”
For further information www.kingsburyuk.com

Correa mills cut processing times by 20%

French multinational Alstom has purchased three Correa gantry mills for its Česká Lípa plant in the Czech Republic. The plant produces parts for commuter trains, trams, metro and other rail vehicles. With almost 1300 employees, it is one of the largest employers in the region. The project, worth several million euros, consists of a FOX-40 fixed bridge-type milling machine and two FOX M-80 gantry milling machines, co-produced with TGS, Correa’s dealer in the Czech Republic.

The FOX-40 machine has a travel range of X 4000 mm, Y 3000 mm, Z 1000 mm and an automatic universal UAD head, while the two FOX M-80 gantry machines are equipped with three spindles and have a travel of 8000 mm in the X axis, 4250 mm in the Y axis and 1500 mm in the Z axis. The challenge to optimise the process was met with the new Correa machines, reducing the processing times of the Alstom parts by around 20%.

Alstom’s Česká Lípa plant makes bogies: mechanically welded, large and complex shaped parts with protrusions and projections, adding to the complexity of the machining process. This type of workpiece is very prone to vibration during machining operations, which causes faster wear on the heads.

To suit this type of operation, the Correa spindle technology is very rigid, stable and 100% mechanical, with no delicate elements fitted that can be easily damaged during demanding machining operations. Among other things, six bearings support the main spindle to provide good performance. For the Alstom project, Correa manufactured a head specifically for the application: an ISO 40 angled head directly attached to the ram for increased rigidity and compatible with the automatic head change system. Correa machines are available in the UK from DTS.
For further information www.nicolascorrea.com

Largest Forest-Liné Aeromill ever built

Following the successful order in June 2021 for a large titanium machining cell, which combines Dufieux and Forest-Liné technologies, Fives Machining has secured a new important contract from the same customer, XIAN, a company of AVIC Group, the Chinese state-owned aircraft manufacturer. The project includes the design and supply of a Forest-Liné Aeromill machining centre (for cutting aluminium) with XXL dimensions, the largest of its type ever built with an X axis of 22 m.

The cell, which consists of a horizontal spindle machine, two pallets, a shuttle and a loading/unloading station, will be dedicated to the civil aerospace subcontracting market for the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 series, and for the production of parts for Chinese domestic civil aircraft models. With high-dynamic characteristics, high efficiency and flexibility, it will adapt to the complex machining requirements of large-size aluminium plates.

It also confirms the overall digitalisation tendency in both machine design and manufacturing, with “proven new technologies” such as in-line probing cycles, for increased performance.

In this important project, the customer spent five years for research, discussion, commutation and preparation with all possibilities before choosing Fives again. The project is a new milestone for Fives and its machine tool business in China, underlining the company’s strong position in the aerospace industry. The machine is scheduled for shipping to China in the second half of 2024, with reassembly carried out by the local Fives Machining team.
For further information www.fivesgroup.com

Back on the investment trail with a vengeance

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ (formerly Doosan) machine tools and a major automation systems’ provider to UK and Irish component manufacturers, has recently supplied precision subcontract specialist, Lenane Precision, with a new DVF 5000 simultaneous five-axis machining centre.

The machine, the third DVF 5000 to arrive at the company in as many years, was delivered and installed at Lenane’s modern production facility in Shannon, County Clare in September 2022. Notably, the latest DVF 5000 has significantly increased the company’s machining capacity and capabilities, and is seeing use at this moment in time to produce a range of complex components for aerospace and medical device customers. These components, made from aluminium, stainless and titanium, have intricate features, tight tolerances and exacting surface finishes.

Says Jim Lenane, managing director at Lenane Precision: “Machining prototypes and first-article components for the highly regulated aerospace and medical sectors means that there is little room for manoeuvre or discrepancy from product design to production result: parts need to be right first time, every time.”

He adds: “The new DVF 5000 has been deliberately positioned adjacent to the flexible automated manufacturing cell that was installed in March 2020. The new DVF 5000 complements and works in tandem with the cell.”

The automated cell – a sophisticated, complex and modular turnkey solution designed by Lenane in conjunction with Mills CNC – comprises two DVF 5000 machining centres and a FANUC industrial robot integrated by a robot positioning track that runs between both machines to enable fast, efficient and reliable part loading and unloading operations to occur. Other elements of the cell include an integrated racking system, holding up to 36 pallets (400 x 400 mm, each with a 140 kg maximum load). The company aims to get 20 hours pf machining operation from the cell every day.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk