Ficep UK’s P27 CNC plate drilling system has been installed at Washington Waterjet, based in the northeast, helping the business to improve speed and precision and extend its services, moving up execution classes from one and two to cover classes three and four.

Washington Waterjet, a £2m turnover business, has invested in the Ficep P27 with tool changer to enable the delivery of automated plate processing up to 3-inch thick. A key consideration when selecting the new machine was its footprint. Alongside its existing waterjet and CNC plasma, the P27 takes up minimal space while offering complementary processes that are unachievable on existing machines.

The benefits of Ficep’s P series punching and drilling lines extend way beyond a small footprint and ease of installation: the ability to combine drilling, scribing, tapping, countersinking, milling and marking makes the multi-tasking capabilities of the P27 suitable for many plate applications. High-speed drilling comes courtesy of the 27 kW direct-drive spindle with ball-screw feed for maximum performance. In addition, the machine has an intelligent self-adjustable clamping system to suit different plate thicknesses, allowing quick loading and unloading.

Washington Waterjet managing director Peter Robinson, says: “The new CNC plate drilling line helps us to work on projects we previously would have had to outsource. Prior to acquiring the new machine we could carry out work up to execution class two, but with the Ficep P27 we can provide drilling to meet execution classes three and four. This is a major development as it opens the door for us to drill steel components, which have far wider applications. The new drill is also quicker, helping to improve our productivity.”

For further information
www.ficep.co.uk

The recent installation of what is Holt Broadcast Services’ third machine, an XYZ 500 LR vertical machining centre from XYZ Machine Tools, is already paying dividends, with improved cycle times, reduced post-machining operations and greater versatility.

Founded in 1994, Holt Broadcast Services is a specialist manufacturer of sheet metal enclosures, whether they are standard 19” rack mounting enclosures common in the broadcast industry or customised solutions. While much of the company’s production can be generated using conventional sheet metal forming equipment and skills, there is also a requirement for machining. This is generated through the extensive use of extruded material and the individual requirements of customers, where the design and manufacture of specialist tooling, such as punches, makes machining much more cost-effective and efficient.

Holt Broadcast Services initially purchased a two-axis ProtoTRAK mill from XYZ Machine Tools for this work, then progressed to a three-axis ProtoTRAK bed mill for greater efficiency. The latest development is the arrival of a XYZ 500LR vertical machining centre that has again transformed how this work is undertaken.

“Typical of this work are vent panels, which can have up to 400 holes in them,” explains Jon Sturgess, workshop manager. “We normally produce these in batches of 100 off and, by utilising the tool changer and 12,000 rpm spindle on the XYZ 500LR, we are reducing the cycle time per panel by up to 30 minutes, a significant saving.”

Further benefits of machining these parts compared with punching include the elimination of secondary operations. Punching caused distortion that required correction, as well as burring on both sides. Machining eliminates distortion, while deburring is reduced to just one side as holes are deburred as part of the machining process and included in the cycle time saving.

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

LBBC Beechwood, a fabrication business forming part of the LBBC Group, has invested a six-figure sum into a large state-of-the-art CNC universal milling machine as part of a major overhaul. The machine will open up new business opportunities in precision engineering projects, as well as bring major benefits to existing customers. The company will now be able to offer a full end-to-end service in the production of specialist fabrications and complex machined parts, without the need to subcontract part way through the manufacturing process.

This significant investment is part of a wider programme of improvements at the Pudsey-based business over the past 18 months.
A portion of the investment fund was secured through a successful application to the Leeds Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which has been used to improve production facilities. Further funding was obtained through the Supply Chain Programme run by the University of Huddersfield, which has contributed towards the funding of a LEAN implementation programme throughout the entire LBBC Group.

The installation of the new machine is the culmination of a whole programme of improvements in the business, including the introduction of lean management processes and a total office and factory refurbishment. These changes will have huge benefits for customers and open up opportunities for new work streams.

Managing director of the group, Howard Pickard, says: “We’re very grateful to the LEP and Huddersfield University for the grants, which will allow the Beechwood division to leap forwards immeasurably in terms of safety, quality, cost and delivery. The investment in the new machine, alongside investment in our people, will ensure we can deliver huge benefits to our valued customers in the years to come.”

For further information
https://lbbcbeechwood.com

A Hurco Hawk CNC knee-type milling machine has been the mainstay of prismatic machining at the Warsash, Southampton factory of boat fittings and accessories specialist Sea Sure Ltd since it was purchased second-hand in 2012. However, the rising level of demand for all Sea Sure products, but in particular the SHOCK-WBV range of shock mitigation systems for boat seats, led the company to supplement the Hurco Hawk by approaching the same supplier for a new VM10i three-axis, vertical-spindle machining centre with a 660 x 406 x 508 mm working volume and 12,000 rpm spindle.

The machine arrived earlier this year and required the Hurco engineer to dismantle the top of the machine, so that it would fit through a door of restricted height, and rebuild it over a period of three days.

Graham Brown, managing director, says: “The improvement in productivity has been dramatic. Previously it took 40 minutes to machine a stainless steel rear mounting block on the Hawk, for example, whereas we produce them in pairs on the VM10i in 11 minutes – over seven times faster. We now fixture a complete kit of 10 and 15 mm thick billets of waterjet-cut aluminium tooling plate and other raw material for one of our shock mitigation products so they can all be machined in one hit on the new Hurco.

“It saves set-up time and shortens overall cycles due to fewer tool changes,” he adds. “Just half an hour is needed to machine everything under the spindle, and that includes thread milling more than 40 holes of 4 mm diameter.”

For further information
www.hurco.co.uk

Starrag’s new Heckert H65 compact horizontal machining centre is said to add a new dimension to heavy-duty four-axis machining for a machine of its class. Occupying just 24 sq m, Starrag says the H65 offers machining speeds up to 30% faster than comparable models and can increase output levels by 80%.

With X, Y and Z axes of 850 x 1020 x 1000 mm, and 630 x 500 mm twin pallets each able to accommodate loads of 1.5 tonnes (with a pallet-change time of 13 secs), this latest addition to Heckert’s compact H range of cost-competitive machining centres provides traverse rates up to 80 m/min and a standard spindle speed of up to 10,000 rpm from its 60 kW/450 Nm hollow shaft HSK-A100 spindle.

A motor spindle with a run-up time of just 1 second is suitable for machining light alloy materials such as aluminium. The Heckert H65 can utilise a wide range of tool magazines and tool changers; tools up to 22 kg can be held securely in a chain/in-line magazine, while a tower magazine will accommodate tools up to 50 kg. The chip-to-chip time of the most dynamic machine variant design is 3.1 seconds.

As standard, the internal coolant supply delivers up to 100 l/min at 80 bar through the centre of the spindle and is programmable via M code.

The 24-inch control panel (Fanuc or Siemens CNC) offers multi-touch, intuitive operator guidance via Starrag’s HMI touch screen, and the control is future-proofed with built-in IO-Link technology that allows users to monitor machine status (even individual machine elements) at any time and from anywhere.

For further information
www.starrag.com