Portsmouth-based Di-Spark, a precision manufacturing subcontractor has built on its ethos of continuous investment in the latest technology by installing two Mikron HPM 450U machining centres from GFMS.

Says managing director David Light: “If you’re not constantly moving forwards, the chances are that you’re going backwards. The manufacturing environment is dynamic; it is constantly evolving and changing. In my experience, companies that are unable or are unwilling to change have limited prospects. Fortunately we are not in that position.
“We operate 24/7 and do everything in our power to improve productivity and eliminate inefficiencies,” he continues. “The HPM 450U five-axis machines help us achieve both. The machines
give us proven, simultaneous five-axis machining performance and, with their integrated automatic pallet changers and generously sized automatic tool changers, enable us to run unmanned. These advantages, coupled with the machines’ ability to reduce set-up times and produce complex parts in ‘one hit’, further increase our productivity and flexibility.”
Di-Spark’s investment in the new Mikron HPM 450U machines reflects an increasing demand among customers for the company’s high-level milling capabilities.
“Our machine tool investment strategy based on acquiring new, state-of-the-art technology instead of merely replacing existing machines with like-for-like technology, continues to pay dividends,” says Light. “This year, for example, we were able to win back pre-production and production work from an aerospace customer who had initially placed a machining contract in India, only to find that they were soon experiencing quality and lead time issues.
“Having sophisticated five-axis machine tool capacity at our disposal enabled us to win back this work and provide a world-class machining solution for
the customer.”
For further information www.gfms.com

At the Gosport factory of Norjon Precision Engineering, a high-speed DA300 vertical machining centre from Makino, the first of its type in the UK, has been supplied as a turnkey package by sole agent NCMT complete with an Erowa storage and handling system for 24 pallets.

It is the subcontractor’s ninth trunnion-type, five-axis machine and is intended primarily for the milling and drilling of aluminium components, but is equally capable of machining stainless steel for long periods.
Kevin Fox, Norjon’s managing director says: “Makino has a reputation for being at the top end of machine tool suppliers in terms of accuracy and reliability, and this particular model is very fast, with 60 m/min rapids and a 20,000 rpm spindle.
Fox adds that the DA300 is built with automation in mind as it is prepared with pneumatic ports in the table, so interfacing the Erowa Robot Compact 80 was seamless.
At present, a family of aluminium prismatic components is being produced in the Makino/Erowa cell.
“We initially set the job up on a Friday evening and inspected the first-off component,” says Fox. “The cell ran continuously over the weekend and the following Monday we measured the first component produced that morning. All of the dimensions were exactly the same, so the accuracy we are achieving in the cell is excellent.”
The Makino DA300 is capable of the fully interpolative five-axis production of complex components. Equipped with integral, direct-drive motors for the swivelling +30° to -120° A-axis trunnion – and for C-axis rotation of the 340 x 300 mm table – the machine deploys a 20,000 rpm, 22 kW, HSK-A63 spindle capable of milling, drilling and tapping.
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

Investment Casting Systems, which provides a mix of toolmaking and injection moulding services to customers, has seen turnover increase by 51% over the past three years, with forecast growth of 40% to year ending 2019.

This growth, combined with planned future expansion that will double existing floor space, has created a need for even greater manufacturing efficiency. As part of this efficiency drive, the company has purchased its first five-axis machining centre, a UMC-5X from XYZ Machine Tools.
“We started investigating the purchase of a five-axis machining centre about 18 months ago,” says Investment Casting Systems’ technical director James Head. “Initially we were looking at machines with up to 2 m table capacity, but our customer profile changed, which meant we didn’t need such large capacity. This opened the door to the XYZ UMC-5X with its 600 mm diameter trunnion rotary table and 600 mm travels in the X and Y axes.”
The move to simultaneous five-axis machining immediately brought the benefit that Investment Casting Systems was seeking: increased efficiency. The very first job that went on the XYZ UMC-5X was a complex bolster for an injection mould tool that required machining on all six faces. Using existing three-axis machines would have required six set-ups, but this was reduced to two on the XYZ UMC-5X. The result was a saving of 60% in manufacturing time, the elimination of any potential inconsistencies from multiple set-ups and, by making use of a fixture plate, all faces were machined from the same datum point.
“This first experience proved we had made the right decision in adopting five-axis machining to gain efficiency in manufacturing,” says Head. “We have seen similar time savings as we have progressed.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com