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

Clacton-based Dalau, which says it is the largest specialist supplier and manufacturer of plastic parts in the UK, believes it has identified the ideal five-axis production centre for machining plastics.

Chosen from a list of no less than 18 potential suppliers, the machine is a Hermle five-axis machining centre that has been modified to accept vacuum work-holding fixtures. The machine was supplied by the German manufacturer’s UK sales and service agent, Geo Kingsbury, which also carried out the customisation.
The Hermle installation is part of a £1m spend on machine tools at the Clacton factory within the past year to cope with a steep increase in demand for Dalau’s machined components across numerous industries.
Production manager Ben Bonds says: “Floor space is limited here and so is the roof height. The Hermle C 250 machining centre offered generous axis travels of 600, 550 and 450 mm in a compact footprint and just fitted in below the ceiling by a matter of inches. It was also advantageous that the optional Hermle tool magazine extension we ordered for increasing the number of cutters from 30 to 80 comes as a separate unit, which simplified transportation up a ramp and through a narrow opening.
“Problems during automatic tool change are one of the biggest causes of downtime here, so we were keen to avoid machines with a swing-arm tool changer,” he adds. “In contrast, the Hermle ATC system, where the spindle travels through a shutter door at the back of the machine and picks the tool directly from the magazine, has proved to be very reliable.”
For further information www.geokingsbury.com