Mills CNC has recently supplied Custom Metalworks – a start-up providing precision CNC machining and custom fabrication – with a new (fourth generation) DN Solutions DNM 5700 vertical machining centre. The machine, installed at the company’s machine shop facility in Ormskirk, Lancashire, features the latest FANUC i Plus control with 15” touchscreen, an 18.5 kW/12,000 rpm directly-coupled high-torque spindle (117.8 Nm), a 1050 x 570 mm worktable (with 1000 kg maximum table load) and a 30-tool position ATC.

Supplied to Custom Metalworks as part of the investment package, the machine was also delivered with a Detron GFA-200EH five-axis rotary table, Renishaw tool and table probing systems, and a Filtermist extraction unit.

Since installation, the DNM 5700 has been put through its paces machining a range of performance-critical plastic components for a manufacturer of patient positioning products and equipment used during surgical procedures. Custom Metalworks machines parts and sub-assemblies for the customer’s best-selling spine frame systems which are essentially table-top platforms positioned underneath the patient that can easily fit to any standard operating table.

“I was looking for a machine that delivered fast processing speeds, high accuracies and good surface finishes, and that would enable us to machine large and/or smaller multiple parts in a single set up,” explains Jack Eckersley, Custom Metalworks’ owner and managing director. “The DNM 5700, with its advanced spindle technology, rigid and thermally stable build, fast rapids and large working envelope seemed to offer the ideal solution. Having talked to Mills, I placed the order at the MACH 2024 exhibition. Since its arrival, the DNM 5700, following on-site training, has been in full operation ever since.”

More information www.millscnc.co.uk

Michael Phillips, joint owner with partner Wayne Robins of contract machining firm Atomic Precision, describes the company’s recently-purchased Japanese-built Brother Speedio U500Xd1 as “a Swiss army knife of five-axis machining centres”. His comment is due to the 30-taper machine’s quality, versatile functionality, compact footprint, and ability to complete an extensive range of jobs quickly and efficiently. Brother machines are sold and serviced in the UK and Ireland by sole agent Whitehouse Machine Tools.

Founded in East Hendred, Oxfordshire, a succession of 40-taper VMCs from another supplier arrived on the shop floor over the next four years, a trio of three-axis models and two five-axis machines. During that time, the subcontractor enjoyed an impressive growth rate of 50% year on year.

As a first step to raising productivity even further, the high-speed Brother U500Xd1 was installed and commissioned by Whitehouse Machine Tools in September 2024. The partners became aware of the machine at the Southern Manufacturing 2023 exhibition in Farnborough. After early hesitation regarding the smaller spindle interface, which later proved to be a non-issue, and benchmarking a couple of other 30-taper machines on the market, the order was placed.

“The area taken up on our shop floor by the U500Xd1 is half of the space that one of our 40-taper five-axis machines occupies, yet the 30-taper VMC actually produces larger parts,” explains Phillips. “Not only that, but the Speedio finishes an identical component in two-thirds of the time, as the non-cutting elements of cycles are incredibly short, so tools are in-cut for typically 90% of the time during a cycle. The linear axes accelerate at 2.2 g up to 56 m/min and chip-to-chip time is 1.3 seconds.”

More information www.wmtcnc.com

One of the biggest challenges for any machine shop is workshop air quality and the impact coolant mist has on staff wellbeing. To prevent coolant mist from impacting the air quality in the workplace, Tooling 2000 installed on-machine mist extraction systems from Filtermist.

In addition to COSHH-compliant clean air, the Birmingham-based automotive subcontract manufacturer is also benefitting in other less obvious ways, as senior business development manager at Tooling 2000, Iain Bubb, explains: “Filtermist systems firstly protects our workforce, which is of paramount importance. However, they also allow us to open our machine doors sooner, providing more machining uptime.”

If the doors of the machines are opened immediately after a cutting cycle without Filtermist system in place, oil mist enters the air. This results in a film on the machines, tools, floor and anything else in the vicinity, causing a health and safety concern.

“With Filtermist, we’re removing all airborne particulates from the machine tool atmosphere, which not only keeps the inside of the machine clean, but also also helps to remove the swarf as it does not stick to any tacky coolant residue on the machine bed.”

With the Filtermist FX5002 mist extraction systems fitted to its range of Hurco machining centres, Tooling 2000 finds maintenance of the technology easy to manage.

“We have a TPM [Total Productive Maintenance] system in place so, after a set number of production hours, we change and clean the Filtermist filters. Productivity is also very important to us as it cascades down to the bottom line. With the Filtermist technology we get more uptime from our machines, giving us better productivity and profitability.”

More information www.filtermist.co.uk