FEATURE ON PROFILING

Smart Manufacturing invests over £1m

Bideford-based sheet metal fabrication specialist Smart Manufacturing Ltd is taking its manufacturing operations to the next level by investing more than £1m in a number of Amada machines and building an additional factory in which to run them 24-7. The company says the new machines, which include a Ventis-3015AJ 4 kW fibre laser cutter and EMZ 3612MII punch press, both with automation, will help double its turnover to circa £8m within five years.

“Since buying the Amada machines we’re picking up a lot of thinner gauge work in much higher quantities,” explains production director Shaun Mcquillan. “A year ago we would probably view an order for 500 as high quantity, but now we are seeing orders for over 5000. Of course, the only way we can handle these orders and maintain reasonable lead times is with automation.”

In combination, Smart Manufacturing’s automated Ventis-3015AJ fibre laser cutter and EMZ 3612MII punch press allow the company to load almost 10 tons of material and run the machines lights-out overnight. 

“Our customers therefore get to enjoy both reduced costs and shorter lead times,” says Mcquillan. “With the new Amada machines we can increase our daily material tonnage throughput by five times. It’s almost scary to see how fast these machine run.”

Employing 35 people, Smart Manufacturing is currently on a steep growth trajectory. Turnover is currently circa £4m, but with its investment in Amada machines the company is projecting to hit £6m in two years and £8m within five years. Among new clients taking up the services of Smart Manufacturing since the arrival of the Amada machines in January 2024 are those operating in entirely new sectors, such as military, defence and AI technology. 

More information www.amada.eu

Mazak releases CNC system for tube cutter

At the recent Tube 2024 exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany, Yamazaki Mazak displayed its FT-150 Fiber laser tube processing machine for the high-speed cutting of small-to-medium diameter tubes. Machine control was courtesy of a new tube cutting CNC making its first appearance in Europe.

The Mazak FT-150 Fiber can cut round, square and rectangular pipe with diameters up to 152.4 mm – dimensions typical to the construction, furniture and architectural industries, as well as vehicle body frames.

Mazak’s SmoothTUBE CNC features a new GUI (graphical user interface) that makes the utilisation of the control simple and intuitive. Also, a new HMI (human machine interface) has a number of operator benefits, including easy production scheduling and programming. With the dual monitor it is also possible to run multiple applications simultaneously, such as production status and cutting conditions. The large 21.5-inch screen on both monitors enables checking of the machine status with the touch of a finger.

The FT-150 Fiber can cut a wide variety of materials, such as mild steel, stainless steel, copper, brass and aluminium, and can perform processes that include cutting, tapping and thermal drilling.

Users of the machine can maximise productivity by reducing the requirement for secondary processes such as punching, deburring and hole tapping. Key features include support units for long workpiece materials to prevent sagging during the cut, a tilting laser head that enables accurate bevel cutting and an internal spatter guard which prevents burning of the internal workpiece surface. Among the options is a rotary tool spindle for tapping holes and thermal drilling.

The FT-150 Fiber comes with automatic functions that include auto-profiler calibration and nozzle cleaning to provide a further productivity boost.

More information www.mazakeu.co.uk

ETG has laser focus with new arrival

Now available from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) is the new Durma HD-FO laser cutting machine. As the latest addition to the Fabrication Division at ETG, the HD-FO series demonstrates high productivity, cut quality and integrated automation solutions. In addition, the machine provides low operational costs and an ergonomic quick-opening top cover and easy access to the cutting area.

The Durma HD-FO laser is a user-friendly machine that integrates automated work processes and offers energy-efficient operation.

Notably, the design minimises footprint by incorporating the laser source and chiller. Sheet loading and unloading are easy in cases where no shuttle table is necessary. Although the machine comes with a manual cutting table as standard, customers can optionally select the pneumatic shuttle table option.

From a specification perspective, the Durma HD-FO laser has a working area of 3048 x 1530 x 125 mm in the X, Y and Z axes with a maximum sheet capacity of 575 kg. The Durma machine offers X, Y and Z-axis travel speeds of 90 m/min and synchronised acceleration of 14 m/s² with a positional accuracy and repeatability of 0.05 mm. The Bosch Rexroth CNC control and user-friendly 19-inch screen combine to simplify programming and setting up.

According to ETG, the automatic focusing Durma Precitec Lightcutter laser head presents a combination of power and precision that enhances cut quality and edge finishes. The laser source is available with a range of options that include the YLR1000, YLS2000, YLR3000 and the YLS4000, which offer power from 1 to 4 kW for cutting mild steel up to 20 mm thick as well as stainless, aluminium, copper, brass and a host of other material types. More information www.engtechgroup.com

Copper specialist grows manufacturing capacity

Metelec, based in Wolverhampton, is continuing its growth trajectory in added-value manufacturing by committing to a further circa £400,000 investment in cutting-edge machines that will increase its capacity and productivity. The company recently took delivery of an EHRT compact punching machine from Germany that effectively doubles capacity and complements the single-punch EHRT with 10 tool holders that arrived in 2021. 

The EHRT compact punching machine has three integrated multi-head tools, minimising tool changeover times with the ability to produce products in high volume. Moreover, software integrates manufacturing design management and production scheduling with the existing EHRT, which already covers Metelec’s full product range.

Metelec’s EHRT was the first of three recent machine investments. The company has since taken delivery of a Cosen G320 bandsaw, replacing an 11-year-old Cosen C320 to provide greater efficiency and productivity. In addition, June saw the arrival of an Amada EG-4010 electric press brake that increases the speed and range of products available from Metelec.

Steve Dove, operations director at Metelec, says: “We’re delighted to reveal our continued commitment to investment and growth with the purchase of these three industry-leading machines. Each offers different capabilities and benefits, but they all ultimately help to improve our quality, proficiency, precision, speed and capacity.”

Dove says there is huge potential for growth in copper, particularly around electric charging infrastructure and data management.

“Investments such as these will help ensure we lead the way in the production of switchgear components and kits of parts for years to come. Two big challenges facing the UK economy at present are growth and productivity. Here at Metelec we’re proud to be addressing both in our pursuit of manufacturing excellence.”

More information www.metelec.com 

New micro-cutting technology installed

Nanoker from Spain specialises in technical ceramics and advanced nano-composites for various extreme applications. Now, the company is pushing boundaries using micro-waterjet technology. After winning a tender from CERN, Nanoker scanned the market for a suitable machine system. After a thorough evaluation they decided for a NCM 10 micro machine from Water Jet Sweden. The first challenge was to win the tender, second to find and select the right machine, and third to implement the new technology into its own production flow.

For every new set of parts, the machine needs to fine-tuning to get perpendicular cuts with tolerances of ±0.02 mm. Measuring the perpendicularity of machines after installation is standard procedure at Water Jet Sweden. However, for the NCM 10 Micro machine, laser measurement and ball bar verification also take place.

Water Jet Sweden always finalises training at the customer’s site, making sure the customer gets up and running. The company stays until after the customer produces a series of approved parts.

Sergio Rivera, product and business development manager at Nanoker Research, sums up the project: “The micro-water jet machine enables access to a very precise technology that cuts very hard materials in ‘close-to’ 2D geometries. Apart from the business related to the ‘big science’ industry, the machine will present new avenues for us to produce parts according to customer specifications with a different machining strategy.

He adds: “This technology will also allow us to access other markets, such as industrial. Previously, the production of ‘close-to’ 2D geometries in hard ceramics were limited to electrically conductive materials by using wireEDM. Now however, thanks to micro waterjet, we can machine both electrically and non-electrically conductive materials.”

For further information www.waterjetsweden.com