Historically, a majority of subcontractor Reginson Engineering’s turnover came from the aerospace sector, with oil and gas generating most of the remainder. However, when Covid struck in early 2020 the aerospace contracts dried up. While ventilator work took off, the company knew this was only temporary, so the family-run business owned by Steve Hatch set about finding business elsewhere. What transpired altered the company’s fortunes entirely, as a contract from a jewellery manufacturer combined with strong growth in aerospace conspired to increase turnover so dramatically that by 2023 it was 447% higher than before the pandemic.

Even better is to come. The jewellery company is so pleased with the quality of the mainly titanium jewellery pieces already supplied that it has signalled its intention to increase the annual quantity of parts from 100,000 to 1 million per month over the next few years. The machine tools underpinning both the quantity and quality of the jewellery parts produced at the Nuneaton factory are yet more Citizen Cincom sliding-head lathes.

Reginson Engineering is a long-time user of these Japanese-built sliders dating back to the early 1990s. In October 2020, the lathes were joined on the shop floor by the subcontractor’s first Citizen fixed-head model, a 64 mm bar capacity Miyano ABX-64SYY twin-turret, twin-spindle turn-mill centre. The user describes the machine as “fantastic”, as it has allowed the company to slash cycle times compared with using other turning plant on site.

The upturn in throughput generated by the jewellery contract required much more sliding-head capacity, so the subcontractor has bought 14 new Cincoms in the past couple of years. They are now seven 20 mm bar capacity A20-VIIs on site and the same number of 12 mm capacity L12-VIIs.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Located in Brockworth on the outskirts of Gloucester, Adnet Precision Engineering is a subcontract manufacturer that continually grows its business. Operating in the defence, pharmaceutical, aerospace, metrology, medical, telecommunications and semiconductor industries, the company has ramped up its investment in machine tools to support ongoing growth. The latest investments include an array of turning centres and sliding-head lathes from Dugard.

Caroline Day, director at Adnet Precision,says: “We already had one sliding-head machine, but we were running out of capacity, so we invested in the Hanwha XD20-IIV. This new machine is running parts more than 30% faster than our existing sliding head.”

With a maximum speed of 10,000rpm on the main spindle and 8000rpm on the sub-spindle, the machine has a spindle motor power of 2.2/3.7kW. A FANUC 32i-B CNC drives the Hanwha XD20IIV, which provides precise machining through its high tool adaptability, minimised thermal displacement and driven-tooling capabilities. The Hanwha XD20IIV is supplied material via a 3m bar feed.

Most recently, the company purchased a SMEC SL2000SY twin-spindle turn-mill centre from Dugard. This workhorse has an 11/18kW spindle motor that provides high torque for maximum material removal, while the heavily ribbed Meehanite cast and structural design provide high levels of surface finish, repeatability and precision. The 8-inch chuck machine has a sizeable capacity with a swing over bed and cross slide of 650 and 540mm respectively,alongside a maximum machining diameter of 395mm and a maximum machining length of 450mm.

“With the twin spindles we can achieve a lot more work; it’s probably 30% more efficient than the two machines it replaced,” says Day. “The machine also has far more capability.”
For further information www.dugard.com