SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

Machining centre choice made pure and simple

Mills CNC has supplied Pure Innovate Manufacturing, a project management and engineering solutions provider, with a new high-performance machining centre.The machine, a DN Solutions DNM 5700 is now in-situat the company’s new and spacious ‘Innovation’ facility in Wallingford, just a few days after relocating its operations there. It is the first machine tool acquired by the company in its four-year history.

The DNM 5700 acquired by Pure Innovate is a three-axis vertical machining centre equipped with FANUC iPlus control and 15” touchscreen iHMI. Further features include an 18.5kW/12,000rpm directly-coupled spindle, 30-position ATC, large worktable and fast rapids. Mills CNC supplied the machine with through-spindle-coolant capability and a Renishaw tool and workpiece probing system to increase machining flexibility and improve process efficiencies.

Pure Innovate is the brainchild of managing director, Carl Joy, who says: “Having our own dedicated machining resource at the Innovation facility improves our flexibility and responsiveness.We’re can produce prototypes [including any iterations] quickly and efficiently – and means we’re not only able to deliver high-quality, fast turnaround machined prototypes, but also the processes developed and used to machine them.”

He continues: “To increase the scope and scale of our Innovation facility in the future, we are actively looking at investing in new technologies, like simultaneous five-axis machines, and developing our in-house capabilities further through processes such as additive manufacturing and composite machining.Nothing is off the table.”

Joy took the decision to invest in a DN Solutions DNM 5700 for a number of reasons.

“Pound for pound, the DNM 5700 is the ideal machine for us,” he states. “The machine is fast, flexible and accurate. It will enable us to machine high-precision prototypes and pre-production parts quickly.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Subcontractor installs large twin-column machine

Having a working volume of 2200 x 1700 x 750 mm, the Hurco DCX22i twin-column, bridge-type VMC with 8 tonne table load capacity is now the largest item of prismatic machining equipment on the shop floor at Jones Nuttall Precision Engineering in Warrington. The machine features a 40-station tool magazine, 12,000 rpm/18 kW spindle and rapids of 32 m/min in the X and Y axes, and 24 m/min in Z.

Jones Nuttall’s new DCX22i brings to 12 the number of machining centres in use on the shop floor, all of them supplied by Hurco, there being eight VM30i models and other VMCs also in operation. Additionally, a third of the lathes on site are Hurcos, both of them bar-fed. The TM10 has a 10-inch chuck while the 8-inch chuck TMM8 includes live tooling and a C axis.

Metals processed include Inconel, titanium alloy, stainless steel, steel, brass, aluminium, copper and even silver. Engineering thermoplastics such as nylon, acetal and PEEK are also common, as well as composites. Batch sizes range from one-offs to runs in excess of 1000.

Founded in 1971, Jones Nuttall has been a Hurco user since 2000, at which time the subcontractor decided to progress from manual tool-change mills to machining centres. The company opted for Hurco equipment due to the high build quality and spindle power of both the machining centres and lathes.

Geoff Brown, a machine operator at Jones Nuttall, says: “Hurco machines are very easy to program, set-up and use. The twin-screencontrol on the DCX really helps as I can program and edit on one screen, while the other screen displays the component and toolpath. The programming of all our Hurco machines is the same, so often one operator can run two or three machines.”
For further information www.hurco.com/gb

TWO MACHINES DELIVERED IN UNDER A MONTH

Mills CNChas supplied leading precision subcontract specialist Dalloway Precision Engineeringwith two new high-performance machine tools.The machines, both DN Solutions models, comprise a DVF 5000 simultaneous five-axis machining centre and a DNT 2100 8” chuck box-guideway lathe. Both FANUC-controlled modelsarrived at the company’s 3600sq ft facility in Lye, near Stourbridge, this summer, significantly increasing the company’s in-house machining capacity and capabilities.

These new acquisitions took place in conjunction with Dalloway Precision’s recent relocation to larger premises, completed at the end of June 2023, doubling the floor space available. This move provides ample and incontrovertible evidence that the family-owned Black Country company’s investment plans and programmes, somewhat curtailed by the outbreak of the pandemic, are now back with a vengeance.

Current owner and managing director, Gary Dalloway, establishedDalloway Precision in January 2002 by.In the early days the company was based in Bilston, Wolverhampton, where it operated from a small ‘shared’ premises.The company has grown exponentially since then, developing and honing its machining expertise, investing in new technologies and increasing its headcount.

Dalloway Precision is no stranger to investing in machine tools from Mills CNC. From 2017 to 2019, the company purchased three Doosan machines in quick succession: a Lynx 2100 lathe in 2017, a DNM 5700 vertical machining centre equipped with a 4th-axis in 2018, and a Puma GT 2600 lathe in 2019.

Says Dalloway: “We’re always looking to improve and regularly invest in new, advanced machine tool technologies to improve our productivity and process efficiencies.”

Investment in the new DVF 5000, a simultaneous five-axis machining centre and, to a lesser extent, the 8” chuck DNT 2100 box-guideway lathe, helps the company meet a substantial increase in demand from one of its existing UK customers. This contract requires the machining of complex, high-precision and safety-critical rail track piston arrangements – ultimately destined for the Swedish rail sector.A long-standing job that, since 2015, hasseen Dalloway Precision machine 500 piston parts per year was, was due to increase to 1000 parts per quarter in August 2023.

“The increase in demand, notified to us at the start of 2023, meant that we needed to re-evaluate our existing machining methods and processes in order to fulfil the new contract,” remembers Dalloway.“We simply couldn’t rely on the previous process to machine the increased number of parts, as that would seriously tie-up a significant percentage of our existing machining capacity and have a negative impact on our ability to meet the lead times of other customers.As a consequence, we decided to increase our machining capacity and develop a new, high-efficiency process with five-axis machining at its heart to cope with the new contract.”

The rail track piston arrangements are made from EN 19 high-quality alloy steel, near-net forgings supplied by a local metal forgings company. They have a number of intricate and high-precision milled and turned features that include bores and thread forms.With the previous process, Dalloway Precision was not able to machine a series of small-angled holes positioned around one end of each piston, so they were sent back to the UK customer for it to complete along with a number of specific grinding operations.

Says Dalloway:“The new process we developed, using a five-axis machining centre, provided the customer with a real ‘added-value’ solution, enabling us to machine all features, including the angled holes.”

Although Dalloway Precision is no stranger to multi-axis milling, having previously invested in machining centres with 4th-axis units, the acquisition of a full, simultaneous five-axis machining centre was something new.

“As well as being used to machine the pistons, we believed that the investment in a five-axis machine would improve our productivity and process efficiencies across the board,” he says. “It would also be instrumental in us being able to secure more complex work from new and existing customers in the future.”

To strengthen its turning operations, the company, at the same time, looked at investing in a versatile two-axis box-guideway lathe to handle the turned features of the pistons and, more generally, increase and improve its machining resource.With this in mind, Dalloway Precision approached the market with its plans and requirements. The existing relationship it had with Mills CNC meant that the Leamington Spa outfit was one of its first ports of call.

“We have a good relationship with Mills CNC and the three machines we acquired from them in the past, since 2017, are accurate, reliable and perform well,” states Dalloway. “Furthermore, we like the business approach of Mills CNC. They are always helpful and accommodating, and their progressive, customer-focused stocking policy means that when we have placed orders with them in the past – they are fulfilled, almost immediately.As a consequence, it was only natural for us to discuss our future investment plans with them.”

Dalloway Precision placed an order with Mills CNC for a DVF 5000 machining centre and a DNT 2100 lathe in April 2023.The DVF 5000 supplied to Dalloway precision was equipped with a 17kW/12,000 rpm direct-drive spindle and 60-position ATC. It features integrated thermal compensation to ensure high accuracies, even during long machining runs, and boasts 40m/min rapids that help ensure fast part processing and reduced cycle times.
To improve productivity still further, Mills CNC supplied machine with through-spindle-coolant capability (20bar) and a Renishaw RMP 60 compact spindle probe.

The DNT 2100 is one model in a new lathe series. This 8” chuck box-guideway lathe has a rigid design and build, and features a high-torque 4500rpm spindle, a servo-driven, fast indexing 12-station turret, and a programmable tailstock.

“The DVF 5000 and DNT 2100 were installed in the new facility in June and July respectively, and a ‘big shout out’ needs to go to Mills CNC for the quick and seamless relocation of all of our other machines [eight in total] to our new site,” says Dalloway. “The DVF 5000 is currently machining complex fixtures for the piston arrangement and we hope to be in full production in the next week or so.”

Dalloway Precision estimates that the piston contract will take up 50% of its new milling (DVF 5000) and turning (DNT 2100) capacity.Recent contract wins have involved the machining of high-precision, stainless steel rod ends for a number of automotive and motorsport customers; the machining of complex, modular welding fixtures for a luxury car manufacturer; and the machining of intricate packaging solutions for a food and beverage (whisky distillery) customer.

The company, through its commitment to continuous improvement, always has one eye on the future. For instance, to ensure growth and overcome skills shortages, Dalloway Precision operates an in-house apprenticeship programme run in conjunction with local colleges. Furthermore, to help improve business efficiencies, the company is looking to invest in an ERP system in the near future and is exploring specific industry accreditations and certifications to facilitate its entry into the aerospace and medical sectors.

Concludes Dalloway:“The latest investment in two DN Solutions machines from Mills CNC is proof positive that our growth intentions and ambitions, somewhat disrupted by the pandemic, are now back on track.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Toolmaker upgrades capabilities with Mazak VMC

Toolmaker SJ Dimmock has upgraded its manufacturing capabilities with the purchase of the company’s first UK-made Yamazaki Mazak VCN 530C vertical machining centre.The family-owned firm, based in Dunstable, was set up in 1985, since building a reputation for manufacturing high-specification injection moulding tools for the aerospace, medical, food and drink, automotive, and Formula One industries.

Company director Jamie Dimmock says: “Following the retirement of one of our long-serving employees, I found myself in the position of having three machines that I’d need to train myself to operate. As they were older machines, I thought it would be more effective to sell the machines to finance a new, larger vertical machining centre.After a lot of careful consideration and time spent evaluating the performance of comparable machines, I chose the VCN 530C vertical machining centre from Mazak. Each day that goes by confirms it was a fantastic decision.”

The VCN 530C is a high productivity vertical machining centre made at Mazak’s European manufacturing facility in Worcester. Equipped with a 40-taper spindle, Mazak says the machine excels at delivering high-speed machining with maximum stability and rigidity thanks to its heavy-duty casting.

Typically, SJ Dimmock is working to exceptionally tight tolerances of ±0.005 mm to meet the surface finish requirements of its customers. Here,Dimmock says the VCN has transformed the company’s machining operations. “We’ve replaced three machines with one and vastly improved the surface quality of the moulds, while reducing the volume of second operation work. The processing speeds are exceptional with the Mazak, which has not only helped with the quality of work, but has also doubled our capacity.”
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

Stockholder cuts lead times with Kasto automation

A steel and non-ferrous metals stockholder in Germany, is using a new sawing centre from Kasto for the close-tolerance cutting to length of its various bar, tube, profile and other products. At Bieber + Marburg, the demand for sawing in particular is increasing enormously, so the company needed to examine how best to expand this side of its business and determine what technology to target.

During a demonstration, the impressive speed of an automatic production circular saw from the KASTOvariospeed range impressed the stockholder’s management and it quickly became apparent that it would be the optimum solution to the shortfall in cutting capacity.

Nextto the circular saw, a KASTOsort robot is responsible for cut piece container management. The robot recognises the containers, which already contain the relevant delivery label, and loads the required parts into them automatically, even unattended over the weekend.

Bieber + Marburg’s new KASTOcenter Varioplus 4 warehouse is 50 m long by 7 m wide and 9 m high. It contains about 1500 shelves with space for material up to 7 m long and 330 mm in diameter. A gantry crane stores and retrieves stock at up to 60 m/min. It serves both the KASTOvariospeed C 18 automatic circular sawing centre and a bandsawing area, where a newly installed KASTOtec SC4 is part of the expansion.

“The KASTOcenter varioplus 4 has enabled us to reduce set-up time from 15-20 minutes on the bandsaws, to less than two minutes on the circular saw,” reveals Marcel Finkernagel, director of administration and organisation at Bieber + Marburg.“Operation is then automatic, with consistent quality of cut on material up to the saw’s maximum capacity of 330 mm diameter.”
For further information www.kasto.com