Quest Precision Engineering has been on a trajectory of continuous growth thanks to the acquisition of seven high-end Nakamura-Tome turning centres from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG). The Scottish manufacturer initially acquired two Nakamura-Tome turning centres through the pandemic and has kept adding to the plant list ever since.

The Dundee-based company has four Nakamura-Tome WT150II turning centres, two NTY3-150 turn-mill centres and has just purchased a Nakamura MX-100 from ETG’s Scottish distribution partner RAM Engineering & Tooling.

“We’ve been working with Quest Precision for over 20 years and done a lot of applications together, focusing on productivity and flexibility,” says Ross Milne, company director at RAM Engineering & Tooling. “This is epitomised by the Nakamura MX-100 turn-mill centre with swivelling B axis, opposing spindles and lower turret. We’ve also got a gantry loader and bar feed on the machine. It’s a proper step-change.”

Gordon Deuchars, managing director at Quest Precision, says: “Nakamura one led to Nakamura two in just three months, and then around 18 months later we won a big order. This brought Nakamura three and four online. More recently, we’ve been manufacturing the complex ‘Mark 3’ autonomous valve for the oil and gas industry from Inconel 718. We needed a robust machine to take us to the next level, namely the NTY3-150. We’ve now progressed to the Mark 4 valve, which is why we recently installed the MX-100 multi-axis machine.”

He adds: “Our relationship with ETG has been first class. From the moment we enquired about the first machine they’ve been there for us on every turnkey project. The Nakamura range offers the flexibility, efficiency and reliability that we need as a busy manufacturer in the subcontract field.”

More information www.engtechgroup.com

With 75% of its turning centres bought from Dugard, it is safe to say that C&K Precision Engineers is reaping the rewards of working with the south coast machine tool specialist. The Stoke-based manufacturer is a subcontract machining, assembly and fabrication business serving the medical, aerospace, surveillance and general manufacturing sectors. Working in these segments, C&K Precision demands machine tools capable of delivering high-quality, tight-tolerance workpieces from the most challenging material grades. 

Matthew Kelsall, Director at C&K Precision, says: “We moved to a larger facility in 2017 and seen continual grown ever since. There’s a skills shortage and we’re lucky to have a good team around us, but we have to maximise that with the most productive machines.”

That is why six of the company’s eight turning centres have been purchased from Dugard Machine Tools. Alluding to why the second-generation business founded in 1969 keeps returning to Dugard, Kelsall says: “One of the main things is reliability. The first Dugard machine we bought has been with us for six years and it’s been very reliable. It’s a very robust and rigid machine with box guideways, and we need that as we cut many exotic materials.”

As a turner operating four machines at C&K Precision, Matthew Gerrard adds: “The machines are built extremely well, and they perform brilliantly on materials like Inconel 625 and titanium. You can make massive cuts on the Dugard SMEC machines, whereas others might stall. This is due to their high-specification motors and box-way construction. Furthermore, if we’re making parts from titanium with less than 1 mm wall thickness, the Dugard SMEC machines ensure we don’t get any vibration.”

More information www.dugard.com

LoneStar Fasteners Hydrobolt (LSFH), a manufacturer of fasteners, bolts and other precision-machined components, has placed a repeat order for turning centres that will further expand CNC turn-milling capacity at its Wednesbury facility. The company has invested £1.5m in six twin-spindle Y-axis lathes built by Biglia in Italy and supplied through sole UK and Ireland agent Whitehouse Machine Tools.

LSFH is buying new lathes to manufacture components more efficiently and precisely in one hit, rather than in two, three or even four operations, as previously. The decision to invest in Biglia was based on lathe rigidity and the power of the spindles and driven tools, which enables the machining of components in stainless steel, titanium and high-nickel alloys. These materials commonly find use in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and power generation sectors, all of which are supplied by LSFH. To preserve surface finish on components and prevent damage after machining, every lathe features a parts catcher and conveyor.

Robbie Beckett, operations director at LoneStar’s Wednesbury facility says: “The first two machines, installed in 2023, were B620YS single-turret turning centres with 80 mm bar capacity, which have enabled us to reduce production costs, improve surface finish on components and increase productivity. They performed exceptionally well over their first year of operation, so we decided to order four more turn-mill centres from the same supplier.”

The next pair of lathes to arrive, in May 2024, were a Biglia B750YS with a single turret and 100 mm bar capacity, and a B465T2Y2, the first with twin turrets. They were followed in August 2024 by an additional B750YS and another twin-turret lathe, a BMX45T2Y2 with superimposed machining capability, facilitating three tools in simultaneous cut.

More information www.wmtcnc.com