SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

TWO NEW MITSUBISHI EDM MACHINES FROM ETG PROVIDE SPARK OF PRODUCTIVITY AT TOOLMAKING COMPANY

As a specialist toolmaking business that works with clients from concept through to manufacture, MJ Toolmakers has gone from strength-to-strength since the business began trading in 1995. Producing mould tools, injection mould tooling, aluminium and zinc cast tooling, and extrusion die tooling, the Market Harborough based company is witnessing an ongoing period of sustained growth. It is the continuous upturn in business that has seen the company acquire two Mitsubishi EDM machines from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG).

As an established manufacturer with a range of manual and CNC machine tools, MJ Toolmakers was witnessing capacity issues in its four-machine EDM department. In addition, the company has a stringent policy of replacing machine tools after five years of operation to ensure the 11-employee business always runs the most up-to-date technology available.

Commenting on the situation, director at MJ Toolmakers, Paul McDermott, says: “We needed to replace an ageing machine and were intent on investing in a greener, more cost-effective and more powerful machine. Simultaneously, we know that a new machine would improve productivity whilst also reducing our costs.”

With a mixture of wire- and spark-erosion technology on site, the company undertook a full review of the marketplace before taking delivery of a Mitsubishi MV1200S wire-erosion machine in January 2023. Rapidly following this machine was another Mitsubishi mode, this time an SG8S die-sink EDM machine in March 2023.

With no prior experience of Mitsubishi machine tools or working with ETG, fellow director and brother of Paul, Nathan McDermott, says: “We reviewed the entire marketplace and ETG offered us the best machine with the best performance at a cost-to-performance ratio that met our needs. Additionally, the large work area of the Mitsubishi MV1200S in combination with an extremely small footprint, was a very attractive proposition for our workshop.”

Since the machine arrived it has been running around the clock.

“Our business works across a range of sectors from the nuclear, marine and oil and gas sectors, to point of sale retail, automotive and electronics,” says Nathan McDermott. “With a prestigious reputation as industry-leading toolmakers in all of these markets, we’ve been able to re-shore work from Europe and the Far East. Sadly, a lot of toolmaking businesses went under during the pandemic, which left a lot of work available for toolmaking experts like ourselves.”

To help MJ Toolmakers absorb some of this capacity, the Mitsubishi MV1200S wire eroder is working around the clock.

“The MV1200S is running at least 85% of the time,” says Nathan McDermott. “As a business, we operate 24/7 with lights-out machining. The Mitsubishi MV1200S has been running non-stop since we bought it, and it runs approximately six times faster than our previous EDM machine.”

In comparison with the previous machine, the Mitsubishi MV1200S provides several benefits. Inevitably the former ageing machine incurred a number of service issues, while the power and consumable costs were higher than on the Mitsubishi MV1200S. This is because the Mitsubishi MV1200S incorporates next-generation drive systems and an optimum machine structure with linear shaft motors that not only help to improve surface finishes and productivity rates, but also prolong wire life. From an operational perspective, the Mitsubishi MV1200S has an attractive user interface that guarantees ease of operation and the ability to reduce human errors for customers. With the information displayed on a large 19-inch screen, the CNC system can reduce set-up times by up to 40%.

“We can program the Mitsubishi MV1200S online and offline, and it is very easy to use,” explains Paul McDermott. “From a productivity perspective, the machine is significantly faster than its predecessor, more than six times faster in fact, making it is difficult to quantify savings in the consumption of consumables such as wire.”

The instant impact of the Mitsubishi MV1200S led the company to add a new die-sinking machine to its armoury with the purchase of a Mitsubishi SG8S die-sinking machine in March.

Adding this machine to the plant list, Paul McDermott says: “We needed more capacity, and the compact Mitsubishi MV1200S has an extremely small footprint with an auto-spark system and a 10-position electrode changer to extend our periods of unmanned running. We have one die-sink machine that has no tool-change facility and another with four positions, so the 10-position electrode facility enables us to run for longer periods with significantly higher productivity rates. This capability not only reduces our set-up times and reduces manual intervention, but the machine also achieves significantly less electrode wear.”

Reduced wear is a credit to the new Mitsubishi GV generator that can benefit a wide range of applications. Superlative performance with extremely low electrode wear is achievable when using graphite electrodes, while copper electrodes can create intricate details and high surface qualities, reports the Engineering Technology Group. The generator is just as suitable for machining carbide as for machining titanium and many other materials.

Concluding on the acquisition, Paul McDermott says: “We’ve been very pleased with the service from ETG, while the quality of the Mitsubishi EDMs is second to none. We are extremely happy with the machines and they’ve been working around the clock since their arrival earlier this year.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Robot-loaded Nakamura just keeps running

UK subcontract machining companies do not get much bigger than Metaltech Precision in Somerset. As part of the Expromet Technologies Group, Metaltech’s 50,000 sq ft facility is home to more than 40 CNC turning centres, over 15 machining centres and a wide variety of conventional machines, fabrication equipment and metrology technology. The latest machine to arrive is a Nakamura-Tome WT-300 with an automated robot loading facility from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG).

Operations manager Steven Ward says: “A customer approached us with a substantial contract that required machining a significant number of different parts in volume. Although we have existing fixed-head and sliding-head turning centres, we’re conscious of how we utilise our personnel and the hours available to us in a normal working week. Our Nakamura solution allows us to operate well outside of the normal operating window. The cell works on the basis that the Nakamura, with its performance monitoring and Hydrafeed Robojob system, allows us to palletise either billets or we can bar-feed the machine.”

With through-spindle bar capacity options for bar feeding of 65, 71, 80 or 102 mm diameter material and a maximum turning diameter of 270 mm, the twin-spindle, twin-turret Nakamura-Tome WT-300 accommodates the bar-turning and billet-loading demands of Metaltech. Available with an option of the 15/11 kW or 18.5/15 kW spindle motor on the main and sub-spindle, and a maximum turning length of up to 780 mm, the heavy-duty Nakamura-Tome WT-300 is an all-round performer.

Discussing if the automation route is the only way to remain competitive, Ward says: “You have two expensive assets in your business, one is machinery and the other is personnel. You have to consider how you best utilise both of those assets.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Digital switch will boost Omnitool production

Irvine-based Omnitool – a family-run precision engineering business working in the oil and gas, renewables and nuclear sectors – is boosting its production capacity and plans to expand into new markets, create new jobs and cut emissions following the introduction of new digital tools and expertise.With £188,000 funding support from Innovate UK, Omnitool is working with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) to develop the skills required to implement its digital upgrade. The business hopes that the move will see machine idle time cut in half and production capacity increased by 10%.
For further information www.bit.ly/44R55PL

Subcontractor reaches new standard with Mitutoyo

Cwm Engineering has been on an acquisition trail over the past few years to target growth in high-technology sectors. As part of its journey, the Welsh company has moved to a new purpose-built 10,000sqft factory to make space for its investment in new machine tools. With more than five machines purchased in the past three years, the company recognised a requirement for a dedicated inspection department with high-end metrology equipment, which is why CWM Engineering installed a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex V 7106 CNC CMM and a Mitutoyo surface roughness machine.

Cwm Engineering’s managing director Malcolm Walters says: “We’re fully aware that when potential customers visit a subcontract manufacturer, they want to see a dedicated metrology department to instil confidence in their supply chain choices. When it came to selecting equipment, Mitutoyo was the stand-out brand for our business. Mitutoyo is a name that everyone knows and respects as an industry leader and our previous experience with them was exceptional.”

Alluding to why the company invested in the Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex V 7106, Walters adds: “It has a measurement range of 700 x 1000 x 600mm packed into a small footprint. Furthermore, the level of information that can be obtained from the reporting system far exceeds anything we hadpreviously.”

Cwm Engineering also purchased a Mitutoyo surface roughness measuring machine, opting for a handheld solution to aid portability around the machine shop, if necessary.

Walters concludes: “Our investment in new Mitutoyo technology will put us in a strong position for the future. Furthermore, the Mitutoyo MCOSMOS software enables us to fully network our quality activities and reporting.”
For further information www.mitutoyo.co.uk

One version of the truth for CNC 2010

Investment in a PSL Datatrack production control software system has brought a number of organisational benefits to CNC 2010 Ltd of Buntingford. These include enhanced traceability, improved management and the establishment of “one version of the truth”, reports Emily Coleman, director of the subcontract precision engineering company.

Before implementing PSL Datatrack, CNC 2010 relied on manual methods for quoting and managing its business operations. However, the company now feels more confident in its processes due to PSL Datatrack’s standardised approach.

CNC 2010 learnt of PSL Datatrack through a fellow precision engineering subcontractor, a long-term supporter of the system in its 20th year of use. Coleman says that the sales process for the software was “smooth, with no pressure and comprehensive explanations of the software’s features and benefits”.

She adds: “We ultimately chose PSL Datatrack because it is specifically for the subcontract precision engineering industry and offered bespoke functionality tailored to our requirements.”

Utilisation of PSL Datatrack aligned with CNC 2010’s aims for the business. By streamlining the entire production process, it provided an opportunity for growth.

“We had reached maximum capacity in terms of administrative processing with our existing workload and PSL Datatrack helped us to overcome this limitation,” says Emily.

Since implementing PSL Datatrack, CNC 2010 has been able to process more orders and increase sales. Moving forward, the company’s focus is to leverage the software to optimise stock control and material handling. CNC 2010 also aims to obtain ISO 9001 accreditation, further enhancing its credibility and market position.

“We now have one version of the truth,” she concludes.“Processing times have reduced and there is no lost information as there was with our previous paper-based system.”
For further information www.psldatatrack.com