SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

Manufacturing analytics software supports 30% growth

A precision machining company has achieved 30% growth in turnover following the installation of a manufacturing analytics platform. Chesterfield-based Sterling Machining installed FourJaw’s manufacturing analytics platform on 14 of its CNC machines to support and inform its continuous improvement strategy.

Co-owner and production manager Andy White says: “We had an ERP in place but no way of accurately measuring jobs and their profitability until they were finished. If a job took longer than expected, we couldn’t see why. FourJaw’s machine monitoring system has given us valuable data that we use to understand machine utilisation, operational efficiency and profitability. In the past 12 months our business has grown from £3.8m to £5m turnover.”

FourJaw’s MachineLink IIoT device is suitable for easy and quick self-installation on any manufacturing machine, regardless of brand, type or age, which makes it suitable for small and medium-sized businesses that prefer a low-cost, no-fuss ‘plug-and-play’ solution. By monitoring and analysing machine data, FourJaw enables manufacturers to make machines run productively and profitably.

“Initially, the guys on the shop floor were a little reluctant but soon became interested to see how it worked,” says White. “It didn’t take long for them to become competitive, wanting to get the best machine efficiency scores, resulting in utilisation going from 75% to 100%. This means that we’re making more products with the same resources, lowering the cost of manufacturing and therefore improving profitability.”

Since installing FourJaw on its machines, the team at Sterling Machining has improved many processes, informed by the platform’s accurate real-time data. For example, the team uses historic data to see how long similar jobs have taken and uses this information to quote more confidently for future work.
For further information www.fourjaw.com

Engineered to deliver, enhanced by Vericut

CGTech’s Vericut software has created a confidence-boosting, reassuring safety net for Hyde Aero Products over the past 20 years or more. As one of the UK’s largest independent engineering companies, Hyde Aero Products has a prominent reputation for the design, manufacture and assembly of components that it supplies to a broad spread of customers.

Comprised of over 20 manufacturing units that specialise in all elements of metallic component manufacture, Hyde Aero Products relies on Vericut CNC simulation, verification and optimisation software across a number of its sites. In particular, Stoneswood Precision Components (SPC), which specialises in the subtractive manufacturing of soft and hard metal aerospace components, is harnessing the functions of Vericut to deliver high-quality components, first time.

“From small three-axis aluminium brackets, through to large, high-value five-axis titanium structural components, everything runs through Vericut,” explains Rob Westley, senior technical engineer at SPC. “No single program, no matter how short, is output to the shop floor without gaining the Vericut seal of approval.”

Tom Whitbread, SPC technical engineer adds: “The simplicity of Vericut and its speed of use has led to it never being seen as a burden to the programming element of our production chain. In my five years as a programmer and through my SPC apprenticeship programme, Vericut has always captured my training errors and helped me develop skills for program optimisation and enhance the quality of the components I engineer.”

SPC also uses Vericut to manage production capacity. The log and run-time estimation output by Vericut allows SPC to review and optimise the balancing of workloads and manufacturing capabilities of the factory’s various machining cells.
For further information www.cgtech.co.uk

NEW INVESTMENT IN EDM TURNS BUSINESS AROUND

Founded almost 40 years ago, Travelling Wire Ltd was a business that needed updating, until Richard Weller bought the company just over six years ago. Despite its impressive reputation for servicing the toolmaking industry in the southeast, a lack of investment was sending the business into steady decline. However, the change of ownership has brought a completely new lease of life to the company, and it has invested heavily – especially in Mitsubishi spark and wire EDM machines from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG).

The company had a raft of ageing technology that included three Mitsubishi FX10 and one FX20 wire-erosion machine and other EDM machines in the 25 to 30-year-old age bracket. As the new owner of the Burgess Hill based business, Weller, a technical manager at another toolmaking business, swept in and began to invest in new technology. The results have been nothing short of amazing.

With a dilapidated plant list, Weller started a clear out, removing the ageing technology and replacing it with new.

“When I bought the business, the immediate issue was that all our wire and spark erosion machines needed constant attention,” he says. “The wire would break multiple times each day on every wire EDM machine, meaning the shop-floor staff would have to re-thread and start the job again from the beginning of the program. Likewise, the spark-erosion machines could only spark one hole or feature at a time and operators would have to re-set the machine for the next operation. Added to this, the old machines would constantly need maintenance and running repairs to keep them going. We needed to do something, and rapidly.”

In his previous business, Weller had decades of experience with Mitsubishi EDM machines, so he immediately called upon Scott Elsmere, the resident EDM expert at ETG. Following the departure of some FX machines, Travelling Wire found itself left with an outdated Mitsubishi FX20 good BA8 machine running alongside a machine from another vendor. The business was struggling to meet its customer commitments. Following a conversation with Elsmere, the subcontract manufacturer purchased a Mitsubishi BA24 wire EDM in 2019.

“The difference to our old technology was amazing,” states Weller. “If I was to describe our old machines, I would say it was like having a car where ‘the handbrake doesn’t work’ or you are ‘running without lights’, there was always an issue that created inefficiencies. The BA24 had automatic wire re-threading and this instantly enabled us to run our wire EDM unmanned overnight. The machine we replaced needed wire re-threading constantly, and while this only took 5 minutes, it meant we always had to watch the machine. The BA24 was saving 20-30 minutes a day in re-threading time alone. Add in the 50% productivity increase and the unmanned night running – the difference was huge. We erode a lot of tungsten carbide and one job that took 24 hours to process unmanned on the BA24 would have been a minimum of three days on an older machine.”

From 2018 to 2022, the company continued to invest, acquiring a new CNC milling machine, a new manual mill, a CMM, a large surface grinder and a rumbling machine for deburring parts. One factor that made a difference was the commitment to becoming ISO9001-certified.

“Historically, the company had been servicing toolmaking businesses and general subcontract manufacturers,” explains Weller. “ISO9001 won us business with new customers and, simultaneously, the Mitsubishi BA24 improved our productivity and quality to meet the demands of our growing customer base.”

Although the Mitsubishi BA24 and BA8 was an improvement upon previous machines at Travelling Wire, the machines was regularly running at capacity, carrying the load for the business with a few ageing machines alleviating any remaining capacity. To continue its growth trajectory, the company needed to invest in more EDM technology. So, in November 2022, Travelling Wire took delivery of a Mitsubishi SG12S spark-erosion machine and a Mitsubishi MV2400R wire-erosion machine.

Looking at the new Mitsubishi SG12S spark erosion machine, Weller says: “This machine has been a complete game-changer. We had an old machine with an auto-tool changer, but it didn’t work well. Setting it up was a cumbersome task and the machine was difficult to use. Every time we needed to conduct a secondary task, we’d have to manually change tools and re-set the machine. The Mitsubishi SG12S has eliminated all of this with its 20-position tool changer. ETG also supplied a lifter table and magnets, Erowa tool holders and a probing system as part of our package. The additional investment was worth every penny.”

With its additional equipment, Travelling Wire can accelerate set-up times, while the on-machine probing system significantly improves precision and repeatability.

Says Weller: “Three of our team had three days of training with ETG on the new Mitsubishi SG12S, during which we learnt a lot of new methods for working as well as gaining an understanding of the machine. We also invested in the Esprit CAM software system from ETG, which further enabled us to improve workflow.”

He adds: “While the tool-holding and CAM investment have made improvements to our set-ups, the major difference is when parts are running. Not only are our cycle times at least 50% faster, but the machine will run uninterrupted for long periods. We recently machined 18 parts and each one needed a slot sparked. On the old machine, this would have been a minimum of 36 re-setting interventions, but on the Mitsubishi SG12S, the parts were probed and the machine completed the job with no interventions.”

Alongside the new SG12S is the new Mitsubishi MV2400R wire EDM, alluding to which, Weller says: “We thought the BA24 machine in 2019 was a step up from our previous technology, but the MV2400R is at least 40% faster. The MV2400R is a brilliant machine: the wire continually re-threads with precision, there are no maintenance issues, the set-ups are fast and stable processes, and the touchscreen control and software are just amazing to use. The MV2400R is giving us a huge capacity boost with its ability to work around the clock at speed with minimal downtime. Furthermore, the quality of the finish is exemplary.”

In conclusion, Weller says: “The new machines have transformed the quality and precision of our work, and we are winning more contracts from sectors such as automotive, food and pharmaceutical, which demand quality at the highest level. Not only can we exceed the expectations of these new customers with the Mitsubishi machines, but we can also supply shorter lead times with more competitive pricing.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

HyperMILL revs-up productivity at Alcon Precision

As part of the Alcon Group, Alcon Precision Engineering has been at the cutting edge of performance automotive manufacturing since its inception. To manufacture complex components for the automotive and motorsport sectors, the company relies on HyperMILL CAM software from Open Mind Technologies.

Previously known as GE Precision before its acquisition by the Alcon Group, Alcon Precision Engineering has been using HyperMILL since 2008. When the Tamworth-based Alcon Group, a manufacturer of brakes and clutches, recognised the quality and surface finishes of the components manufactured at Alcon Precision Engineering, it also adopted HyperMILL CAM software to improve the quality of its components. For Alcon Precision Engineering, a company that has always had its niche in the high-end manufacture of motorsport engines, gearboxes and critical components, a high-end CAM system has always been of critical importance.

Alcon Precision Engineering’s managing director Garry Edwards says: “I’ve used all the leading CAM systems down the years and they all have their individual quirky features that make them a feasible choice, but HyperMILL has all the same features of all its rivals and lots more besides.”

He continues: “A major benefit that stands out is the tool paths within the surface machining modules. Parts like engine covers need to be aesthetically perfect and with HyperMILL, if the middle component has a distinct contour shape, we can select the contour as a guide for the tool path to replicate. This will ensure the entire tool path follows the contours of the part to blend perfectly the surface. Comparing this and other features, HyperMILL is a world apart from other CAM systems.”

Referring to other key features within HyperMILL, Edwards adds: “Another advantage is the feature recognition option, which creates less reliance on our team having to create geometries, surfaces and guide curves. The system is very efficient in terms of production engineering and programming times. Previously, we invested in a different CAM system that was very clunky, took a long time to process tool paths and offered no feature recognition, so we decided to change. Once I had a demonstration of the capabilities of HyperMILL, I was sold.”
For further information www.openmind-tech.com

PSL Datatrack gets subcontractor off the ground

One of the first, vital tasks for Bradda Engineering was to invest in a production control software system. PSL Datatrack was identified as meeting all of the start-up company’s initial requirements.

“The control that PSL Datatrack would bring to the business was clear,” states Bradda Engineering’s owner Kenneth Oates. “We are primarily engineers and PSL Datatrack takes care of everything so we don’t have to get bogged down in manual administration work.”

Experience told Oates that investment in production control software was essential in order to provide the highest levels of customer service.

“Understanding how to make the most of stock and materials so that we could be as efficient as possible with minimum waste was a prerequisite,” he says.

PSL Datatrack manages the generation of quotations and all the engineering steps required until delivery and final invoice. Upon raising a works order, the system generates a material requirement and the purchase orders module is used to place an order with the supplier. Users can trace the job through the shop floor, with data collected on operational costs, tooling, materials and machining processes.

Oates initially researched a number of production control systems, but few seemed to fit the exact needs of a small engineering company.

“They did not seem flexible enough and were quite complicated to use,” he says. “We also wanted the modularity that would enable us to build up a system as we grew and attracted more customers.”

Having recognised the real potential of PSL Datatrack and how it could help a growing company, the company invested in more modules than originally envisaged. The administration, sales, purchasing, scheduling, shop-floor data collection and financial modules were installed from the outset.
For further information www.psldatatrack.com