Matthew Boyt, managing director of CR Engineering in Wotton Underwood near Aylesbury bought the company from his previous employer in 2020 and since then has had a programme of investment in XYZ Machine Tools to keep up with demand.Originally formed in 1947, CR Engineering started off with watchmaking but now makes precision components for a wide range of applications including X-ray machines, bottle filling machines, bath lifts and specialist laser machinery.

“Before I bought the company and worked as an employee, Colin Rapsey, the previous owner, had already invested in XYZ Machine Tools, installing the first machine in 1998,” explains Boyt.“All the employees liked and were familiar with the ProtoTRAK controls and, the machines themselves had proved their reliability and return on investment, so it was an easy decision to continue working with XYZ Machine Tools as the business has grown.”

For turning, the company currently has three XYZ machines: a CT65 HD lathe with 66 mm capacity Hydrafeed bar-feed system, Siemens 828D ShopTurn touchscreen control and tool setting probe; a ProTurn RLX425 gap-bed lathe with 480 mm swing and 2500 rpm spindle (both purchased in July 2022); and a ProTurn SLX 355 with 1000 mm between centres which came with the company purchase.

For milling, the company’s XYZ machines include: a KMX 2000 turret mill with 762 x 380mm travel; an RMX 3500 bed mill with ProtoTRAK RMX control, 787 x 508 x 508mm travel and 5000 rpm spindle; and an RMX 5000 with ProtoTRAK RMX control, 1524 x 596 x 584mm travel and 7.5 hp programmable variable speed head. The latest acquisition is an XYZ 1100 HD vertical machining centre.

“This is my dream machine, and it would not fit in our previous factory,” says Boyt.“We moved to our new premises in August 2022, expanding our operation to 3600 sq ft. Purchasing this machine was one of the first things I did. We can fit three vices on the bed, so typically we can machine multi sided parts in one set-up, simply moving and turning them from one vice to the next to produce a finished part straight off one machine. Not only does this save on handling, it also improves accuracy and quality.”

The XYZ 1100 HD comes with a 33 hp, 10,000 rpm spindle, a 1200 x 600 mmtable and a Siemens 828D ShopMill 15″ touchscreen control or a Heidenhain TNC 620 control.

CR Engineering’s move to its new factory was orchestrated by XYZ’s haulage, moving the all the machinery and installing the new RMX 5000 in the space of one and a half days.

Says Boyt: “To recommission all the machines and install the new RMX 5000 so quickly minimised our downtime and was an impressive feat. Even better, the RMX 5000 paid for itself with the first job we put on it.”

The company specialises in small batch quantities of between 2 and 200 parts in a wide range of materials that include stainless steel, mild steel, aluminium, brass, acetel and nylon. Programming takes placeat the machine control, taking advantage of the easy ProtoTRAK, ShopMill and ShopTurn interactive conversational programming.

“We find this works well for the small batch quantities we make,” reports Boyt.“However, a really useful feature is the TRAKing on all the XYZ machines, which gives us the ability to run forwards and backwards through a program by turning the hand-wheel, quickly proving it out before hitting the start button, avoiding scrap and expensive damage to the machine.”

The investment in new machinery has impressed CR Engineering’s customers and it is seeing a growth in orders thanks to the large-capacity machines it has where some parts are up to 2.5m long. No one locally has the capability to machine components of this size. Similarly, the company is reaping the benefits of reshoring where customers are re-evaluating security of supply. CR Engineering is BS EN 9001:2008 registered, so accuracy, repeatability, traceability and on-time delivery are important parts of its ethos.

CR Engineering has nearly 70 years of experience in producing quality precision components for a wide variety of industries. The knowledge and skill within the company offers a refreshing blend between traditional engineering and modern current practice, allowing the customer to have confidence that both quality and service are available to them, as indeed it continues to be with many long term current customers. However, with Boyt now at the helm, the company is enjoying a new dawn based on investment in both capital equipment and staff.

“We now have 10 employees, adding a further four since I took over in 2020,” concludes Boyt.“Our staff are highly motivated and prepared to go the extra mile for our customers. Working with XYZ Machine Tools gives us the confidence that we can achieve our aims. The machines are well built and reliable, and the service is excellent. We hardly ever have any trouble with the machines and, if we do, it’s fixed the next day. We’ve found the machines to be very good value for money and will continue investing with XYZ Machine Tools as our business grows.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Founded in 2011, toolmaking and subcontract machining company GT Tooling spent one year using conventional manual metrology equipment to measure the components it was milling and turning before investing in a 3D articulating arm, a six-axis model with a reach of 1.2 m. Three years later when the company moved from Petersfield to a bigger factory unit in Fareham, the company invested in a machining centre with 1651 x 762 x 762 mm travels, which meant that larger prismatic parts required inspection in two operations.

Although satisfactory, the procedure was time-consuming and risked the introduction of errors due to the necessity for arm relocation. So in May 2022, a Freedom Classis Scan portable arm with a reach of 2 marrived from LK Metrology. GT Tooling gained its introduction to this UK CMM from nearby Mech Metrology & Power Tools, which calibrates the toolmaker’s inspection equipment and supplies it with conventional metrology tools such as verniers and micrometers.

Greg Simmonds, joint owner and director of GT Tooling, says: “We considered manuallyoperated and CNC CMMs. However, the repeatability of measurement on the former was not good enough while the latter did not offer sufficient flexibility of use. Neither had the reporting capability that was up to our standards or those of our customers. We also felt that programmable CMMs were better suited to series production, whereas we machine mainly one-offs and small batches.”

He continues: “We therefore decided to stay with portable arm technology, but instead of returning to the incumbent supplier we chose LK. We were keen to take advantage of their renowned aftersales service and we also like the PolyWorks Inspector reporting software supplied as standard with LK Freedom arms, which is particularly easy to use. Simply by pulling out the required dimensions and pressing a button, it is possible to manipulate reports freely into different, easily-digestible formats to suit each customer’s preference.”

The precision engineering firm has held ISO9001 quality management certification since the beginning and takes inspection and measurement very seriously, not least because it is heavily involved in supplying Formula One teams during the off-season. During that period, motorsport accounts for a large proportion of factory throughput, mainly the manufacture of patterns, jigs, fixtures and aluminium soft tools for producing composite race car parts. Other industries served include aerospace, automotive, food and beverage, while the company produces rubber and injection moulds from tool steel for a multitude of sectors. Further materials processed at GT Tooling include stainless steel, exotic alloys, copper and its alloys, carbon fibre, and engineering plastics.

Ryan Leaves, who doubles as a sales engineer and an inspector at GT Tooling, says: “Greg and I witnessed a one-hour presentation on the Freedom arm by LK engineers in Castle Donington. It took place online during the pandemic. The demonstration, which included use of the PolyWorks software, took place inspecting one of our parts. It showed how easy the equipment is to use and left me feeling relaxed that, even though I don’t have a formal metrology background, I’d be able to implement the new inspection system quickly.”

A CMM is inherently able to measure tolerances about 10 times smaller than an articulated arm, as positional feedback is from linear scales rather than absolute angle encoders within rotary joints. Nevertheless, the Freedom arm provides accurate results when GT Tooling is measuring dimensions to general drawing tolerances of ±0.1 mm. If there is a need to check tighter features, Leaves uses conventional metrology involving bore and pin gauges, for example.

He confirms that the entire quality control process using the arm, comprising alignment, inspection and reporting, is now faster and more flexible than previously due to the enhanced usability of the LK equipment. Speed is important, as some urgent jobs for Formula One require a 24-hour turnaround. An internal report takes typically 15 to 20 minutes to prepare, while about one hour is required for a full FAIR (first article inspection report). The reason these previously took longer was that the reporting element of the process to GT Tooling’s specification was more time-consuming. Where really significant savings accrue is when inspecting large parts that previously required two arm set-ups. In these cases inspection time is halved, as Leaves was essentially doing the job twice.

The main benefit of the new quality control procedure is that the resulting documentation is now exactly what the customer wants to see, without the inclusion of unnecessary content and consequent need for interpretation. GD&T reporting in particular, previously a laborious exercise, is notably more user-friendly with PolyWorks. GT Tooling uses the arm almost exclusively on a dedicated inspection table for checking components, but occasionally it is mounted on a machining centre table to verify the accuracy of a part before it is taken out of its fixture or prior to further metalcutting.

During pre-purchase discussions, it became clear that laser scanning as an adjunct to touch-probing of discrete points would be of considerable benefit to GT Tooling. It would allow the collection of much more comprehensive data on freeform surfaces in a fraction of the time and hence provide more comprehensive reporting and avoid any risk of missing machining errors. It was for this reason that LK supplied a seven-axis Freedom arm rather than a six-axis model, together with suitably configured software, as the extra degree of freedom is necessary to enable laser scanning when the additional investment can be justified.

A further benefit of laser scanning will be inspection of delicate and deformable components, including rubber parts such as car door seals, without fear of damaging or deforming them in the process. Yet another advantage will be the ability to reverse engineer legacy components, such as for vintage cars, for which no data or drawings exist. It will be possible not only to use this capability on parts machined in-house, with the opportunity to win new customers as a result, but also to sell an inspection service to other manufacturers on a subcontract basis if there is spare capacity.

Simmonds concludes: “Until now, we’ve produced inspection reports on about 40% of our machined components, as not every end user requires one. Now that the process is so much quicker and easier with the LK arm, we’re looking to more than double the number, as it reflects well on the service we provide, gives customers confidence and may result in extra business.

“I’d like to place on record that the PolyWorks software has proven to be even better than we were expecting and the company’s telephone advice is excellent, as is LK’s. This is key for us, as we often have to provide a quick service, especially to Formula One, and we cannot afford to have our inspection function down for long should we have a problem.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk