SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

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

TIMELY INVESTMENTS MEET INCREASE IN DEMAND

An increase in demand for its high-quality machining services from existing customers, coupled with a growing number of new and significant machining contract ‘wins’ from new customers, provided the catalyst for Burcas Ltd to invest in two new machine tools from Mills CNC.

The new machines, both DN Solutions’ models, comprise: a large-capacity, heavy-duty 21” chuck Puma 5100LMB long-bed, box-guideway lathe equipped with driven tooling; and a 10” chuck SMX 2600S multi-tasking mill-turn machine equipped with two opposing (left and right) spindles and a B-axis milling head.Both machines feature the latest FANUC iPlus control and 15” touchscreen iHMIs. Ordered at the same time, in early 2023, the machines increase Burcas’ in-house capabilities and capacity at its West Bromwich facility.

The Puma 5100LMB and SMX 2600S are the second and third machines Burcas has acquired from Mills CNC in its 82-year history – the first being a large Mynx 9500/50 vertical machining centre that arrived in November 2020 to machine high-value, high-precision tooling, prototypes and components primarily for customers in the nuclear sector.

Says Mike Burrows, Burcas’ owner and managing director:“The Mynx 9500/50 has been a great investment and more than proved its worth since being acquired.Day in and day out the machine delivers the high part accuracies and fast processing speeds that we, and our customers, demand.It has undoubtedly helped us strengthen our supply chain position within the nuclear sector and, over the past three years, has been more than instrumental inhelping us secure a number of new machining contracts in the sector.”

The nuclear industry remains important to Burcas, and the company is actively working towards the “Fit for Nuclear’ accreditation to consolidate and strengthen its position in the sector still further.

Burcas’ positive experience with its Mynx machine, and with Mills CNC in general, was a prime motivator in the company investing in its new Puma 5100LMB and SMX 2600S machines.

“It was around September 2022 when enquiries from customers in the defence, aerospace, oil and gas, rail, and nuclear sectors really took off,” recalls Burrows. “This was clearly great news for us, but in order to meet such an increase in demand, we needed to evaluate our existing in-house machining capacity and capabilities, and stress-test our processes and systems, to make sure we could cope.”

As a company committed to continuous improvement, systematic monitoring and analysis of its production processes is not something new, or alien, to Burcas.Identifying and addressing, in advance, any potential production bottlenecks and pinch points, before the new business came on stream, were necessary pre-requisites. The company believed this would make all the difference between seamlessly ramping up production and struggling to meet its new manufacturing targets.The audit identified that Burcas needed to strengthen its turning and milling capabilities.

Says Burrows:“The new business we acquired was all high precision in nature and involved the machining of different materials: everything from aluminium and nickel-chrome-molybdenum steel, through to stainless steels, titanium and Hastelloy.With such diversity, we needed versatile machines capable of performing heavy-duty roughing operations, right through to super-fine finishing operations and everything in-between.To improve our productivity and process efficiencies, we also knew that multi-axis machines would be the direction of travel.”

Armed with a clear understanding of its new machine tool requirements, Burcas approached the market in early 2023 with Mills CNC being one of its first ports of call.

“We like Mills’ business approach and have built a good relationship with the company in a relatively short period of time,” says Burrows.“The depth and breadth of the DN Solution’s range of machines is extensive and Mills’ progressive stocking policy means that machine availability is good.These strengths, combined with Mills’ after-sales and service support, put them in a favourable position vis-à-vis our new investment requirement.”

Subsequent discussions between Burcas and Mills ultimately resulted in both parties agreeing a two-machine-tool package.

The Puma 5100LMB is a large-capacity,long-bed, box guideway lathe with a 650mm maximum turning diameter and a 2002mm maximum turning length. It features a 45kW/1500rpm/2957Nm spindle, driven tooling (4000rpm) and a 12-station turret. The machine supplied to Burcas also features a dead-centre tailstock and through-coolant (20bar) capability.Since installation, the Puma 5100LMB has been put through its paces machining a range of prototypes and parts for the company’s defence, rail and oil and gas customers.

“The Puma 5100LMB is a great acquisition that has considerably strengthened our in-house turning capabilities,”states Burrows.“The machine’s driven tooling capability also means that parts do not need transferring to a machining centre and can be completed in one set up.”

DN Solutions’ SMX 2600S is a multi-tasking mill-turn machine equipped with two opposing 30 kW/4000rpm spindles which, with its 12,000rpmB-axis milling spindle, can perform a range of machining functions such as turning, milling and synchronised cutting in a single set-up.The machine features a 40-position automatic tool changer and was supplied to Burcas with linear scales (X and Yaxis) for improved accuracy and a SLU-X4 steady rest for machining longer parts.

Says Burrows:“The SMX 2600S has only recently been installed but it’s already making a difference machining high-precision, complex parts to completion, in one set-up, for our newly-acquired aerospace and defence machining contracts.The machine’s mill-turn capabilities also means that we have been able to re-imagine and develop new, more efficient machining processes for existing parts, freeing up time and production capacity on our other lathes and machining centres.”

Whether its machining anti-tilt bars for Burcas’ rail customers, down-hole components for oil and gas customers, wobble-box components for aerospace customers or glove-box components for the nuclear industry, the new DN Solutions machines are proving their worth delivering significant productivity and process efficiency gains to a company whose machining services are in demand.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk