At the Redhill factory of contract machinist ATC, the high quality, accuracy and repeatability of the medical devices it manufactures have been raised even further by the installation of a new, robotically loaded and unloaded production cell. Comprising a C12U five-axis machining centre served by an RS05-2 robotic billet handling system, it was built by the German firm Hermle and supplied by sole UK sales and service agent Kingsbury.

Guy Lord, owner and managing director of ATC says: “We’re one of the highest quality machine shops in the world, specialising in producing difficult components that others are unable to tackle. Around 95% of our turnover is medical work and we also manufacture super-accurate bearing rings. Currently, 60% of our business is from companies that have previously tried another subcontractor, either in the UK, mainland Europe or the US, and have been unable to obtain the quality they need.”

It is against this background that Lord decided to invest in the automated Hermle cell, which is allowing him to differentiate his company even more from the competition. At the end of January 2021, the subcontractor started manufacturing the products for which the equipment was bought, namely extremely complex spinal implants machined to ultra-tight tolerances from tough cobalt-chrome, whose low thermal conductivity tends to wear tools quickly. Surface finish is also extremely high to meet the cosmetic requirements stipulated by the customer.

This particular medical contract requires the production initially of a family of four different parts, with more to come, in cutting cycle times of approximately one hour. It takes just 30 minutes to change over between batches to make a different part, despite the complexity of the cell. Actually, the time to produce a first-off part, check it and very occasionally make adjustments has to be added to the set-up time.

The presence of the internal robot, temperature compensation within the C12U and integration of Blum tool wear monitoring with automatic sister tool change have allowed unattended production to continue day and night and throughout the weekend. It has lowered manufacturing cost-per-part and is delivering high levels of efficiency and consistency of output. A mix of different billets can be loaded into the cell on Friday night and the machine runs unattended throughout the weekend. Staff return on Monday morning to find a rack full of completed components ready for assembly or dispatch.

In March 2020, Kingsbury helped ATC with the urgent supply of a Hermle five-axis production centre equipped with an external, third-party, machine-tending robot to make ventilator parts for the NHS. It worked well, but Lord and his team realised that the configuration was overly large for the subcontractor’s general requirements. It was also apparent that billet loading and unloading of the finished components would work better and faster with a built-in robot.

“Cycle times in the new Hermle cell are broadly similar to those in other machining centres on our shop floor, some of which are automated with a pallet change system,” says Lord. “The benefits of robotic billet handling over manual intervention are consistency of component quality and dependability of throughput, added to which the cell runs 24/7 virtually unattended, unlike those that depend on pallet exchange.”

He went on to suggest that Hermle is one of the best global manufacturers of five-axis machining centres, while the addition of the integral robot really makes the installation “sing”, helping to amortise the investment much quicker than would otherwise be the case.

The plan is to take the automation a stage further within the next couple of years by integrating a co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) into the cell so that each part manufactured is transferred to the metrology platform by the robot to have its critical dimensions checked. Offsets will be sent automatically to the machine control to keep components reliably within their tight tolerance limits.

Speaking of ATC’s relationship with the supplier Kingsbury, Lord says: “There are fewer and fewer really good machine tool agencies in this country and for us, Kingsbury is one of the best. It is down to the high-quality equipment they sell and the very good service they provide at all levels. We have been buying from them for over 60 years, initially from the company founder, George Kingsbury.”

He continues: “Whenever we have a problem, they are quick to respond over the telephone or send in an engineer, even during the lockdowns. As a mark of their ingenuity, they proved-out the RS 05-2 robot load system on our shop floor via a Teams meeting with engineers in the German factory, as it was the first such system in the UK.

“It is notable that, near the start of the first lockdown, we spoke to Kingsbury on a Friday and they supplied a Hermle machine on the following Tuesday. They sourced a robot from Germany quickly and set up the temporary production cell. It was a fantastic service.

“We will buy more machines from the same source when the next project requires one, or existing volumes increase, and you can be sure it will have a built-in robot.”

For further information
https://kingsburyuk.com/

As a company with roots dating back to 1889, The Saw Centre and its growth trajectory really took off when a father and son partnership acquired the business in the late 1960s. The company has grown exponentially since then and now employs more than 30 staff at a 20,000 sq ft purpose-built facility. Now in its third generation of family ownership and jointly managed by David Stevenson and Tony Galbraith, The Saw Centre has evolved, with significant growth of its saw blade sharpening business bolstered by diversification into the sales and service of machinery for the wood, metal and UPVC sectors.

To expand its portfolio of services, the acquisition of a tooling service and manufacturing company in 2006 provided staff with the skills and knowledge to service the needs of the precision engineering and panel processing industries. The purchase of the small tooling company enabled The Saw Centre to move work from traditional machines to a CNC grinding centre and, subsequently, become the only independent company in Scotland with this facility. However, the mainstay of the business remains as its name suggests, and it is here that grinding and sharpening machines from Vollmer have made a significant impact.

It was back in 2001 that the company made its first major investment in Vollmer technology, purchasing a Vollmer CHD250R2 TCT saw blade sharpening machine and a Vollmer Loroch HSS saw sharpening machine, both connected to a Vollmer ND automation centre. At the time, it was the first Vollmer automation station in the UK to simultaneously service both HSS and TCT saw blade sharpening machines. That investment provided The Saw Centre with the facility for 24/7 operation, ramping up productivity levels and capacity. Most impressive was that the automated cell eradicated the need for three HSS saw blade sharpening machines and an additional four TCT saw sharpening machines. The cell removed seven machines from the shop floor, reduced costs, as well as power and consumables consumption.

Despite working around the clock for 20 years, saw blade technology has evolved and this required a new solution.

Joint managing director Tony Galbraith says: “The evolution of saw blades for our primary industries of wood, metal cutting, construction and UPVC has moved on drastically in the past 20 years. To service the needs of our customers and streamline our productivity, we needed to upgrade our machinery. This upgrade was the Vollmer CHD270 with ND250 five-stack robot loading system that arrived in 2021.

“As manufacturers strive to improve productivity and prolong saw blade life, the required geometries have become ever more complex,” he continues. “Unfortunately, the software, kinematics and machine movement of the old Vollmer CHD250R2 meant that we either had to undertake two or three set-ups to complete complex saw blades, or we would subsequently subcontract the work out to another supplier. In some instances, we turned away the sharpening of certain blades. Now, we can regrind everything on the new CHD270 and, when it comes to TCT saw blade sharpening, I wouldn’t go to anyone but Vollmer.”

The Vollmer CHD270 is a fully automated machine for the complete machining of TCT circular saw blades with eight CNC-controlled axes and measuring equipment. With the CHD 270, the entire grinding unit mounts compactly and robustly on a central monoblock main structure. Furthermore, the patented twin grinding wheel concept provides complete machining without having to replace the wheel.

Factory manager Scott McQuillan, who has been with the company for 25 years, says: “In the past 20 years, saw blade geometries have evolved considerably in all sectors, as saw blade suppliers and their customers strive to improve performance and blade longevity. In the panel processing industries, the demand for hollow ground blades with concave tooth geometries has increased drastically. Used in wall saws and vertical panel saws, the blades require an excellent finish and, as we are selling more of the machines and blades, we had to find a more efficient way of grinding them. Previously the blades would require two processes on two machines to get the quality we were looking for.”

The transfer of blades between the two machines resulted in a sharpening time of approximately 40 minutes, depending on blade size and type. Furthermore, these saw blades had to be manually loaded, increasing the workload for staff as the volume of blades continually increased.
“With the new CHD270 we can process the saw blades in a single automated set-up in less than 20 minutes,” says McQuillan. “Not only has this slashed our cycle times by 50%, it has eliminated manual loading as we can just put the blades into the ND250 robotic cell and forget about them.

“Blade manufacturers are continually increasing the geometry range of their saws and this is particularly prevalent in the UPVC and aluminium industry,” he continues. “We have some saws with flat tooth geometry and side bevels that would previously require three operations. This is now a single operation on the CHD270. Likewise, some saws would alternate teeth between flat and bevelled teeth. The CHD270 takes all this in its stride as it has all the tooth forms and geometries we could ever need, future-proofing our business from next-generation saw geometries that may come along.”

The move from the ageing Vollmer CHD250R2 to the next-generation CHD270 has gone far beyond extending flexibility and capacity at The Saw Centre.

“The machine has a host of new features that highlight how Vollmer has evolved its technology over the past two decades,” states McQuillan. “For instance, the CHD270 software is more user friendly than ever before and we now have apprentices becoming very competent at setting the machine with minimal training.

“Likewise, the software for the ND250 robot loader has improved. Previously, if there was an issue with a saw blade in the middle of a stack, we would have to remove half of the stack and reload it. Now, the software allows us to remove individual blades from the processing cycle without re-stacking. Additionally, with the variety of portable plunge saws on the market, we now can stack blades that are under 180 mm. We spent 2-3 hours of each day manually loading the portable saw blades but now, with the facility of stacking up to 70 at a time, we are gaining more time each day. Processing time has gone from 9 minutes to 6 minutes.”

In conclusion, McQuillan says: “The software, flexibility, kinematics and performance are much improved from the previous machine, but there is far more; the machine is more robust and the build quality has improved too. Additonally, the probing and measuring system is second to none, which means it is near-impossible to make errors. Even the hydraulic oil system has been enhanced with a new pneumatic system that is cleaner and safer for our staff.”

For further information
www.vollmer-group.com

Nuneaton-based Unifabs has installed a brand new Amada Regius high-speed CNC fibre laser profiling centre with load/unload automation and storage. The company, which is targeting 25% growth in 2022, says the machine has already improved laser cutting speeds by 50% for certain parts. To further improve its ‘design to delivery’ offer for customers, the company has also placed an order for a new Amada HRB-ATC, the first mid-range press brake in Amada’s portfolio to feature automatic tool-change capability.

Founded in 2007, Unifabs has grown into a £12m turnover business with 125 people. Supplying precision sheet-metal parts to a customer base of blue-chip manufacturing companies across a host of industries.

“Our goal is to be much more than just a supplier of sheet metal fabrications and parts,” says managing director Tom James. “We want to be a manufacturing partner to our customers, supplying a start to finish service. Whether we’re supplying sheet metal components just in time to a manufacturing line, or controlling the entire production process on a contract manufacturing basis, we operate as an extension of our customers’ business.”

Unifabs has seen growth of around 65% over the past two years and today operates from a single site with five factories that total 52,000 ft2 of manufacturing space.

“We don’t specialise in one particular sector, but strong-performing industries right now include HVAC, catering equipment and construction,” says James. “To ensure timely deliveries to our customers we continuously invest in the latest manufacturing technologies.”

A case in point centres on the company’s laser cutting capacity, which was recently struggling to keep pace with rising demand.

“Even though we have an Amada FOL-AJ 4 kW fibre laser with AS LUL loading system and an Amada EML-3610NT punch-laser combination with MP loading system, we were still outsourcing a lot of laser cutting,” explains James.

To help improve lead times for its customers and regain control of parts, Unifabs decided to invest in another laser cutter.

“We looked at different models, but along with the increased processing speed we really liked the automated set-up features on the Amada Regius, which we knew would help to reduce set-up/inspection time and maximise productivity,” he says.

Automatic inspection on the Regius utilises technology such as the Amada i-Nozzle Checker to assess nozzle damage and circularity. If the nozzle requires changing (against a predetermined set of parameters), this will happen automatically via the machine’s 16-station nozzle changer, negating the need for subjective operator judgement. A further function of the i-Nozzle Checker is automatic alignment of the nozzle centre if/when required.

Installed in November 2021, the Amada Regius at Unifabs is primarily processing mild steel, galvanised steel and zintec from 1 to 8 mm thick. The machine features an Amada ASLUL-3015 for the automatic loading and unloading of sheets and the storage of raw material, ensuring uninterrupted production runs and optimal machine utilisation. Typical batch sizes are in the region of 50 to 200. At present the company is running a double shift during the week, plus a weekend shift.

“The machine is very easy to use,” says James. “It has several process monitoring systems that do much of the work for operators.”
Regius features Amada’s new i-Process Monitoring system, which checks the wavelength of reflected light in real time to provide a reliable indication of good or poor cuts. Automatic head collision recovery is a further function of i-Process Monitoring. Machines without this function simply stop and issue an alarm, wasting valuable time.

“The Regius is a 6 kW laser, whereas our other Amada laser capacity is 4 kW,” says James. “Combined with the more intelligent head movement, we find that any parts over 4 mm thick are around 50% quicker to cut, shortening lead times for customers without any compromise in quality. It’s a great step forward for Unifabs and our partners. The Regius is also more efficient and uses a lot less power than our Amada FOL laser cutter, such is the advance in technology.”

The high-specification Regius CNC fibre laser profiling centre is not only the fastest in Amada’s portfolio, but the first to integrate a number of key technologies: linear drives in all axes; the company’s all-new laser integration system; and variable beam control technology.
Beyond laser cutting, Unifabs offers extensive sheet metal fabrication capabilities that include design, CNC punching, CNC bending, welding, powder coating and final assembly.

Automated bending is a core business function, which is why Unifabs has placed an order for a new Amada HRB-ATC. Adding to the company’s existing seven Amada CNC press brakes (HFE and HFP models), the HRB-ATC is the first at the company with automatic tool change capability.

“We manufacture a lot of samples, prototypes and small batch runs to help get components ready for serial production,” explains James. “We have 10 people in our CAD team, so a lot of our work comes from the product development side of our business. However, these parts often have long set-up times, so we’re really hoping that the new press brake’s ATC capability will have a big impact on throughput in this area. We’ll program a prototype part offline using Amada software, send it to the new HRB-ATC and hopefully be folding metal within a few minutes.”

Amada HRB-ATC features a full size ATC, offering exactly the same number of tool storage racks as the company’s high-end HG-ATC press brake. The machine comes with a package of Amada tools based on an assessment of the customer’s manufacturing requirements. Importantly, the HRB-ATC is completely compatible with Amada AFH standard tool sets. As a result, any existing customer using these tools can load them manually to the new machine if desired.

“The new Amada investments support our growth strategy and mission to continue as a trusted contract manufacturing partner to our customers,” says James. “While our customer service and communications set us apart from competitors, it’s our investment in new technology that can impact factors such as lead time, providing a direct benefit for clients.”

Of course, there are numerous industry challenges currently threatening to quell any potential gains, including labour shortages, but Unifabs has plans in place to overcome this issue.

“The retention of staff is challenging with so many companies seeking new employees,” says James. “However, we’re now a real Living Wage accredited manufacturer, so we pay above the minimum. Furthermore, from January we’ll be launching our Unifabs Academy in partnership with North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, with 10 youngsters starting a two-year bespoke apprenticeship to help support our growth trajectory.”

He concludes: “Alongside a number of good prospects for 2022, we’ll keep striving to maintain great relationships with our existing customers. We’re targeting £15m turnover in 2022, which will represent 25% growth.”

For further information
www.amada.eu

Comprising Oxford Engineering, Hutton Precision Engineering and Oxford Engineering Estonia, the Oxford Engineering Group provides a comprehensive range of machining, welding, assembly and testing resources to a global customer base.

Demanding sectors served by the group include the medical, semiconductor, oil and gas, nuclear, and aerospace industries. Due to the exacting precision standards of the components it manufactures and the nature of the challenging materials it machines, such as Inconel and titanium, the Oxford Engineering Group employs a wide range of advanced machine tools, including the two Doosan MX machines recently installed at Bicester-based Hutton Precision Engineering.
To ensure that the new machines produce the required volumes of high-precision parts, an advanced stamping unit, 24 Makro-grip five-axis vices and a wide range of vice jaws were recently purchased from Lang Technik UK.

Hutton’s workshop manager Wayne Bosher says: “The efficient machining of precision parts with less set-ups, fewer machining operations and reduced cycle times was our ultimate aim when we were searching for two CNC turning and milling centres. We found the answer to our needs in a Doosan MX2600ST and a Doosan MX2600.”

He continues: “Although our new Doosan MXs are advanced, high-yield machine tools, as we were aware of the reputation of Lang Technik’s products, we were convinced that the use of the company’s work-holding systems would further improve the productivity levels of our new machines and deliver a range of advantages related to the secure holding of exotic materials when machined under heavy loads.

“Using two advanced Doosan MX machines means that we’ve increased our ability to carry out turning and milling work on complex components, and produce fully finished parts on a single machine. The use of Lang Technik work holding gives us the ability to securely hold workpieces made from the softest of materials, to the hardest, under all machining conditions.”

In addition, Lang Technik’s work-holding solution has increased efficiency levels at Hutton Precision Engineering as its quick set-up times have minimised the downtime of the new multi-tasking machines.

“By the use of our new Lang Technik stamping unit, before inserting a workpiece blank into a Makro-grip five-axis vice, we are able to make precise indentations into it,” says Bosher. “As the projections on the jaws of our new vices engage precisely with the pre-stamped indents, we are able to achieve maximum workpiece holding power with the bonus of only needing to apply minimal clamping forces. Now, as the purpose of our Makro-grip five-axis vices is to simply hold the workpiece with minimum pressure applied, we are able to hold both soft and hard materials without fear of deformation or other problems. The use of the Lang Technik system has improved our process reliability and significantly increased our machining efficiency levels.”

Lang Technik says that its pre-stamping technology, in conjunction with the company’s Makro-Grip five-axis vices, differs fundamentally from the clamping methodologies of other work-holding manufacturers, and has grown to be the benchmark clamping method for secure five-axis machining.

The serrated jaws of conventional vices must fulfil two separate functions; in addition to indenting the workpiece material, they must also securely hold the components. As conventional vices are only able to exert a maximum pressure of approximately 4-6 tons, the effective penetration of their serrated jaws into workpiece materials represents a real challenge, especially when clamping harder materials.

To ensure that the workpiece is penetrated correctly, the teeth of a conventional vice’s serrated jaws must be sharp to remain effective. As these teeth are subject to high levels of wear, their clamping ability is liable to decline. Also, when using conventional vices during the machining of soft, distortion-prone materials, jaw teeth also tend to lose their holding power as they are inclined to work free of the workpiece under machining forces.

The use of Lang’s stamping technology overcomes these problems by applying up to 20 tons of pressure during pre-stamping, ensuring the creation of precise indentations, even when this procedure is carried-out on hard materials of up to 1500 N/mm² tensile strength.

Following pre-stamping, only low clamping pressure is required to hold a workpiece securely as the teeth of the five-axis vice engage precisely with the pre-stamped indents, allowing a relatively compact vice design and the elimination of clamping teeth wear. In addition to securely holding the workpiece in the vice under the most severe machining conditions, the truncated pyramid shapes of the pre-stamped indents prevent clamping teeth from impacting deeper into the workpiece by providing a defined penetration limit.

Lang Technik reports that the use of its pre-stamping technology and Makro-Grip five-axis vices has a major advantage when conventional machine vices reach their limits in terms of material hardness. Despite the application of low clamping pressure, the clamping forces exerted on a workpiece in a Makro-Grip five-axis vice actually become higher in line with the hardness of the component material. Also, as workpieces are prepared outside of the machine tool, less downtime results.

The success of the Lang system means that it has now been rolled out across all of Hutton Precision Engineering’s main milling machines. In addition, Hutton’s sister company Oxford Engineering also uses the Lang system on its medium-sized machines. This strategy helps with the interchangeability of parts between the companies and provides additional capability to respond to flexes in customer demand.

For further information
www.lang-technik.co.uk

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied two new high-performance machines to the recently launched Advancing Manufacturing Centre (AMC) – a research, design and manufacturing ‘hub’ based within West Highland College UHI’s Ocean Frontier facility in Fort William.

The machines, a Lynx 2100LMB multi-tasking lathe and a DEM 4000 vertical machining centre, were installed at the AMC in September and October 2021 respectively, in good time for the facility’s official opening on 15 November. The machines form part of an impressive array of advanced manufacturing technologies and equipment that the AMC now has at its disposal.

The AMC is part of the national ‘Advancing Manufacturing Challenge Fund’ (AMCF), an economic growth and regeneration partnership between the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and is also part funded by the 2014-2020 European Structural & Investment Fund.

A principal aim of AMCF-funded projects is that they have a direct and measurable impact on increasing the manufacturing capacities, capabilities and competitiveness of SMEs within Scotland, and of becoming recognised agents of change and best-practice: transforming, exponentially where possible, national and regional skill and productivity levels.

To achieve these aims, the AMC, through its £1.6m funding, will help stimulate and improve the performance of SMEs by providing them with direct access to advanced manufacturing technologies and expertise – at zero cost to their businesses.

Says Margaret Weir, AMC’s project manager: “Providing existing and new companies with a risk-free ‘sandpit environment’ where they are able to fully explore and understand specific manufacturing issues and challenges, and be able to then design and develop innovative solutions using freely available advanced manufacturing technologies at the AMC, is a real business benefit.”

It is also anticipated that the centre, through its successes, will be instrumental in helping to promote STEM subjects and careers within schools and colleges resulting, over time, in the establishment of a skilled STEM workforce aligned with local and regional business needs.

The two new Doosan machines supplied to the AMC share pride of place with a range of advanced manufacturing technologies and equipment that include: CNC machine tools; additive manufacturing, 3D printing and laser-scanning equipment; automation and robotic systems; and advanced CADCAM software. Also in situ are Festo Didactic ‘smart factory and Industry 4.0’ integrated hardware and software training systems and solutions focused on wind and solar power generation, building automation systems, mechatronics, hydraulics and pneumatics, machine maintenance, electric car charging stations, and electric drives and industrial controls.

Explains David Campbell, STEM project director: “The emphasis and focus of our project are on meeting the needs of SMEs in the West Highlands of Scotland; helping them become more competitive through embracing, utilising and exploiting the latest manufacturing, automation and smart digital technologies.”

The technologies and equipment acquired have a broad scope and are intended to attract as many SMEs to the AMC as possible. As a point of note, the equipment and technology at the facility were acquired via a rigorous tender process, with Mills CNC being one of a number of machine tool manufacturers/suppliers invited to submit tenders for supplying a CNC lathe and machining centre.

Mills CNC says it is regarded and respected, not just for the machine tools it sells, but for the range of aftersales services it provides to customers. Every year, hundreds of large and small UK and Irish component manufacturers (OEMs and tier-one suppliers through to precision subcontractors), as well as universities, colleges and research centres, invest in Doosan machine tools from Mills CNC.

Among the best-selling models in Mills’ machine-tool portfolio are Lynx 2100 series lathes and compact Doosan vertical machining centres like the DNM range of machines.

The Lynx 2100LMB is an 8-inch chuck multi-tasking lathe equipped with a 15 kW/4500 rpm spindle, driven tooling capabilities (3.7 kW/6000 rpm), a tailstock (to machine longer parts), and the Doosan Fanuc 0iTF control with 15” iHMI touchscreen. Notably, the lathe has a maximum turning diameter of 310 mm and turning length of 510 mm, and was also supplied to the AMC with a CNC bar puller, enabling it to machine components in larger batches from bar stock.

Says John Morning, Mills CNC business manager for Scotland: “The Lynx 2100LMB is a compact turning centre equipped with many advanced features that enable it to machine complex, high-precision parts in one hit.”

The DEM 4000 is a compact, fast and versatile three-axis machining centre equipped with a 5.5 kW/8000 rpm spindle, a 20-station ATC and the latest Fanuc 0iMF control. Furthermore, the machine features a 650 x 400 mm worktable with 400 kg maximum table load and boasts 24 m/min rapids on its three axes.

“The DEM 4000 is ideal if you are looking for a small, compact machining centre but don’t want to compromise on speed or power,” says Morning.

The AMC is an essential and integral component in helping Scotland grow and diversify its manufacturing base, and create a highly-skilled workforce to fill well-paid and sustainable jobs in the future.

By providing SMEs with a range of services (including training) and access to advanced manufacturing technologies and equipment at zero cost to their businesses, the AMC is tackling issues and perceived weaknesses in Scotland’s manufacturing base and sector supply chains exposed recently by the Covid-19 crisis.

Concludes Morning: “We are delighted to have been involved with the AMC at the outset and to have installed two of our best-selling machine tool models at the facility.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk