SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

Plans for landmark machining plant

Sheffield Forgemasters has submitted a planning application for a landmark 30,000 m²machining facility on brownfield land in Sheffield’s Meadowhall district. Located on a 16-acre plot at Weedon Street, the new facility will form one of the world’s most advanced large machining facilities, supporting the company’s manufacture for the UK defence programme.

With work on the site planned to start in Q4 2024, the building will cover a space equal to 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools and contain 17 new machines, including some of the largest and most advanced five-axis vertical turning lathes (VTLs). Gareth Barker, COO, says: “The planning application covers an ambitious new project to create a facility that will deliver some of the world’s most advanced, large-scale machining capabilities.”

More information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Online Tool For Volume Manufacturing

Quickparts, a provider of custom manufacturing solutions, is launching a new online tool to
streamline the request process for volume production. The new QuickQuote tool caters in
particular to customers with large-scale or complex projects in CNC machining, injection
moulding and additive manufacturing. The user-friendly interface allows customers to
upload files and enter details such as proposed production scheduling, lead times, quality
requirements, design specifications, materials, accreditation needs and preferred processes.
This approach triggers a rapid response from a dedicated project team at Quickparts.
More information www.quickparts.com

MTT invests in Nakamura-Tome WT150

When an ex-employee of the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) had the ambition of setting up his own business, the company provided both its blessing and support with a Nakamura-Tome machine tool. While working as an applications engineer at ETG, Mike Jerdin’s personal circumstances changed and he needed to be close to his family, not on the road as the role required. Jerdin subsequently launched MTT Engineering and bought a Nakamura-Tome WT150 multi-tasking turn-mill centre. The results are nothing short of phenomenal.

“Most start-ups begin with a second-hand machine or two, but working with Nakamura users during my 10 years at ETG meant I knew that these machines deliver a competitive edge,” says Jerdin. “I spoke with the team at ETG and they helped me with a finance and support package that you wouldn’t get from any other machine tool supplier.”

Initially having challenges acquiring a local industrial unit, MTT Engineering co-located with a fabrication business in Macclesfield – a partnership that is proving beneficial for both parties. As part of the start-up strategy, the company is offering a fast-turnaround service to the subcontract and tier-one supply chain in the local area. MTT’s early customer base is reaping the rewards of the twin-spindle, twin-turret Nakamura-Tome WT150.

“I started the business with customers that would give me their overspill work when they are running at capacity,” explains Jerdin. “However, with its twin-spindle and twin-turret capabilities, I can manufacture the parts faster, with higher precision and more cost-effectively than my clients. They recognise the benefits and profitability they are yielding from my service, so they continually provide us with more work. This service is enabling my clients to reduce their lead times and, in turn, win kudos from their customers.”

More information www.engtechgroup.com

Citizen helps subcontractor raise efficiency

Subcontract machining firm Apel, which specialises in the manufacture of precision components for the aerospace industry, began investing in Citizen CNC turning centres in the 1980s to help raise efficiency. Over time, the company has continued re-investing in modern, productive lathes purchased exclusively from Citizen Machinery UK.


At its Wilmslow facility, Apel today operates nine Cincom sliding-head lathes and one Miyano fixed head model. Together they produce around 50,000 components per month across more than 3000 part numbers. Utilisation of these Citizen CNC lathes and related technologies has led to higher levels of productivity and profitability.

The technology providing the biggest contribution to raising production efficiency at Apel is Citizen’s proprietary LFV (low-frequency vibration) chip-breaking software, which is part of the operating system in the control of three of the six 20 mm capacity Cincom L20s on site. Upon activation, the function breaks what would otherwise be long, stringy swarf into short, manageable chips. Around 50% of material processed by Apel is aerospace-grade stainless steel bar and LFV is especially effective when processing this alloy.

Paul Bowker, Apel’s quality director, says: “We were an early adopter of LFV in 2018 following a visit to Citizen Machinery’s technical centre in Bushey to witness demonstrations. LFV reduces the metal removal rate slightly, so we don’t use it all the time, but it’s really useful to be able to pick and choose when we activate this function.”

Apel also uses Citizen Machinery’s adaptive guide bush (AGB) system, which automatically compensates for variation in bar diameter, preventing stock seizing in the bush. In addition, AGB constantly maintains concentricity to prevent run-out. The user is able to avoid downtime and maintain tight machining tolerances.

More information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

VERICUT PROVIDES SAFE MACHINING OF COMPLEX AEROSPACE PARTS AT HMS MAKINA

A leading supplier of complex aerospace components is enhancing the reliability of its machining operations since investing in VERICUT verification, simulation and optimisation software from CGTech. Among many benefits, the implementation of VERICUT has seen this progressive manufacturing business reduce its scrap rate for FAI (first article inspection) parts to almost zero.

Established in 1979 and today located at Manisa in the west of Türkiye, HMS Makina is a leading machinist of many different parts and products for a global portfolio of aerospace primes and their sub-tiers, mainly in EU countries. The company, which employs 440 highly skilled personnel, exports 70% of total sales from its modern 23,000 sq m production facility. All of HMS Makina’s special processes carry approvals by major OEMs and NADCAP.

“With over 80 high-technology CNC machines we’re able to produce complex and precision parts from all kinds of light and hard metals, including aluminium, steel alloys, stainless steel, titanium, magnesium and nickel-based superalloys from plate, sheet, castings and forgings in compliance with customer specifications,” explains Onur Benzergil, new part supervisor at HMS Makina.

Benzergil leads the team that carries out machining process design and NC programming for aerospace parts. HMS Makina has ability to offer finished aerospace products, providing post-machining services that include NDT (non-destructive testing), shot peening, surface treatment, painting and assembly. This market differentiation, alongside its quality-oriented production, makes HMS Makina a preferred supplier to the aerospace sector.

The company produces a wide variety of aerospace parts for its customers, including forged titanium engine components and structural airframe parts.

“Machining these complex-geometry components requires a simulation program to prevent failure and avoid the expense of scrapping workpieces made from expensive materials,” states Benzergil “As a result, we decided to make this investment because we see VERICUT as superior to other solutions.”

He adds: “We had been researching simulation systems for a long time, but VERICUT is known to every company working in this sector. Since it was such a critical issue, we didn’t want to leave anything to chance.”

Installed in 2023, HMS Makina leverages the benefits of VERICUT to detect errors, potential collisions and areas of inefficiency before actual metal cutting. Innovating and gaining a competitive edge in aerospace means meeting increased demand and tight timelines with high-quality parts. VERICUT is the key to machining components quickly and with confidence.

“Notably, the software has allowed us to eliminate manual prove-out processes, freeing-up machine time to run more parts,” says Benzergil. “It’s also proving highly beneficial in reducing scrap rates. Our scrap rate is now almost zero for first-article parts. In addition, safer machining really stands out for me. Even though this gain is not easy to quantify, I can say safety is the biggest benefit we see on a daily basis.”

HMS Makina also takes advantage of VERICUT’s AUTO-DIFF module at the end of every simulation. The company says AUTO-DIFF helps it detect errors such as potential gouges, providing approximately 99% accurate results.

VERICUT AUTO-DIFF compares a CAD model with a VERICUT simulation, automatically detecting differences, design weaknesses or mistakes in the design. AUTO-DIFF also reduces the time it takes to prepare an NC tool path. Notably, programmers can check for gouges or excess material while working on the program, identifying and correcting issues before machining.

“VERICUT fully meets our expectations,” states Benzergil. “Today, we do not move to the production phase until the VERICUT simulation is complete.”

HMS Makina received comprehensive training and technical support from local VERICUT reseller, Ucgen Yazilimo, on every aspect of the software, helping the company to understand the full potential of VERICUT.

“Of course, VERICUT should not prove difficult to learn for anyone who uses CAD software,” he says. “We became familiar with it in a short time period. Today, VERICUT is definitely helping us use our machinery more effectively, which in turn drives more efficiency. I think any company machining parts in the aerospace sector should invest in VERICUT. The software has a simple interface; so many details are well categorised and it’s extremely easy to access. The graphics are also advanced and I find the Reviewer plug-in especially useful.”

VERICUT Reviewer incorporates all the functionality of NC Review mode in a stand-alone viewer that does not require a licence. The Reviewer can play forward and backward while removing and replacing material. Users can rotate, pan and zoom, just like normal VERICUT.

“I would recommend VERICUT to other businesses because it has very good infrastructure backed by a great team for technical support,” concludes Benzergil. “VERICUT is a proven and constantly evolving program, and we’re finding it highly beneficial here at HMS Makina.”

More information www.cgtech.co.uk