When faced with the need to find high-precision, flexible measuring devices that could satisfy the challenging inspection needs of two company divisions, Stuart Hill, development engineer at AM Hydraulics, communicated each division’s diverse requirements to Faro UK and requested demonstrations of suitable portable CMMs.

In the course of the subsequent in-house demonstrations, the speed, precision and capacity of Faro’s Quantum-M 3D ScanArm proved it to be the ideal portable inspection solution for AM Hydraulics’ large components. Likewise, when measuring the relatively smaller workpieces for the company’s AM Tooling division, the recently launched Faro Gage measuring arm confirmed its accuracy specification, in addition to its quick set-up and ease of use abilities. The outcome of these successful demonstrations was an order for both Faro products.

Trading since 1978, AM Hydraulics has continuingly expanded and is now a major force in the UK hydraulics manufacturing sector. Areas served by this progressive, family owned business include aerospace, nuclear power, earthmoving, oil and gas, and wind power.

Based in a recently opened, purpose-built manufacturing facility in Birmingham, AM Hydraulics offers an all-embracing, ‘one-stop’ service. The company’s end-to-end production capabilities include milling, finish grinding and hard chrome plating. In addition to meeting challenging delivery deadlines, AM Hydraulics’ level of autonomy enables adherence to rigorous quality control standards.

As an ISO9001-accredited business and an approved supplier to many blue-chip companies, the quality of AM Hydraulics’ output is of paramount importance. In addition to undertaking final inspection routines, dedicated quality inspectors make detailed in-process checks at every stage of production. Given the size (up to 3000 mm diameter) and weight (up to 20 tonne) of the company’s workpieces, administering an efficient in-process quality regime presents a range of challenges.

Now in use at AM Hydraulics, the Faro Quantum-M ScanArm is designed to deliver outstanding levels of inspection precision in less than pristine environments, such as on the shop floor. The robust Faro product carries certification to ISO 10360-12:2016, a rigorous international measurement quality standard, and tests to IEC 60068-2 standards for shock, vibration and temperature stress relief.

In addition to performing efficient tactile inspection tasks, the Quantum-M ScanArm is able to undertake precise, non-contact scanning routines thanks to the use of its Faro Blu Laser Line Probe HD. Faro’s next generation of blue line laser technology enables five times faster scanning than previous models, even when used on complex surfaces comprised of dark or reflective materials.

When compared with its predecessor, the Quantum-M ScanArm is 20% lighter in the hand and, as it requires no warm-up time, is always ready to use. These qualities ensure improved levels of productivity by enabling operators to work longer and more comfortably.

The use of industrial-grade wireless connectivity and dual, hot-swappable batteries supports the Quantum-M ScanArm’s data-transfer capabilities and its continuous operation in remote areas of the factory floor without the need for external power.

Explaining AM Hydraulics’ improved inspection efficiencies, Hill says: “Given the size of our workpieces we chose a Quantum-M ScanArm with a 2.5 m capacity, and it has proven ideal. In addition, as it’s easily transportable and quick and simple to set-up, it helps that our operators can carry the Quantum-M ScanArm to all of our production areas and quickly put it to work carrying out detailed inspection work using its touch probe or non-contact laser probe. Although our staff are experienced in using precision equipment, given the nature of the production areas, it helps that the Quantum-M ScanArm is so tough.

“In addition to delivering the levels of speed, accuracy and capacity we sought for our large parts, the Quantum-M has significantly reduced our inspection data capture times,” continues Hill. “Staff are now able to instantly download collected data, store it directly to a computer and compare it against nominal CAD data.”

Equally challenging, although different in scale, are the inspection requirements of the business’ AM Tooling division. AM Tooling specialises in the manufacture, assembly and repair of press tools, as well as providing a jig and fixture design and manufacturing service.

“Along with accelerating AM Tooling’s inspection work and data flow, the Faro Gage has enabled us to increase our precision capabilities,” explains Hill. “Also, as it’s so flexible, the Gage has helped to lessen our reliance on hand tools, such as calipers and height gauges, and reduce the use of numerous measuring instruments spread around the shop floor. Our Faro Gage is now making a major contribution towards upholding AM Tooling’s demanding quality standards.”

As the most accurate and affordable FaroArm ever produced, the recently launched Faro Gage is suited to performing inspection tasks on small to medium size components. The intuitive and versatile portable CMM boasts a 1.5 m working volume and a volumetric accuracy of 0.022 mm. Thanks to the Gage’s performance for hard probing applications, it is able to eliminate inspection bottlenecks and greatly reduce reliance on fixed CMMs.

Says Hill: “The success of both AM Hydraulics and AM Tooling is due largely to the quality of each division’s output and their efficiency levels, which allow competitive quotes to be tendered and business to be won. To make sure that we maintain these advantages, we regularly invest in state-of-the-art production and inspection technologies.

“Our two co-located divisions share the same passionate quality culture, although given the difference in their manufactured products, each has very specific inspection requirements,” he adds. “Therefore, when a decision was taken to make a major investment in portable inspection equipment, as an enthusiastic user of previous generations of Faro products, I related each division’s inspection requirements to Faro UK.

“On witnessing detailed, in-house demonstrations of a Faro Quantum-M ScanArm and a Faro Gage, I was very impressed by the latest developments and convinced that each suggested solution ticked each division’s precision and efficiency boxes. Our two new portable inspection technologies provide us with a major advantage over the use of a fixed CMM as, along with final inspection, we are able to use them to perform in-process checks on workpieces that remain located in machine tools.”

For further information
www.faro.com

Penn Elcom, a manufacturer of hardware for flight cases, speaker cabinets and 19-inch racking solutions, has seen benefits such as faster cycle times and shorter lead times thanks to the phased replacement of press brakes with advanced LEAN-series panel benders from Salvagnini. Investment of this level reflects the company’s global status as a $60m turnover business with a catalogue that contains more than 3000 products in the field of stage technology.

“We’re the biggest manufacturer of flight case hardware in the world,” states Roger Willems, founder and chairman of Penn Elcom. “There can’t be many bands or orchestras that do not use our products. Everyone thinks we’re American, but I started the company here in the UK.”

It was 1974 when Willems founded the business in the village of Penn, Buckinghamshire, where his first investment was a pre-owned power press costing £250. But from small acorns mighty oaks grow. In 2003, Penn merged with Elcom, a US flight case specialist and the company’s primary competitor. Today, Penn Elcom has UK manufacturing sites in Hastings (where the Salvagnini panel benders are located) and Tyne & Wear, as well as subsidiaries in 15 countries worldwide.

Among the specialisms at the Hastings facility are products for 19-inch racking systems. These units are essentially standardised frames or enclosures used extensively in stage technology for mounting multiple electronic equipment modules. The 19-inch racking products manufactured on site include cabinets, enclosures, shock-mount systems, rack strips/rails, shelves, drawers, panels and doors, all of which require folds. Until recently the company relied on a selection of 10 press brakes to undertake bending operations, but since making the transition to its first of four Salvagnini panel benders in 2017, the site has achieved major advances. So what prompted the switch?

“The manufacture of 19-inch racking solutions at Hastings commenced about seven years ago as we were having quality issues with products imported from China,” explains Willems. “We had some high-end press brakes from reputed manufacturers on site, but as demand grew, particularly for large panels, it became more challenging. For example, if you take a steel panel that’s 1.5 m tall, weighs 15 kg and contains 15 folds, it is physically difficult to manipulate it efficiently.”

Willems had long-known of Salvagnini panel benders, but always thought these advanced machines would be beyond his budget.
“However, one night I was on the internet looking at panel benders and curiosity got the better of me, so I made my first enquiry for a Salvagnini,” he explains. “It struck me as quite a big leap from a press brake to a Salvagnini, akin to replacing a two-seater propeller aircraft with a jet. And yet, when I learnt the price range, I was pleasantly surprised. I subsequently sent three products to Salvagnini that were proving difficult to fold using our press brakes. One of these products – a cabinet corner post – was about 2 m in length, 2.5 mm thick and had 8-10 folds. It necessitated three lifts on a press brake, so our existing cycle time was around 15 minutes, and we had quite a high reject rate.”

The trials showed that a Salvagnini panel bender could fold these products in just 50 seconds, prompting Penn Elcom to invest in its first machine.

“That was in 2017, and we now have four Salvagnini LEAN-series panel benders at Hastings, as well as one in China,” says Willems.

The Hastings site houses a Salvagnini P1, (Mini Panel Bender with a bend length of 1,250mm) and three P4lean automatic panel benders. The latest P4lean arrived in February 2021. Of the 10 press brakes owned by the company prior to the panel bender era, only three remain on site.

“Finding the skills to run press brakes is not easy, so the Salvagnini machines have also helped in that regard,” says Willems. “All of our panel benders run 24/7, with typically one operator looking after two machines. Their reliability and repeatability has been outstanding from the start – we have zero rejects – and I can see us adding more in the future.”

The Salvagnini P4lean panel bender natively combines productivity with its automatic bending and handling cycle. Process flexibility is inherent thanks to universal bending tools that automatically adapt to the panel geometry in-cycle, without machine downtime or manual re-tooling.

With its advanced cycles, a machine such as the P4lean completes an average of 17 bends per minute. At Penn Elcom, some of the Salvagnini machines feature a number of options that boost capability even further. The CUT option, for example, enables the automatic cutting of different profile lengths, materials, thicknesses and shapes from a single blank, making separation cuts after each sequence of bends.

The company has also taken a special V-score option, which can help deliver a tighter outside radius, as well as a special narrow blank-holder for the P-tool that can help process smaller parts deemed not possible on panel benders.

“Our operators absolutely love the Salvagnini machines,” says Willems. “I’ve been in the manufacturing sector for 50 years and I have to say Salvagnini panel benders are easily the cleverest machines that I have encountered. If I didn’t know better I would swear there is a little person hidden inside turning the metal around. We have visitors come in who are completely mesmerised.”

Willems suggests that if he had remained with press-brake technology his current lead times for cabinets would be as high as 16-20 weeks, with little potential to produce samples.

Samples and prototypes are an important part of business at Penn Elcom as the company is constantly developing new products to help spur further growth. A good example is DoorJammer, a portable door security device. Ever laid awake at night in a hotel room worrying about security? DoorJammer is the solution. Willems even presented the device on BBC television programme Dragons’ Den in 2017. DoorJammer is now a fully incorporated company within the Penn Elcom Group.

Another example is the PBX1 parcel box, offering a secure solution to unattended parcel delivery.

“The PBX1 is already selling in good numbers but if, as expected, it starts selling in really high volumes, we would sink without the Salvagnini panel benders,” says Willems. “We’ve learnt to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves, and the Salvagnini machines allow us to do that. You can’t be a pioneer in industry if you don’t take risks.”

For further information
www.salvagninigroup.com

Decommissioning legacy nuclear waste silos on the former UK power generating site at Sellafield requires the machining of large numbers of ‘bins’ to close geometrical tolerances, thus ensuring they can be stacked safely. These bins are three-metre-cube, double-walled, box fabrications that are highly resonant and, to make their production even more difficult, are made from 6 mm thick duplex stainless-steel plate that tends to induce vibrations during milling.

One of the firms leading the Sellafield decommissioning work, Stillington-based Darchem Engineering, had been taking delivery of machined bins from Newcastle-based contract machinist BEL Engineering since 2017.

CEO Jonathan Lamb says: “We wanted to increase productivity but realised that further improvements to the machining process were impossible using conventional machinery and fixturing. When we tried to raise the speed of machining, chatter resulted and it was difficult to hold tolerance. So we engaged with Kingsbury to develop an entirely new machining concept in respect of both work holding and metal cutting, to improve cycle time and hence increase production rate and reduce cost.”

It was not an exercise for the financially faint-hearted. The two companies invested £500,000 in researching and developing an optimal solution for machining two variants of waste bin, known as a PFCS (Pile Fuel Cladding Silo) and an MSSS (Magnox Swarf Storage Silo).

Richard Kingsbury, MD of Kingsbury, says: “Duplex will seek out any weakness in a machining system. We considered every conceivable source of vibration, from the machine bed to the column, guideways, spindle, spindle-tool interface and cutting tools, including their grade and geometry.

“We then turned our attention to a forensic analysis of how best to fixture the bins and it was here that we achieved a breakthrough,” he continues. “By inflating five airbags between the fixture and the box and five more inside the workpiece itself, we managed to muffle the entire unit so it could be milled at high speeds and feeds without vibration. A final piece of engineering involves hydraulically rotating the 12 swing clamps around the face of the fixture – one by one – out of the way of the approaching cutter so that at any time 11 are engaged to maximise rigidity.”

To understand the natural frequencies of the MSSS bin, the company performed modal analysis in 12 different but repeatable locations around the fabrication. A tap test on a fully fixtured bin, with 32 touch clamps and three push clamps engaged – in addition to the 12 swing clamps and with the internal and external airbags inflated – showed that the vibration amplitude fell to below 0.1 g in under 17 ms on average. That is much less time than the four hundredths of a second it takes successive inserts on an eight-tooth milling cutter rotating at 176 rpm to engage with the metal being machined.

The agitation induced in the material during the cutting process has therefore completely dissipated in the elapsed time between one tooth engaging with the workpiece and the next, an outcome that is impossible to achieve under conventional clamping conditions. This solution prevents any resonance occurring and avoids amplifying vibration, thus eliminating chatter and consequent dimensional inaccuracy and poor surface finish. In effect, the resonant frequencies of the bin are now altered to such an extent that the hollow workpiece has properties similar to those of a solid cube of metal.

The project started in March 2018. A Taurus 30 machining centre from one of Kingsbury’s principals, Waldrich Coburg, was the chosen machine-tool platform for the project, and final trials took place at the manufacturer’s factory in Germany in late 2019 and early 2020. Lamb witnessed these trials and was convinced it would save cost and help Sellafield hit its box production rate as legacy nuclear material extraction ramps up over the coming years.

In mid-2020, the UK’s Intellectual Property Office granted Kingsbury an industrial patent covering the design of the novel fixturing system, based on its ability to damp the structures during milling.

The machine has a cast-iron base and incorporates a static column and moving table, a configuration that lowers the centre of gravity and increases stability. The 400 x 400 mm cross section of the ram provides the rigidity needed when machining the lower part of the component at maximum extension.

A hydrostatic guideway with a film of oil between the slide and moving assembly supports each axis. Irrespective of speed and applied load, the distance between the faces remains constant, while the system distributes an unchanging volume of oil to further help suppress vibration. The spindle employs a large bearing pack and an HSK125-B tool interface, providing excellent rigidity and machining capability.

The solution developed for the MSSS box applies equally to the MSSS skip and the PFCS box, each of which takes advantage of its own fixture, complete with airbags. Automation on the Taurus 30 sees two fixture assemblies capable of holding six different part variants for both boxes. It means that a complete ship set of parts needed for all MSSS and PFCS bins are fixtured across the two pallets. While one pallet is within the machining area, the operator has free access to unload and then reload to the fixture assemblies on the other pallet, so downtime is limited to the pallet changeover time.

Lamb concludes: “I’m certain that the combination of Kingsbury’s patented fixture solution and the Waldrich Coburg Taurus machining centre will provide Sellafield with a reliable and cost-effective long-term solution for the manufacture of the MSSS and PFCS boxes.”

For further information
www.kingsburyuk.com

Wisconsin-based Integrity Saw & Tool has purchased a Vollmer CHX 840 circular saw blade sharpening machine with the Vollmer HS automated loading station to provide capacity for a significant order the company has won from a new pallet manufacturing customer. The Vollmer machine has increased productivity by 60%, permitted unmanned running and improved blade quality. Without the new CHX 840, fulfilling the new order “would have been impossible”.

It is a familiar tale when an engineer leaves his job and sets up a business from his garage. In the case of Integrity Saw & Tool, a saw sharpening, HSS drill and end-mill regrinding company, the story begins in a basement in 1986. However, it was the move to a 13,000 sq ft factory in 1998, the appointment of Paul Reetz as the fresh-faced sales engineer (now the company’s owner) and investment in its first Vollmer CNC sharpening machine in 2000 that set the company on a new growth trajectory. With 13 staff and an output of 100 saw blades a week back in 2000, this figure quadrupled to almost 400 blades a week by 2005.

“We bought our first machine in 2000, a Vollmer Akemat B4 and, over the next eight years, more Vollmer machines followed,” says Reetz.

In fact, the company acquired a further three machines, with an Akemat U10 and B10 arriving in 2005, followed by an additional Akemat U10 in 2006.

The Vollmer Akemat machines sharpened TCT saw blades while the company’s manual machines manufactured and serviced HSS blades. This investment completed the purchasing of Vollmer machines until the 2019 arrival of the CHX840+HS.

Says Reetz: “The saw sharpening side of the business had grown for almost 10 years, but unfortunately the 2008-09 global recession wiped out a lot of small businesses. Many of our circular saw blade customers witnessed the collapse of their companies. However, the production of round tools such as drills, end mills, router bits and special tools for the manufacturing industry weathered the market far better. Round tooling for industry currently accounts for 80% of our business. With the COVID-19 pandemic, our round tooling business has slowed down. However, as more people are confined to staying at home, they are investing in their homes and the saw division of our business is once again benefitting.”

The pandemic situation has seen people confined to their homes all around the world, with everyone spending more time and money on groceries and eating at home. This situation has delivered a unique opportunity for Integrity Saw & Tool. With millions of wooden pallets in circulation in the US food industry, Integrity is regrinding TCT saw blades for a leading pallet manufacturer. This new customer has ambitious plans to build multiple manufacturing facilities across Canada, the US and Mexico, with each plant capable of producing a pallet every minute.

Integrity Saw can support the new customer with its five-axis Vollmer CHX840+HS for machining the tooth faces and tooth tops of the TCT saw blades in a single clamping. The HS automation solution enables Integrity Saw to load and process 28 blades unmanned. With a customer that will run its operations 24/7 and will require a new saw blade for every shift at every facility, the opportunity for Integrity Saw & Tool is considerable.

Following the arrival of the Vollmer CHX840+HS, Integrity has rapidly ramped-up to the stress-relieving and re-grinding of 400 TCT blades every week from May 2019 – an impossible feat without the new machine.

The 457 mm (18”) diameter TCT blades have 70 teeth per saw and it is possible to re-grind each blade up to seven times before being replaced or re-tipped. Before the arrival of the CHX840+HS, Integrity Saw was conducting four operations on three machines to complete a saw blade in 75 minutes – a machining time not inclusive of set-ups and changeovers.

“When it came to programming time and repeated set-ups, it was approximately 90 minutes for each blade,” says Reetz. “The Vollmer CHX840+HS has cut this time by more than 60% to 35 minutes with just one stress-relieving operation before the CHX840 completes all tooth and face grinding in a single set-up.”

For the 27-employee company to have just two skilled operators running four Vollmer Akemat machines and the CHX840+HS; the new machine has doubled the weekly output with the same number of staff.
“The two operators previously had the capacity to do 40-50 TCT blades a day on the Akemat machines, but adding the Vollmer CHX840+HS means we can now re-grind over 100 blades a day,” explains Reetz. “We work from 05:00 to 15:00 and the HS automation system allows us to set the CHX840 machine so it processes up to 28 saws unmanned throughout the evening.”

Although the new Vollmer has increased productivity and capacity; the benefits reach much further. Integrity Saw has recognised that the ability to grind tooth tops and faces in a single operation has the potential to make single-purpose machines redundant in the future. With a single ‘compact-footprint’ Vollmer machine, Integrity can significantly increase output while reducing machine inventory and running costs.

From a programming perspective, the operators undertook 2½ days of training on the CHX840+HS.
“While the older machines have all the programs stored, the Vollmer CHX840+HS didn’t initially have that luxury,” says Reetz. “However, the easy-to-use CNC interface means our operators don’t have to program every blade from new – they can simply edit one of the hundreds of stored program templates within the software to generate a suitable wheel path. This means it is possible to program a stack of 28 saws for unmanned running in just over 5 minutes.”

Additionally, the operators no longer have to be concerned about grinding wheel offsets as the CHX840+HS automatically compensates for wheel degradation. The combination of probing, automated wheel offset calibration and the intelligent software on the CHX840 also eliminate the potential for operator error and collisions.

With the pandemic gradually subsiding, the Vollmer CHX840+HS will eventually reach capacity in line with customer demands for more saw blades. Integrity already has its sights set on a second Vollmer TCT saw sharpening machine with automation to meet these production demands. Furthermore, the company has been so impressed with the CHX840+HS that it is now considering the latest generation Vollmer machine for its rotary tool division.

For further information
www.vollmer-group.com

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, says it is not only the supplier of choice for many OEMs, tier-one suppliers and precision subcontractors, but increasingly the first port of call for many new engineering start-ups. One such company is Gateshead-based EAG Precision. Established in March 2019, the company invested in 10 new Doosan machine tools from Mills CNC within its first three months of operation.

Operating from a 14,000 sq ft facility, EAG is a privately-owned company specialising in the small and medium batch production of complex, high-precision parts for sectors such as defence, marine, medical and renewable energy. To differentiate itself in the market, EAG has achieved ISO 9001 approval and specialises in machining complex components (including prototypes) to tight tolerances and exacting surface finishes for customers based in the UK and the US. The company also designs, manages and implements complex turnkey projects for its customers.

To maintain its growth and profitability EAG relies on the dedication of a highly skilled workforce, the experience and expertise of its directors and senior management team and, of course, the advanced machine tool technologies it has at its disposal.

Not many new companies have the confidence or wherewithal to invest in 10 new machine tools straight out of the gate, but EAG is unlike other start-ups.

Says Dave Graham, EAG’s managing director: “Although the new enterprise started trading in March 2019, a great deal of preliminary planning was initiated and completed well before then. The strategic business plan we created, and which we used to help obtain funding for the new company, was both robust and ambitious.”

Covering all aspects of business, the plan identified key markets and customers, and how EAG would approach and build business relationships. The plan highlighted, in depth, the company’s key capital equipment investment criteria, which included the number and type of CNC machine tools it wanted to acquire initially and in subsequent years. EAG’s plan also set out and reinforced the company’s mission, vision and values.

Says Graham: “There were, and still are, three guiding principles that direct our company operations: delivering high-quality manufacturing solutions to customers; providing a rapid response in order to meet customer requirements efficiently and effectively; and ensuring value for money and achieving cost efficiencies. Everything we do is measured and benchmarked against these principles.”
The directors and senior management team at EAG can offer over 100 years of collective experience in the precision manufacturing sector. Their knowledge and expertise was invaluable when approaching potential customers to secure new machining contracts, and critical in identifying and selecting the right machine tools that would meet EAG’s immediate and future capacity and capability requirements.

Although the company canvassed the market looking for the best performing and best value machine tools, the directors’ previous positive experiences of dealing with Mills CNC and of using Doosan machines (gained prior to EAG being established), put Mills in the box seat.

“We knew that owing to the depth and breadth of the Doosan machine tool range we would be able to find solutions perfectly suited to our requirements,” says Graham. “It was also a big positive, especially for a new start-up in terms of time and logistics, if the machines could be acquired from a single source.”

Although many start-ups initially invest in used/pre-owned machines to get up and running, EAG opted to invest in new machine tools from day one.

“We decided on new machines from Mills CNC as they were competitively-priced and were backed by full warranties and the company’s reputable applications and aftersales support,” says Graham. “In addition, we were able to take advantage of Mills CNC’s machine tool financing, which gave us access to flexible capital equipment funding packages.”

Mills CNC’s stock policy means that many machines (over 70 at any given time) are available from its campus facility in Leamington ready for immediate delivery to customers in the UK and Ireland.

“It was important that we hit the ground running from day one as we had already secured machining contracts from a number of customers,” explains Graham. “The ability to order and get our machines delivered, commissioned and installed in double-quick time was critical.”

To improve operational efficiencies, optimise manufacturing flexibility and help with lead-time fulfilment, EAG invested in a number of multi-tasking Doosan machines. The models now on site include: Lynx long-bed lathes with Y axes, sub-spindles and driven tools; a large-capacity Puma lathe with full mill-drill capability; Doosan DNM machining centres supplied with 4th-axis units; and a high-productivity twin-pallet vertical machining centre.

All 10 Doosan machines acquired by EAG are equipped with Fanuc controls. These CNC units facilitate quick and seamless program transfer between machines when required. This capability prevents production bottlenecks from occurring if, for some reason, a machine is out of action for maintenance or repair.

EAG produces precision components for a wide range of sectors and customers. As a consequence, the company machines materials that include steels, aluminium alloys, duplex and standard stainless steels, plastics, Inconel, and titanium. Mills CNC says that the Doosan machines, with their rigid structural characteristics and high-specification spindle technology, are sufficiently versatile and capable of machining this diverse range of materials to high geometric tolerances and surface finishes.

Graham shares this sentiment, stating: “Our DNM machining centres enable us to machine prismatic parts up to 1 x 1 x 1 m, while the largest of our Doosan lathes provides us with a maximum turning diameter of 550 mm.”

Mills CNC reports that new start-up companies are increasingly turning to the company for help with their machine tools and, more recently, their automation requirements. Attracted by the depth and breadth of the Doosan machine tool range, competitive pricing, immediate availability from stock, and the company’s aftersales support services, it is a trend that looks set to continue.

Concludes Graham: “We are delighted with our Doosan machine tools and the level of service we receive from Mills CNC.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk