THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Axe & Status partners with ACCURL

UK machine tool supplier Axe & Status Machinery Ltd and ACCURLare now forging a powerful partnership that holds immense promise for the laser market. Following a visit to ACCURL’s facilities in China, Steve Thomas, the owner of Axe & Status Machinery and his team deemed the capabilities and quality of ACCURL products as impressive.

After days of extensive discussions, the two companies reached a mutual agreement to authorise Axe & Status Machinery as the exclusive distributor of the ACCURL brand in the UK. This partnership signifies a significant milestone for both organisations as they set their sights on capturing the rapidly growing laser market together.New stock will arriveat the Axe & Status showroom in Milton Keynes in early September. The first high-power lasers will also be installed in the UK in September and available for demonstration.
For further information www.axestatus.com

700% growth in three years in partnership with XYZ

James White joined NSK Precision Engineering in 2015 and took the company over in 2019, making a new CNC machining centre his top priority. His research led him to invest in anXYZ 750 LR with 750 x 440 x 500mm travel, Siemens 828D control (with optional ShopMill), and linear rail technology for fast acceleration and deceleration rates.

“XYZ Machine Tools listened to where we wanted to take the business, asking the right questions, showing that they understood how our company works,” he says.“They also came up with an attractive solution to get our CNC machining capacity started. We already had a 1994 XYZ turret mill with ProtoTRAK control, which is used daily, so this gave us extra confidence in our decision.”

Taking over NSK Precision Engineering, which has been in operation since 1995, was a steep learning curve, figuring out how to manage both the workforce and the day-to-day administration of the company. Additionally, White relocated the company from its previous 1500 sq ft factory to a new 10,000 sq ft site near Reading, while growing turnover by 700% and increasing his workforce from two to seven.

“Previously, we were subcontracting a lot of work to local companies,” he explains.“Investing in CNC has enabled us to take this work back in-house, which gives us more control over quality and delivery while at the same time improving our profit margins. At the old factory, we were limited for space, restricting which XYZ machine we could choose. With the new factory and the increase in workload we’ve been able to make a further investment in a XYZ 1000 LR with 4th-axis rotary table, Siemens 828D control with the ShopMill option, expanded 24-station tool carousel and a swarf conveyor.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Dugard delivers for Dicker Precision Components

Hailsham-based Dicker Precision Components has taken delivery of another machining centre from Dugard Machine Tools. As a subcontract manufacturer serving a diverse range of industries from medical and aerospace to offshore, subsea and defence, Dicker Precision needed a high-quality machine from a supplier with a track record of delivering in short lead times. Dugard was the first name on the company’s radar.

Dicker Precision’s new Dugard 1100 vertical machining centre complements its existing range of Dugard machines, which includes a Dugard 1000Y Plus and a heavyweight Dugard 1886B HD with 4th axis and BT50 spindle taper.

“I went to Dugard and the 1100 VMC was in the showroom with the guarding off, so I could see the build quality of the machine,” says Dicker Precision’s managing director Mark Love.“The price point of the machine is particularly good, especially considering the extras we have. We bought the machine and it was running within two weeks.”

Taking a look at the extra features, Love adds: “We’ve taken the machine with a Nikken 4th-axis unit.We also have Renishaw probing, which saves a huge amount of time; we don’t need to get the clock out.”

The machine also has through-coolant, referring to which, he says: “We use the through-coolant facility quite a lot and with carbide drilling. The machine also has an extremely useful air blast, as we do a lot of dry cutting on stainless steel. In fact, the machine is currently cutting stainless all day long, and will be for the foreseeable future.Overall, this machine has been a cracking deal.It literally hasn’t stopped working since it arrived and has significantly increased our capacity.”
For further information www.dugard.com

DIMF offer window into the future

DN Solutions’ biennial International Machine Tool Fair (DIMF) took place in South Korea last month, whenit was heralded a ‘huge success’ by company officials and, more importantly, by the 4500 plus visitors from 55 countries that attended the week-long event.Representatives from Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ machine tools and automation systems in the UK and Ireland, attended the event to see for themselves the latest product developments, new technologies and state-of-the-art system solutions.

Showcasing 65 machine tools in total, specific highlights that will, over the next few months and years, be gaining traction with UK and Irish manufacturers included: the DVF 4000 five-axis machining centre; the SVM 5100L high-speed machining centre for the fast processing of aluminium parts and other lightweight materials; and the single- and multi-level round pallet (automation) systems for integration with NHC, NHP and NHM horizontal machining centres.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Apprentices meet Emma Wiggs Challenge

Design concepts to help people with disabilities, developed by apprentices at engineering training centre Oxfordshire Advanced Skills, were revealed at the final of the Emma Wiggs Challenge. Double Paralympic champion Emma Wiggs MBE, who launched the competition earlier this year, was one of the judges who assessed the entries, which aimed to show how design engineering can be used to improve life for people with disabilities.

The winning entry was a low-level pull cord assistance device (LLPCAD) designed by Owen Mayers, to tackle the critical safety issue of unreliable and inaccessible emergency pull cords in disabled toilets. Owen’s solution is a cost-effective device, designed for easy installation or retrofitting in most locations. The highly commended finalist was the Scooter Buddy, a cost-effective, portable product that is suitable for storagein a chair bag or rucksack, designed by the team of Ryan Budd, Matt Chambers and Ben Hibberd.
For further information www.bit.ly/468SpFD