UK NEWS

STATEMENT OF INTENT AT NTG PRECISION ENGINEERS

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied precision subcontract specialist, NTG Precision Engineers (part of the NTG Group), with a new, large-capacity DN Solutions’ multi-tasking, box guideway turning centre.

The machine, a 24” chuck Puma 700LM II, arrived at the company’s new, purpose-built 45,000sq ft manufacturing facility in Gateshead in January 2023. Although still early days it is intended that, when fully operational with the arrival of a steady rest that is currently on order, the new Puma lathe will machine a range of large, high-precision components and specialised tooling equipment for a growing range of OEM and tier-one customers operating in the defence, oil and gas, subsea, electric vehicle, food production and power-generation sectors, to name but a few.

Whether billet or bar work, the Puma lathe will machine everything from prototypes and one-offs, through to small batch series (typically 10-20 off), from a range of materials that extend from aluminium alloys through to duplex and super-duplex stainless steels.

The new lathe, with its integrated mill and drill capabilities, underscores NTG’s growth ambitions and its commitment to continuous improvement.In recent years, this commitment has seen the company not only relocate its entire operations to a new facility on the Team Valley Trading Estate, but also continue to make regular, strategic investments in staff development, upgrading its plant and equipment, and streamlining its processes and systems.

NTG, through a combination of organic growth and through securing/winning new business contracts from new customers, has experienced significant growth over the past 12 years.
A management buyout (MBO) concluded in January 2021, which saw Ignite Growth (a private equity investment firm) acquire a majority stake in NTG has delivered extra impetus and provided the company with a clear roadmap of its future business goals.

Says Mike Hutchinson, NTG’s group managing director:“Our future growth and success will be achieved by continuing to provide a unique and highly-differentiated offering to customers. The main focus, our ‘raison d’être’ if you like, is on delivering high-quality, high-value and competitively-priced machined components supplied on-time, every time.Everything we do is predicated on our ability to strengthen our position as a preferred supplier and a ‘manufacturer of choice’ to new and existing customers operating across the many industries where we operate.”

To help increase its productivity, consolidate its position within supply chains and maintain its competitive edge, NTG has an impressive range of more than 35 high-performance machine tools at its disposal, many of which are characterised by their multi-axis and multi-tasking capabilities.

Explains Hutchinson: “Our five-axis machining centres and multi-tasking turning centresenable us to machine high-precision, complex components and specialised tooling equipment in one-hit.Multi-tasking machine tools improve our productivity and process efficiencies. They help improve throughput and reduce production bottlenecks and pinch points.We are always looking to improve and increase our machining capacity and capabilities in order to meet growing demand.”

It is against this backdrop of continuous improvement that NTG’s investment in the new DN Solutions’ Puma 700LM lathe must be viewed.NTG is no stranger to DN Solutions (Doosan) or Mills CNC, having previously invested in a 12” chuck Puma 3100XL lathe with a 2150mm turning length back in 2013.

“Although not as large as our new Puma 700LM, the Puma 3100XL is still a big machine and, with its rigid design and construction, has many similar features to our latest acquisition and has performed consistently well over the years,” says Hutchinson

This positive experience of Puma lathe technology combined with Mills CNC’s aftersales service and support both proved instrumental in helping NTG make its latest, large lathe investment decision.

Says Hutchinson:“The decision to invest in the new Puma was made for a number of reasons.We knew we needed a large-capacity machine to take pressure of our existing turning resource and to help spearhead our new business growth ambitions.”

As such, NTG prepared a detailed technical and application-based specification for the new lathe and approached a number of machine tool manufacturers with its proposed investment plan: one of the companies approached was Mills CNC.

“Although we have a large installed machine tool resource, we are not beholden to any manufacturer,” he states.“Instead, we select new machine tools based on their performance, capabilities, price and availability. The in-depth research undertaken into the market established that large-capacity Puma lathes, from many manufacturers’ perspectives, have a good reputation and that their accuracy, power, flexibility and reliability are considered ‘second to none.’

“From talking to Mills, we were informed that they had a new Puma 700LM on order and, as such, that it that could be delivered and installed relatively quickly, virtually coinciding with our relocation to our new facility,” continues Hutchinson. “We ordered the machine in September 2022, and it was delivered, installed and fully commissioned in January 2023.”

The Puma 700LM is a large-capacity, long-bed heavy-duty 24-inch chuck lathe equipped with 15kW/1500rpm high-torque (8076Nm) spindle, a 12-position BMT 85P turret with driven tooling capabilities (11kW/3000rpm) and a programmable tailstock. Notably, the machine supplied to NTG featured the latest Fanuc 0iTP control with an on-board 15-inch touchscreen iHMI.

The Puma 700LM has a 900mm maximum turning diameter and 3200mm maximum turning length to help accommodate large, long workpieces. Despite its size, the Puma 700LM is fast with X- and Z-axis rapids up to 12m/min and 10m/min, respectively.

In addition to the basic machine, the investment package included an automatic tool setter, swarf conveyor and high-pressure (70bar) coolant system to increase the machine’s productivity and process reliability.

Although only installed a few weeks ago, the new Puma 700LM lathe is already having a positive impact on NTG’s performance and productivity.Some jobs, previously undertaken on the company’s existing turning centres, are now being machined on the new Puma 700LM – helping to ‘free-up’ capacity. And the imminent arrival of the steady rest will help NTG realise the Puma’s true, large part processing potential.

Concludes Hutchinson:“We are actively promoting, via our new business development team, the capabilities of the new Puma lathe to new and existing customers. We believe that our latest machine tool acquisition will open up new opportunities and drive future business growth.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Phil Morris to take the reins at Walter Ewag UK

Phil Morris is nowsales director andgeneral manager at Walter Ewag UK, succeeding Neil Whittingham who has retired after 35 years of service with the organisation.Aged 55, Morrisbrings almost 40 years of engineering experience to the Warwick-based supplier of Walter Helitronic and Ewag tool and insert grinders, erosion and laser machines, as well as the Helicheck range of tool measurement machines. His most recent role was in industry sales and application management, specialising in turning, threading, milling and drilling, in addition to tool-holding and pre-machining disciplines.
For further information www.walter-machines.com

PSL Datatrack reaches 20 years as BTMA member

PSL Datatrack has reached a landmark 20 years as a ‘Technical Member’ of the British Turned Parts Manufacturers Association (BTMA).As a Technical Member, the company plays an active role in supporting manufacturing members with its expertise in production control software, designed to streamline the entire production process from quotation to invoice. “We’re proud to be the only supplier of production control software to serve as a member of the BTMA, an association representing the best of the best of British manufacturing,” states Geoff Gartland, managing director of PSL Datatrack.
For further information www.psldatatrack.com

Mills CNC sells its first Zayer machine

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has taken its first Zayer order just a few short weeks after signing the distributor deal with the Spain-based milling machine manufacturer.The machine, a Zayer XIOS G large-capacity horizontal CNC bed mill equipped with a built-in rotary table (1500x 1500 mm) and a five-axis, 45° milling head, will take its place at the UK-based customer’s facility this spring.

Says Tony Dale, Mills CNC’s CEO:“The XIOS G represents our first Zayer machine tool order, but it will, most definitely, not be our last.To assist future sales, we’ve ordered a new Zayer Zero CNC horizontal bed mill for our showroom, which will be available for customers to see in the not-too-distant future.Described by Zayer as ‘its most precise and dynamic bed mill ever’, we’re confident that the Zayer Zero will prove popular with UK and Irish manufacturers.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

F1 team installs four SLA 3D printers

3D Systems is reporting that the BWT Alpine F1 Team has purchased four SLA 750 3D-printing systems to accelerate innovation and speed to track. Based at Enstone in Oxfordshire, the team made the decision to purchase the systems after it extensively tested the product in its beta phase. BWT Alpine F1 Team is currently using the SLA 750 systems and 3D Systems’ Accura Composite PIV material to build models for wind tunnel testing, including complex aerodynamic parts with pressure tappings, as well as small composite tools and high-temperature bonding jigs.

“We are very impressed with the depth of precision engineering that went into the development of 3D Systems’ SLA 750,” says Ben Mallock, deputy head of aerodynamics, BWT Alpine F1 Team. “We have a long-standing technical partnership with 3D Systems. With the SLA 750 we achieved the best part quality we’ve seen so far in the market with considerably improved productivity.Today we’re able to produce 25,000 additively manufactured parts each year.”
For further information www.3dsystems.com