UK NEWS

Targeting growth through bending machine investment

With the acquisition of Malvern Tubular Products and Maxpower Automotive from Tricorn UK towards the end of 2021, the Lander Group created the opportunity to continue its development as a single source of supply for tube-based assemblies. Now, under the branding of Lander Tubular Products, and with the latest investment in BLM tube bending equipment, the group has the capability to provide automated tubular solutions from 4 to 152 mm diameter in a range of materials, including steel, stainless steel and aluminium.

With capacity to bend tube up to 152 mm diameter, with added efficiency delivered by the multi-stack tooling system where up to eight tool sets can mount simultaneously, the BLM Elect 150 adds to the group’s overall capability and supports further expansion of its growing customer base.

“At Malvern we focus on lower volume production of larger tube diameters, often with higher complexity of bends, mainly for the off-highway, construction and power-generation industries,” says David Alexander, sales and marketing manager at Lander Tubular Products.
“With the new BLM machine we can look to expand into new market segments with our fully finished tubular products.”

Despite the scale of the BLM Elect150, weighing some 18,000 kg, the machine is versatile and brings greater control to production through itsSiemens Simotion system, which runs in conjunction with BLM’s proprietary VGP3D programming and 3D simulation software.Moreover, the machine allows torque to vary between 2 and 6 tonnes to eliminate part deformation, even on tight radius bends and. Control is via a control,

“We see many positives in the arrival of the BLM Elect150, and with many other BLM machines within the group we already have a good understanding of how to maximise their potential,” concludes Alexander.
For further information www.blmgroup.com

ITC 2023 catalogue

The latest edition of Industrial Tooling Corporation’s annual product catalogue is now available to viewonline. Now in its 17th edition, the catalogue is crammed with new product enhancements and developments from the Tamworth-based cutting tool manufacturer.The latest edition incorporates ITC’s updated pricing structure for 2023, as well sections that cover cutting tools for machining aluminium, steel, heat-resistant alloys and exotic materials, along with glass- and carbon-fibre composite materials.The 200+ page catalogue is available to download from the link below.
For further information www.bit.ly/3kNGme7

Unison introduces latest tube bending app

Unison Ltd, a UK manufacturer of tube and pipe bending machines, has launched an all-new version of its free-to-use Tube Bending Application app. With intuitive new features, Unison believes it to be the most advanced app of its kind for users of tube bending machinery.

The app makes it simple and straightforward for tube bending machinery operators to establish the required tooling type, mandrel style, size and material, as well as bend torque and machine size. As an additional benefit, a clear, simple indication of ‘application difficulty’ – the difficulty of bending virtually any metal, wall thickness and diameter – is also available. Where customers are looking to bend new components or start new projects, but do not have the correct tooling or machinery, the app provides a valuable feasibility/viability check, detailing essential data regarding the equipment they will need to use.

In creating their all-new Tube Bending Application app, Unison’s in-house software design team introduced a whole range of user-friendly, intelligent new features. These include a new project-specific filing system and a new dashboard for instant access to tube data, project notes, tooling set-up, mandrel set-up and machine power. There is an updated conversion tool for transforming XYZ co-ordinates into YBC bending data. As in previous versions of the app, users can download reports in PDF format for desktop filing, sharing, review and consideration.

“Since it was first launched some 10 years ago, our free Tube Bending Application app has revolutionised the way customers calculate bending criteria, providing them with a rapid insight into the necessary tooling set-up, machine type and torque required to successfully complete even the most complex of bends,” says Unison Ltd’s joint managing director, Alan Pickering.
For further information www.unisonltd.com

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