It is often the impulsive decisions in life that create an impact, which was certainly the case for Chris Smedley of Malvern Engineering. When he was made redundant over 15 years ago, he walked out of his employment and 45 minutes later signed a contract for an industrial unit and started Malvern Engineering. This entrepreneurial spirit and level of determination have served the company well since its inception and are still imbued in the ethos of the small business to this very day. So, when Smedley’s regular machine tool dealer could not offer the solution required, he approached the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) and bought his first 4th-axis machining centre: a Quaser MV184 EV. It arrived in autumn 2023.

“We looked at a couple of machines, but when we visited the ETG technical centre and demonstration facility in Wellesbourne, we were flabbergasted by the quality, service and the set-up of the company,” says Smedley. “The Quaser MV184 EV offers us greater flexibility than our existing machine tools and we can reduce the number of required set-ups on complex parts. This capability is subsequently improving our quality, our throughput and creating greater efficiencies throughout the business.”

As a subcontract manufacturer with four three-axis machining centres and two turning centres, the latest Quaser addition opens the door to new types of work previously out of reach.

“The Quaser has a much more compact footprint than our existing machines, which is invaluable to a small business where space is at a premium,” explains Smedley. “Like our existing machines, the Quaser was supplied with a Heidenhain CNC system that creates familiarity for our team to interchange between machines.”

For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Based in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, Crossen Engineering produces precision mould tools mainly, but not exclusively, for the medical industry. Prismatic machining on-site is via numerous vertical machining centres (VMCs) from Hurco Europe, predominantly its own machines but also an RXP500 VMC supplied under Hurco’s sole agency agreement with German manufacturer, Roeders.

As a long-term user of Hurco machine tools, Crossen is aware of the capabilities of the supplier’s range and sometimes needs to produce parts to slightly higher accuracy and surface finish. That notion was behind its recent investment in a Hurco BX40i, which is of bridge-type design and has an HSK63A 18,000 rpm motor spindle. Direct drives and linear scales in all axes provide dynamic motion and accurate positional feedback.

Crossen toolmaker Colin Morrow says: “We require a super-fine finish for shut-off faces in moulds and the BX40i is able to produce them with little or no subsequent hand finishing.
We’re also looking for accuracy throughout the whole job, as well as high feeds and speeds. With it being a double-column VMC, it’s very rigid and gives us the required productivity and precision.”

The Roeders RXP500 high-speed machining centre on site has a 42,000 rpm spindle, linear motors in the X, Y and Z axes, and travels of 550 x 450 x 240 mm. According to Hurco, the machine is able to achieve levels of accuracy and surface finish superior to almost any other machine on the market. Although often used to machine electrodes, the VMC also mills detailed cavities directly into hard metal, reducing the number of operations needed to produce a mould and shortening turnaround times.

For further information www.hurco.co.uk