The train operator for the East of England, Greater Anglia, says that a £17m project is underway that will deliver a brand-new wheel lathe facility at its Clacton Rail Depot in Essex.

Working alongside delivery partner Spencer Group, which will build the new facility, it will be the first time Greater Anglia has had its own permanent wheel lathe facility.

A wheel lathe allows the train operator to service its fleet on-patch and transform how trains are prepared ahead of service. Trains undergo daily wear and tear that can result in small flat spots on the wheels. To correct this damage, a wheel lathe is used to re-profile each wheel with precision. It begins by measuring the size of each wheel, before calculating how much metal to remove. The wheel then undergoes re-profiling accordingly to restoreits roundness. After the cutting process, the lathe measures the wheels again to ensure their quality before the train returns to service.

The lathe itself (pictured during tests) has been produced by Hegenscheidt-MFD, a German-based specialist in machine tools for the railway and automotive sectors. Greater Anglia’s new 5000 m² facility is expected to open in summer 2025 and has support from the Department for Transport.

Andrew Goodrum, Greater Anglia client &programme director, says:”Not only will this £17m investment into Clacton improve the performance and reliability of regional services, it will also provide many new highly skilled jobs.Once complete, we will also be able to service trains much quicker than before, allowing them to return to passenger service faster.”

The wheel lathe facility will be used by the entire Greater Anglia fleet, including its class 745, class 720 and class 755 units.

More information www.hegenscheidt-mfd.com/en

Mills CNC will showcase a DN Solutions SMX 2100SB large bore multi-tasking turn-mill centre at Seco Tools’ ‘Aerospace & Medical Inspiration through Innovation’ event taking place at the company’s facility in Alcester on 16-17 October.

The FANUC-controlled machine, equipped with opposing 22kW/5000rpm spindles, a 12,000rpm B-axis milling head, a 40-tool position ATC, a 12/24 position turret with driven tooling capabilities (5000rpm) and integrated thermal compensation, processes complex, high-precision parts in a single set-up.

Mills selected the SMX 2100SB to appear at Seco’s Inspiration through Innovation event to demonstrate the machine’s inherent flexibility, productivity and efficiency in producing medical parts.Following its selection, pre-sales engineers from Mills CNC, working closely with partners from Seco Tools (cutting tools), Hainbuch (work holding) and Open Mind (CADCAM software), began to design and develop a secure, repeatable process to machine a small, high-precision medical implant part in small volumes over the two-day event.

The part selected for the live machining demonstration is a shoulder implant stem made from a solid titanium bar/billet with individual part dimensions of 74mm in length and 50mm diameter. In total, the part cycle time is 45 minutes, including all front- and back-end machining operations. As well as parting-off, other operations include roughing and finishing (front and back-end), OD profiling, slotting, face and side milling, three-axis turning, five-axis simultaneous milling, drilling, and countersinking.

For the Seco event, a number of 600mm length titanium bars will be available which, using a bar puller, will enable continuous production.Mills CNC pre-sales engineers will be available to explain the machining process.

More information www.millscnc.co.uk

At the top of the Mylas portfolio of turn-mill centres available in the UK from Dugard is the new MTY series of twin-spindle, twin turret, triple channel machines. Designed to create productivity gains, the Mylas MTY range can simultaneously engage three cutting tools on the workpiece through a range of configuration options.

The Mylas MTY is available in two models, the MTY 51 and the MTY 65 that offer 51 and 65mm bar turning capacity. Within the two models are a series of different configurations. For instance, the MTY 51A or 65A configuration offers a single Yaxis with two tools cutting in tandem; the B-type machine offers a single Yaxis, tailstock and two tools in simultaneous cut; whereas the MTY 51C and 65C type provides two tools on the part with double Yaxis.

The MTY D is a double-channel machine with a double Yaxis and tailstock, while the MTY51E and 65E offer three tools in simultaneous cut with double Yaxis and tailstock.

Within these options, Mylas offers a 5500rpm main spindle on the MTY51 and 4000rpm on the MTY65 with a power rating of 7.5/11kW plus NN bearing type and roller bearings at the front and rear of the spindle to deliver cutting power directly to the cutting surface – resisting axial and radial forces. Complementing these capabilities on the sub-spindle is a 6000rpm unit offering 5.5/7.5kW that sits alongside an optional tailstock with 100mm travel to increase turning length up to 5xD.

To offer maximum flexibility, the two BMT55 tooling turrets each provide 16 tool stations with a maximum tool capacity of 64 positions.

More information www.dugard.com