Lincolnshire-based Destec Engineering has recently invested in a large-capacity Doosan vertical turning centre from Mills CNC.

The ram-type machine, a Puma VTS 1620M, is now in situ at the company’s facility in Washingborough, where it is being put through its paces machining a range of large, heavy and performance-critical precision components made from difficult-to-machine materials that include Inconel and Duplex stainless steel.
Once machined, these components, which are custom manufactured to order, undergo inspection and testing before being assembled into Destec-branded, high-pressure containment units used extensively, although not exclusively, by customers operating in the offshore sector.
Specific high-pressure containment systems designed and manufactured by Destec include the company’s best-selling G-Range clamp connector and GSB single-bolt subsea connector ranges.
Many components used in Destec’s larger-sized connectors are being machined on the new Doosan VTS 1620M, as operations manager John Mullenger explains: “We needed additional large vertical turning capacity to meet demand and integrate into our customised, made-to-order manufacturing operation. There were a number of specific requirements, in addition to the machine’s working range and table-load capacity, which needed to be satisfied and, armed with our list of ‘must-haves’, we investigated the market and approached a number of machine tool suppliers.
“The VTS 1620M is a solidly built machine and was 10 tonnes heavier than other machines we considered,” he adds. “We’ve been impressed with the machine’s cutting capabilities. Components can be machined efficiently and the machine’s driven tooling capabilities mean we benefit from reduced cycle times. The VTS 1620M has helped us reduce production bottlenecks caused by having to transfer parts between machines.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

A precision machining specialist has taken its CNC machine spending to £1m with the installation of a fourth machine in just two years.

Muller Holdings, which employs 130 people across its four sites in the West Midlands and South Wales, has purchased a Nakumura NTY3-150 from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) to help it meet increases in automotive work and free-up capacity for new contracts.
The company will use the three-turret, twin-spindle machine with 3 m barfeed to reduce the cycle time of a new suspension part by 30-40%.
“This is the fourth Nakamura we have purchased from ETG, equating to over £1m of investment in the latest CNC technology to help us continue supplying our global customer base with precision parts,” explains managing director Adam Cunningham. “All of the machines have been very reliable and offer excellent cutting performance. The latest one has three turrets and twin spindles that allow us to overlap a number of secondary ops, making the overall process quicker. This approach has now been adopted for other parts and is proving very successful in helping us win new business both at home and abroad.
“The Japanese Nakamura machines are very reliable and we have a good relationship with ETG’s servicing and maintenance team to ensure that downtime is minimised, and any repairs are quickly addressed,” he adds.
Muller Holdings has recently secured the IATF 16949 quality accreditation, putting it in position to not only retain existing automotive work, but explore additional contracts, starting with £300,000 of new orders with Wabco and THK Germany.
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Cannock-based Kenson Industrial Plastics has invested in a Tornos DT26 turning centre to help it machine spacers, rollers, washers, threaded gears, insulating pads and machine guarding from materials such as nylon, polyethylene, PVC, PTFE, PEEK and other plastics.

The four-employee company won a contract to manufacture gear motor components in batches of 10,000 per month, and this instigated the search for a new turning centre.
Managing director Kevin Hutcheson says: “The parts being machined are only 12 mm diameter. We looked at all the sliding-head suppliers, as well as a few other options, but the Tornos DT26 fitted our business perfectly. Other vendors recommended running neat oil, which is standard for sliding-head machines. However, Tornos said we could run the DT26 with either soluble or neat oil. As we machine plastic parts, we want to avoid staining from oil, or cleaning oil from plastic parts. Tornos had instantly tipped the scales in their favour.”
The machine instantly reduced the cycle time of the gear components (which are made of Ertalyte TX) from 50 to 25 seconds per part, taking more than seven days off the previous monthly production schedule. Additionally, the facility to work with and without the guide bush has reduced material consumption.
Historically, Kenson has only operated on a single eight-hour shift basis. However, the Tornos DT26 has been supplied with a
3 m barfeed and the Tornos Active Chip Breaker (ACB) system for lights-out machining. Referring to this, Hutcheson says: “We’ve only ever run day-shift machining, but now we have the Tornos and its ACB system, we can look at unmanned running.”
For further information www.tornos.com

A Warwickshire precision manufacturing specialist is celebrating 40 years in business by completing a £700,000 investment drive.

Technoset, which employs 25 people at its facility in Rugby, has installed four new lathes and a laser-scanning device to support the machining and measurement of complex components for customers involved in the aerospace (civil and defence), medical and fibre-optics markets.
Supported by the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), the company has also successfully worked towards and secured AS9100 Rev D, a quality accreditation that is fast becoming a prerequisite for winning and maintaining high-profile contracts in the aerospace sector. The award will ensure it can deliver more than £1.4m of orders to produce engine, actuation, interior lighting and landing-gear parts.
Kevan Kane, managing director of Technoset, explains: “Critical to our future growth was securing the AS9100 Rev D quality award, which is a very demanding and stringent process. As an SME, this process can be a very time-consuming exercise, so we turned to the MGP, which provided us with a continuous improvement plan and then part-funded a specialist consultant to work with us on refining our operations and developing new strategies.
“The support was invaluable and ensured senior managers could focus on what we do best; producing complex components for our global customer base,” he continues. “MGP is an easy-to-access resource that I would recommend to other SME manufacturers.”
Michelle Connor, manufacturing growth manager at MGP, adds her support: “This is a great example of how targeted business support can help a manufacturer unlock new opportunities and safeguard contracts.”
For further information www.manufacturingrowthprogramme.co.uk