Tamworth-based bespoke work-holding systems supplier and precision machining specialist – Brown & Holmes – has recently invested in a large-capacity Doosan three-axis vertical machining centre from Mills CNC.

The machine, a Fanuc controlled Mynx 9500, was installed at one of Brown & Holmes’ two facilities in May 2018, and is the third new Doosan machine acquired by the company in the past four years.
Brown and Holmes’ decision to invest in the Mynx 9500 was made, primarily, as a direct result of a growing order book and the anticipation of a new business contract to machine precision components for a defence sector customer. To machine the parts, made from titanium plate, to
the accuracies and surface finishes required, and hit the lead times demanded by the customer, the company realised that it needed to invest in additional in-house milling capacity.
Says Kevin Ward, Brown & Holmes’ joint managing director: “We investigated the market and discussed our requirements with a select number of machine tool suppliers.”
The new machine tool checklist drawn up by Brown & Holmes contained a number of ‘must haves’ that focused not just on technical specifications and cost, but on the quality and responsiveness of aftersales services and support.
“The Mynx 9500 is a brute of a machine, and is inherently versatile,” says Ward. “Its large working envelope means we can machine large components, as well as small parts, while its spindle technology ensures improved cycle times and the trouble-free machining of difficult-to-machine materials like titanium. The size, power and versatility of the machine makes it ideal for producing one-offs and small batches, and for parts requiring long machining runs.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Established 20 years ago, Exeter-based motorcycle aftermarket specialist HEL Performance has for half of that time manufactured its brake line fittings in-house from stainless steel bar using an array of sliding-head CNC lathes, of which 14 are currently in use. The idea was to have full control not only over the design but also over the production and quality of these mainline products.

HEL Performance could therefore not have moved further away from its comfort zone when it decided to manufacture two new families of prismatically machined components from solid aluminium billets, namely master cylinders and radially mounted brake calipers.
Turnkey production systems were clearly needed and managing director Simon Lane researched the market for a suitable machine tool supplier, an exercise which culminated in the purchase from Whitehouse Machine Tools of three Speedio machining centres built by Brother, Japan.
Supplied with tooling, fixtures and programs, two are S700X1 four-axis, 21-station turret-type models installed in March and June 2018, while the third is an M140X2 trunnion-type, five-axis machine with a 22-position tool magazine, which arrived in August.
The S700X1 machines are currently devoted to producing either ‘100’ or ‘108’ caliper sets in two operations using bespoke, four-station fixtures on either side of a trunnion, so two complete components come off each machine every time the doors open. On the M140X2, one master cylinder is produced in two operations in a total cycle time of one hour.
When fully operational, each of the three Speedio machines will produce around 100 components per week, based on a single eight-hour shift per weekday. Lane foresees quantities rising four-fold in the next five years, and has already expressed interest in acquiring a Brother Feedio robotic component handling system to increase production efficiency and introduce unattended running overnight.
For further information www.wmtcnc.com

The changing times of the automotive industry was the main focus of discussion recently when In-Comm Training and Manufacturing Group (TMG) hosted its latest open house.

James Grainger, executive director of Grainger & Worrall and vice chair of the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA), explored how the sector has evolved over the past 30 years in front of more than 50 industry delegates at the Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology. In-Comm TMG is a consortium of like-minded businesses bound together by a common vision to improve skills and productivity in the UK.
For further information www.in-commt-tmg.co.uk

This year’s Subcon show is set to be co-located with The Engineer Expo and Advanced Manufacturing.

Now in its 43rd year, Subcon 2019 will take place at the Birmingham NEC on 4-6 June. Over three days, the three events will showcase complete manufacturing solutions, from design, prototyping and development, through contract and subcontract products and services, to machine tools, systems and equipment. Together, the three shows will provide an event that will enable visitors to not only save time sourcing new partners, but get ahead of the competition with newly developed technologies and services.
For further information www.subconshow.co.uk