UK NEWS

Trio of machines installed at subcontractor

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has supplied three new Doosan vertical machining centres to Portsmouth-based precision subcontract specialist, Penta Precision Engineering Ltd. The three machines are all Doosan DNM 4500 models.

Says Edward Moss, Penta Precision’s technical account manager: “We constantly audit and review our operational efficiency and effectiveness as part of a company-wide continuous improvement programme. As a result, we identified that some of our older machine tools were experiencing reliability issues and causing production bottlenecks. It became clear that, to help alleviate these problems, we needed to invest in new high-performance machines.
“Doosan’s DNM series of vertical machining centres are popular, proven and have a good reputation in the market,” he adds. “Having contacted Mills, we visited their facility in Leamington to see the DNM machines, and to discuss our requirements in more detail. We were impressed with their approach and by the aftersales service and support they provide to customers.”
The three Doosan DNM 4500 machines supplied to Penta Precision are all equipped with a 10.4” console, Fanuc 0iMF control (with 200 block look-ahead function), BT40 direct-coupled 18.5 kW/12,000 rpm spindle (117.8 Nm), 30-position ATC and linear guides on all axes.
In addition to the standard specification, Penta Precision also requested Renishaw spindle probes and Filtermist oil/mist extraction units on all three machines, and a Nikken rotary table on one.
“Since being installed the three DNM 4500 machines have been working flat out,” says Moss. “Our investment in Doosan machine tools from Mills CNC is having a positive impact on our productivity, performance and profitability.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Battle robots get a five-axis boost

For followers of the BBC’s Robot Wars programme, the names Sir Killalot, Shunt, Matilda and Dead Metal will be familiar as the house robots whose sole purpose is to lie in wait for competing bots and take their opportunity to destroy them.

These mean weapons are designed and built by two brothers in a small corner of their family business that is more used to manufacturing furniture castors.
Grant and James Cooper both worked for the family company of Priory Castor and Engineering in Birmingham, but as that business changed they saw a need to diversify and put their knowledge of engineering design to good use. The result was Robo Challenge, a design and creative engineering company that now works alongside TV production companies to create one-off robots and engineering concepts.
Robo Challenge employs an XYZ LPM vertical machining centre to create a range of parts from aluminium, titanium and stainless steel.
“We tend to be at the end of the process after weeks, if not months of discussion have taken place,” says Grant Cooper. “We are then asked to produce complex machines in a short space of time. For example, the four house robots for Robot Wars were designed and built in less than eight weeks, but typically we get one to three weeks to complete a project, so an efficient machine that can be used by anyone here was essential for us. The LPM with its ProtoTrak control, tool changer and large table, works perfectly for us, especially as just about everything we produce is a one-off.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Dyson cleans-up with new machining centre

Founded almost 100 years ago, Milton Keynes based Dyson Diecastings Ltd initially started as a casting business, although nowadays the company offers a multitude of services, something that is supported by the recent acquisition of a Fanuc Robodrill B-series machining centre.

“As technology has evolved, so have customer demands and the capabilities of our company,” says director Paul Savage. “We have moved from just drilling and tapping to adding a CNC machining department, and now conduct profile milling, facing and much more. In terms of value-added processes, we offer painting, plating and polishing for those who want a fully finished product.”
The Fanuc Robodrill B-series D21LiB5 features an extended bed length that accommodates the variety of components that pass through the machine shop at Dyson.
“Usually, we would go for a 1 m bed length machine and also have a 600 mm Fanuc machine alongside, but this 800 mm bed length Fanuc is ideal for what we need,” says Savage. “A key factor in selecting the B-series is that we bought a Fanuc Robodrill T21iF about six years ago and its reliability has been outstanding. Spare parts are sourced locally and the cost of running it has been kept very low. The B-series machine comes with a new interface while the spindle speeds and indexing unit all match what we’d been running previously. Programs transfer very simply and it ticks all the right boxes.”
For further information www.fanuc.eu

AMPC opens at BCAST

The official opening of the new Advanced Metal Processing Centre (AMPC) and the Constellium R&D Centre for Automotive Structures and Industry, took place at Brunel University London last month.

AMPC is the second phase of a national scale-up facility within BCAST at Brunel University London, and follows the opening of the Advanced Metal Casting Centre (AMCC) in 2016. Processing equipment at the AMPC is supported by machining, joining, mechanical testing and 3D inspection facilities.
For further information www.burnel.ac.uk/bcast

MBO at Cutwel

A management buyout led by Adam Gillard, Graham Short and Shaunie Mangham has been completed at Yorkshire-based tooling supplier Cutwel Ltd (backed by Leeds-based private equity company NorthEdge Capital).

The funding will support Cutwel as it continues to scale its sales team with investment in recruitment, training and product development. Cutwel aims to double its headcount over the next four years to over 100 employees with the ultimate aim of doubling turnover within the next five years. The company achieved year-on-year revenue growth from £6m in 2012 to more than £16m in the year to April 2018.
For further information www.cutwel.co.uk