As a specialist in producing one-off or low-volume development work, East Grinstead-based Classic Components is often called upon to turn work around at short notice, usually without any drawings.

As a long-term user of XYZ’s ProtoTRAK-controlled machine tools, their ease-of-use was familiar to managing director Malcolm Duffield, but the arrival of the latest RMX 3500 bed mill with new ProtoTRAK RMX control has been a revelation.
The advantages of the latest control on the RMX 3500 have helped Duffield achieve significant savings both in programming and cycle times.
“Moving from the old DPM control to the new RMX ProtoTRAK has been a step-change for me,” he says. “The time savings I’ve seen so far are thanks to innovations such as the adaptive material removal strategy and the ability to import DXF files.”
An example of the benefits of the DXF converter is in the production of sprockets for vintage aircraft. On his older machine, Duffield had to input every co-ordinate, which was time consuming both in terms of inputting and cross-checking the data. Now, it is simply a case of importing the DXF file and pressing cycle start.
“I’ve gone from what could have taken a couple of hours, down to a matter of minutes to start machining,” says Duffield.
One of the key new features of the RMX ProtoTRAK control for XYZ’s bed mills is adaptive material removal, which calculates the optimum tool path for the machining of pockets or ‘area clearance’. The savings can cut hours from cycle times, improve surface quality and improve tool life. For Classic Components, this feature has cut the cycle time on one particular part, a development of a toilet flush unit for an upmarket bathroom manufacturer, by 50%.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com