Dugard is key to success for subcontractor

As a general subcontract manufacturer, Cannock-based Key Precision attended the Southern Manufacturing exhibition earlier this year to investigate new technology that could help drive the business forward. The company found the Dugard stand and the Hanwha range of sliding-head turning centres, and an order soon followed.

The subcontract manufacturing company showed a particular interest in the Dugard Hanwha XD38I, a robust sliding-head machine with a bar capacity that is particularly large for the machine’s footprint.

Greg Jackson, engineering and quality director at Key Precision, says: “We were looking to expand our turning capacity by purchasing something with the flexibility of a sliding-head machine, but the capability of a fixed-head model. It was the relatively small footprint for the size of machine that attracted us to the Hanwha XD381, and the size of bar that we could accommodate.”

Looking at the type of parts the company is manufacturing on its new Dugard Hanwha XD38II sliding-head turning centre, Jackson adds: “At the moment we’re machining parts of over 35 mm diameter, but we’re a typical subcontractor, so we make components for cars, planes, trains and, at present, quite a lot for the agricultural industry. This involves machining harder steels such as EN19 and EN24.”

The rigidity of the new machine is already creating savings at Key Precision.

“We’ve seen tool life savings of 25-35% using the Hanwha XD38II when we produce parts that we’ve cut many times before on other machines,” states Jackson.

Concluding on the installation, he says: “The machine has been working for six full weeks, running day and night and even over the weekends. It hasn’t missed a beat.”
For further information www.dugard.com