As part of its continued investment strategy, Velden Engineering has just taken delivery of a Nakamura-Tome NTY3-150 twin-spindle, three-turret turning centre from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG). The new addition will produce high-volume components beyond the size capacity of the company’s sliding-head turning centres.

Based in Bolton, Velden says it was the first UK job shop to achieve ISO9001 in 1987 and has since won a multitude of prestigious OEM contracts and awards. In 2012, the manufacturer acquired its first Nakamura-Tome turning centre, a compact WT100 twin-spindle, twin-turret machine.

The relationship with ETG blossomed and, in 2013, the company took delivery of a larger Nakamura-Tome WT150II twin-spindle, twin-turret turning centre with an upper turret Y axis after winning a new contract. Four years later, a second WT150II was planned to service an increase in demand, but with no machines available in European stock at that time, ETG loaned Velden an AS200. As it turns out, the Nakamura AS200 was perfect for certain lower volume projects with its fast set-up and programming. The result was Velden taking delivery of the second WT150II and purchasing the AS200 that had been loaned.

As part of its continuous improvement strategy, the company replaced its oldest Nakamura, the first WT100 machine that arrived almost a decade ago, with a brand new WT150II which arrived in November. The new Nakamura-Tome NTY3-150 has since followed.

“As three-turret machine, all with Y axes, the Nakamura NTY3-150 machine opens up a greater opportunity to do even more simultaneous machining,” explains Lee Valentine, plant manager at Velden. “On one specific part that we’ve transferred to the NTY3-150, we have seen a reduced cycle time of 40%.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com