Mills CNCrecently supplied Bronte Precision Engineering, a Bradford-based precision subcontract specialist, with a new heavy-duty three-axis vertical machining centre.The machine, a box guideway Mynx 6500/50 II manufactured by DN Solutions, replaced an older Daewoo Mynx 540 machining centre supplied to Bronte by Mills CNC in 2004.

Since its installation, the Mynx 6500/50 II with FANUC 0iMP control and gearbox-driven 6000rpm (BT 50) high-torque spindle has been put through its paces machining a range of high-precision complex components. These parts include valve-type components (for subsea applications) made from Inconel castings for a long-standing customer and manufacturer of industrial pumps.

Programmed offline and machined in small batches, the pump valve components are approximately 400 x 300mm in size, involve long and intensive roughing and finishing operations, and are characterised by their tight tolerances and stringent surface finishes. Cycle times with the new Mynx 6500/50 II are significantly faster (up to 50%) than those achieved using the Mynx 540, vindicating the new machine acquisition.

Says Bronte Precision director Steven Haigh:“The Mynx 6500/50 II is a powerful, accurate and flexible machining centre that, in just a few short weeks, has proved its worth. Its rigidity, box guideway construction and BT 50 spindle with through-spindle-coolant capability has enabled us to improve our productivity and process efficiencies.The ability to ramp up speeds and feeds and take more aggressive depths of cut have shortened cycle times.”

He adds: “The machine is still being ‘bedded-in’ so to speak, but I’m confident that once we’re more familiar with its onboard technologies, we’ll hit tolerances of ±0.03mm on selected features.”

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