Helical Technology has installed a Nakamura-Tome WT150 from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) at its Lytham St Annes facility in Lancashire.As a manufacturer of valve rotators used in the marine, locomotive, mining, automotive and power generation sectors, the products and assemblies are critical components that demand the utmost precision and quality. To uphold its stringent quality requirements, the family-owned company has embarked on a continuous investment programme to enhance the productivity and performance of its machine shop. The shop produces upwards of 500,000 steel components each year that contribute to the company’s annual output of over 4 million assemblies.

Operations manager Chris Waddington says: “Our investment strategy started with two turning centres from one of the largest and most prestigious brands in the world, but they let us down badly. In 2018, we had a 156mm diameter valve rotator that was required in batches of 150 per month and the machine kept breaking down. Subsequently, in 2019 a smaller 42mm valve rotator was ramping up from 5000 parts a week to 8000 and we needed a turning centre urgently. This leading manufacturer had an available machine, but it also proved a massive let-down.”

With 8000 parts to get out of the door and an unreliable machine, the company owners bought Waddington a Nakamura WT150II, an ex-demo machine that arrived in January 2020.

“The difference was like night and day,” he states.“The cycle times were 5 to 10% faster than the other leading machines we had bought, while tool life improved by 15%.”

The investment was followed by the purchase of a Nakamura-Tome NTY3-100 twin-spindle, triple-turret turning centre in 2021, which instantly took 20-25% out of cycle times. A smaller footprint Nakamura AS200LMSY arrived in June 2022.
For further information www.engtechgroup.com