Established in 1982, Daventry-based Hi-Force is a UK specialist in hydraulic torque wrenches, bolt tensioners, jacks, crimpers and cutters, as well as nut splitters and flange spreaders.

Having previously subcontracted its component production, the company decided in 2008 to open its own machine shop and bring the majority of its metal cutting in-house.

The first machine-tool purchases were a five-axis machining centre and NL3000 lathes from DMG Mori, closely followed in 2010 by an NT 4250 turn-mill centre. Earlier this year the latter machine was replaced by a NTX 3000 seven-axis multi-tasking version. More than 80% of the 20 CNC machine tools on-site are from this supplier.

Chris Dickinson, group operations director, says: “The previous NT 4250 gave us remarkable service, but we thought it prudent to upgrade to the latest model from DMG Mori, which incorporates newer technology, provides greater flexibility and is more economical to run.”

The primary reason for buying the former turn-mill centre was for the production of aluminium housings used by higher torque tools in the Hi-Force product programme. However, the replacement machine is cutting a variety of materials, mainly aluminium but also alloy steels including EN24T and EN30B in an annealed condition. Some 100 tools in the magazine provide flexibility when setting up a new job, as the required cutters are normally already present.
The manufacturer’s relationship with this machine-tool supplier has grown over the years. Equipment from other suppliers has been considered along the way and, indeed, some has been purchased. However, for top-end production plant, Hi-Force has decided to standardise on DMG Mori due to the reliability of its machines and the quality of service.

For further information www.dmgmori.com