Fife Fabrications opts for Mori Seiki technology, again

The machines are a Mori Seiki NLX2500MC mill-turn centre and a NVX5100 vertical machining centre. The machines will be put to work alongside the company's existing NL2500 and NL3000 lathes. John Penman, sales director at FiFab says: "We are experiencing annual growth rates of 20% in our oil and gas business, driven by the increasing cost of fuel. The 4th axis on the NLX2500MC expands our capability to achieve one-hit machining, which will reduce manufacturing times and increase the accuracy and the overall quality of our products, which will, in turn, help us to grow our market share." Adding more Mori Seiki machines was an easy decision for FiFaba, as John Penman explains: "We have had the NL lathes for some time and the reliability and repeatability has been outstanding. The back-up and service is good and they very rarely breakdown. The Mori Seiki machines have served us well, so it makes sense to stick with them to maintain compatibility in our workshop." And he underlines: "We are a leading edge company producing high technology products and we need leading edge technology to stay competitive in a global market. The continuous improvement of productivity, efficiency and quality is crucial to our success. Mori Seiki works in partnership with us to help us meet our customer's exacting demands. In my opinion you get what you pay for and Mori Seiki provides all round good value. The reliability and build quality of the machines will ensure that they will still be productive in 12-15 year's time." Both the NLX and the NVX have seen new measures taken by Mori Seiki to further reduce the effect of thermal displacement. These include air and oil cooling pipes around the spindle, together with coolant circulation inside the castings to achieve displacements of less than 7 micron on the NVX and 2 micron on the NLX.