Pembroke Engineering is first Haas UMC-750 taker in UK

The Basildon-based subcontractor to the aerospace, medical, motorsport industries, as well as other sectors, has added the machine to its existing stock of 10 other Haas lathes and mills. Company owner Allan Brodie explains: "We have a couple of Haas VF-4s and a VF-4SSs, all with fourth-axis rotaries. The work envelope is large enough to run multiple parts – or different parts – on the table in a single set-up, so we can knock the run times down. That saves us production time in the machine shop, and also those all important delivery times are cut, so it works out very well. "With a 5-axis machine, there is obviously less set-up time, and less load time. You not only gain 'one process/one-piece' flow, but also the time the operator has to load the piece for each surface operation. When I saw the UMC-750, I knew it was going to be good. The 12,000 rpm spindle and 40-tool side-mount changer, together with through spindle coolant, made it the perfect machine for us." The UMC-750 is currently alternating between cutting two batches for two separate customers at the 16-employee firm. The first is a run of aluminium extrusions to house linear drive motors. The second is producing aluminium parts for Swing Plane Perfectors, which are used by golf pros to dial in an accurate and repeatable swing. Adds Mr Brodie: "The cycle time for the Perfector part was a respectable 13 minutes on our VF-4SS with rotary table. However, we've managed to reduce the cycle time down to 11 minutes, thanks to the new UMC 5-axis. Over a batch of 1,000 parts, those 2 minutes per part add up to approaching a week in total time saved. "I've been buying Haas machines since 1997 and I know you can't do any better than the cost and specifications of the US-built machines. They are accurate and reliable, and the standard feature list is great. "I made a conscious decision to use only Haas machine tools. It gives us standardisation. Each of our operators is familiar with the Haas control, so they can move around the machines. The control is genuinely user-friendly and integrates seamlessly with our Alphacam software. Having one common control that works the same on every machine keeps it simple. If we had four or five brands of machines, each with different controls, it would create some pretty major headaches. Haas has got us to where we are, without the pain in the neck." Concludes Mr Brodie: "We now have lots of opportunities that didn't exist before we bought the machines. We can cut much larger and intricate parts, for example. In an age of industry consolidation, where not so many suppliers are required, as well as the constant threat posed by offshoring, the Haas technology is helping to ensure we remain competitive."