Expanding ambitions

Qualiturn Products employs 20 turn-mill lathes, used as single-cycle production centres, with the very latest additions being an ABX-51SY high specification, fixed-head turning centre with a 51 mm bar capacity and a further 32 mm sliding-head machine. While some work passing through the twin-bay 1,800 ft2 machine shop in Hertfordshire is based on long-running contracts or scheduled call-off business involving typical batches of between 800 and 1,300 parts, the company is totally geared up to respond to customers requiring a short batch, fast-track service – often having to accommodate last-minute orders for quantities of less than 10 parts. Until October 2010, Qualiturn had 16 CNC sliding-head and two Miyano BNJ fixed-head turn-mill centres, which gave a maximum capacity of 42 mm bar size. Reacting to a shift in the market from customers requesting similar or even more complex components, but of a larger size, where his firm's existing skill base could be put to greater use, Nick Groom, managing director, added another Miyano, this time a 51 mm bar diameter ABX-51SY, plus a further 32 mm sliding-head machine. Having two Miyano BNJ 42SY fixed-head machines already – which have provided a sterling capability meeting the demands of the quick turnaround service meant Mr Groom did not entertain investigating other machine suppliers for a fixed-head larger capacity turn-mill centre. "When we made the decision to enlarge our capacity, the Miyano ABX-51SY totally fitted the bill," he said. "My setters drive this business – they are totally familiar with the flexibility we can obtain from the Miyano machine for programming. We know the level of quality and consistency we can achieve; we have the tooling and have a good relationship with Citizen Machinery UK (01923 691500) for any service and support." Image: Qualiturn has installed a Miyano ABX-51SY high specification, fixed-head turning centre with a 51 mm bar capacity TYPICAL EXAMPLE Typical of the small batch challenge that the Miyano ABX-51SY was able to support was a 10 part order for an American aerospace customer requiring instrument housings. Said Mr Groom: "The part was made from HE30 aluminium and was basically a high precision, fine wall tube 50 mm dia by 56 mm long, but with just a 0.6 mm wall thickness. At one end of the tube were a series of very fine grooves requiring a delicate touch from the machine and there were four holes equi-spaced around the OD. "On the Miyano, it was a very straightforward task using the main and sub-spindle to produce each part in a single cycle. However, it was not just a walk in the park, as we only had eight working days to produce the batch, which included an anodised finish provided by an outside contractor and delivery!" He describes unusual projects already run on the ABX, such as replicas of a World War 1 hand grenade which was produced as a reverse engineering exercise. Once again, single cycles were used to machine the hand grip, with six longitudinal milled vee slots crossed by 10 radial grooves, the machining of external lugs, broached internal slots and profile turning of the outer hand grip. With the same project, Qualiturn had to produce a special 16 open-bladed brass impeller some 30 mm diameter with a scroll cam form on an end face involving interpolated milling cycles. "These parts were mostly programmed at the control, but, on very difficult parts, we use our OneCNC CADCAM system, and cut and paste into the main program," Mr Groom offers. PEG Precision Engineering & Fabrication, having recently moved to new premises in Plympton, near Plymouth, Devon, has installed an additional XYZ ProtoTrak lathe (01823 674200) to support the further development of its apprentices. A former PEG apprentice himself, managing director and now owner John Bailey is a firm believer in the apprenticeship system as a way of bringing skills into the business, and PEG Precision currently has two apprentices, one training as a welder/fabricator and the other as a machinist. Now in his second year with the company, apprentice machinist Anthony Harper had been shown how to use an existing XYZ ProTURN SLX 425 CNC/manual lathe, but was actually working most of the time on a manual lathe. This restricted the type of work he could be given and it was while visiting XYZ Machine Tool's Burlescombe HQ that John Bailey decided to invest in a smaller 7.5 hp/50-4000 rpm ProTURN SLX CNC/manual lathe. "Our XYZ machines are all CNC/manual, rather than full-CNC, as this fits the type of work we do, which is not all long production runs. Our operators are highly skilled people who write their own programs, set the machines up and take responsibility for the quality of the components they produce. "Looking to the longer term, I want our apprentices to learn these skills and the right way of doing things, so Anthony now has a new machine, equipped with the latest ProtoTRAK SLX control, which is a good system to introduce someone to the intricacies of CNC machining." The ProtoTRAK SLX control can be programmed easily, without any specific coding knowledge being required, while standard features of the 1,000 mm between centres ProTURN 355 include constant surface speed (for optimum surface finish) and TRAKing, which allows the operator to execute a program by winding the apron-mounted handwheels. Image: PEG Precision chose an XYZ ProtoTRAK lathe to introduce its apprentice to CNC LASER-PUNCH COMBINATION Kidderminster-based Beakbane, the UK's leading manufacturer of bellows and machinery protection systems, has invested £500,000 in a new TruMatic 6000 high performance CNC punch-laser combination machine from Trumpf (01582 725335). Purchased as part of its ongoing investment programme, the new machine will ensure high accuracy, consistency and reliability of component production. Furthermore, the large format (3,050 by 1,550 mm) set-up will provide for improved material utilisation at a time when steel prices are at a premium, thereby enabling efficiency gains through a reduction in waste. "The acquisition of this machine completes a major investment programme during the past four years to improve the company's metalcutting, punching and folding capabilities," says manufacturing manager Roy Legg. "The investment has been targeted to maintain Beakbane's position as the European leader in the design and manufacture of machinery protection systems." Due to be installed in June this year, the increase in capacity and efficiency provided by the investment is seen as necessary by Beakbane, in order to offer existing and new customers a high quality, accurate and cost-effective manufacturing capability. "If you take the strengths of the punch, in terms of accurately forming material, coupled with the speed of punching holes, and you take a part that has sweeping contours and irregular shapes where smooth edges without burrs is important; and you then put those two types of geometry into one part – that's the perfect combination machine component," says Mr Legg. The Trumpf TruMatic 6000 is based on an open C-frame design that is able to process sheet up to 8 mm thick. Intelligent punching, a wear-free ram guidance system and 360° tool rotation are combined with a choice of three lasers (2, 2.7 or 3.2 kW) and simultaneous (XY) cutting speeds of 108 m/min for optimum efficiency. Among the many innovative features of the TruMatic 6000 is Adaptive Stroke Calibration, which automatically monitors and corrects, in real time, the depth of forming, regardless of material thickness variations, ensuring perfect parts from the first to the last piece. Image: The Trumpf TruMatic 6000 is based on an open C-frame design that is able to process sheet up to 8 mm thick First published in Machinery, June 2011