Broadbent Stanley heads for Scotland

In the past they had tried other brands of machine but never without problems, usually relating to rigidity, reliability or after sales support. On this occasion VCL chose a Broadbent Stanley PA 45 by 3,000 mm manual machine. Broadbent Stanley's managing director, Graham Thomas takes up the story: "We have supplied machines to VCL in the past and they initially came to us for a CNC machine as around 90 per cent of their work was to produce high precision large diameter threads in valve bodies with minimal operator intervention. Not only did they need to machine threads in new components but required the potential to pick up and re-cut existing threads during refurbishment of customers' valve bodies. In addition they needed a long reach boring bar due to the accessibility and depth of some of the threads. "We advised them of our patented semi-automatic threading cycle option on our PA series manual machines, suggesting there would be major savings by going manual rather than investing in a CNC machine." Tests were duly carried out following the in-house manufacture of a special long reach boring bar and holder, with a thread machined complete, exactly to specification with a time saving over the customer's existing method of some 60 per cent. Mr Thomas concludes: "We are an application led company so when a potential customer comes to us we always ask for details of the components to be machined rather than just quote against a paper requirement. Of course it does have it's downside as the fully kitted machine supplied to VCL was about half the cost of its CNC sister, but it has always been our philosophy to be open and up-front with our customers and that will never change."