The facility now sports a brand new DMG Mori NVX 5080 milling machine (working area: 800 by 530 by 510 mm) and Mazak Quick Turn Smart 350 lathe. They complement an older 5-axis twin-pallet Mazak Variaxis 730-5x II.
In the seminar room, sales director David Jones explained the context for the new machines: “Engineering is a very important part of what we do now. We have a project engineering team and a product engineering team, all time-served. What we do now is all about continuous improvement.” The facility employs 96 people in product and project engineering, and process development. He added: “All of the machines we’ve purchased are for the use of our customers; they’re not just there for us to make swarf. They’re for testing and improving processes. In the past we’ve done batch production and first-off, pass-off and inspection.”
He stressed that the company now adopts a collaboration model, bringing in other suppliers of machine tools, software and workholding to provide an entire solution to customers looking for help with metalcutting challenges.
New DMG Mori milling machine
A popular demonstration on the new lathe was dry turning on EN24T alloy bar using the GrooveTurn insert (speed: 180 m/min; feed: 0.77 mm/rev) and subsequent grooving (speed: 180 m/min; feed: 0.25 mm/rev, to 15 mm depth), using the DoveIQTurn heavy duty line of inserts with scalloped edge.
Sample of dry grooving in EN24T on new Mazak Quick Turn 350
Also new on site is a dedicated tool presetting area, said Jones: “Our market is developing in such a way that we are now supplying fully-assembled pre-set tooling for turnkey projects. It’s not just about ‘Here’s a packet of inserts, here’s a toolholder, here’s a spindle tool, here’s a pull stud.’ We’re now doing full assemblies, fully assembled, measured, labelled, ready to go into the machine tools when we take them on site.” This facility features a Kelch tool presetter; another is available for use in the customer area. It is adjacent to an area supporting the company's Matrix tool vending machine systems that allow tool supply 24 hours a day.
New tool presetting area featuring Kelch equipment
Highlights of the wide range of turning, milling and drilling tools on show include the SumoCham, CombiCam and CamIQ steel drills; all take a formed carbide insert at the tip. Milling inserts shown include the double-sided, four-edged HighQLine IQ 845 with wiper for finish cuts, six-edged HM690 shoulder mill; the 16-edge HeliOcto facemill cutter; HeliDo button insert for mould countours; 2-sided HeliAlu high speed milling inserts; and the IQ Intelligent Machining H606 button profiling tool that includes a straight edge as well as curved edge for contours.
UPDATED 25 January 2016: Cropped DMG Mori picture, reorganised middle of article
