Programming XYZ as easy as ABC for subcontractor CJ Engineering

The machine's ProtoTRAK SLX control is intuitive to use, with 'plain English' prompts contributing to reduced set-up times in one-off and low volume applications. Reflecting its location in one of the UK's major agricultural areas, the company has extensive experience of machining replacement parts for agricultural machinery in abrasion-resistant Hardox. Demand from the agricultural sector tends to be seasonal, so CJ Engineering applies its expertise with difficult-to-machine materials such as Hastelloy and Inconel to the precision machining of aerospace-related components and other equally demanding applications. It also tackles less demanding challenges involving the milling and turning of aluminium, mild and stainless steels, and plastics. CJ Engineering currently has eleven XYZ machine tools, including two vertical machining centres equipped with Siemens ShopMill conversational CNCs. These controls, like ProtoTRAK, can be programmed easily without any specific coding knowledge being required, which is one of the reasons why CNC programming at CJ Engineering is carried out at the machine rather than off-line. "Even if I could justify employing a full-time CNC programmer I prefer not to, as all the machining knowledge we need is out there on the shopfloor. If all that was required of people here was simply to run a CNC machine, life would be pretty boring. I wouldn't want to do that and I don't expect others to do it either," said one of CJ Engineering's owners, Kevin Locke (pictured, left, with his brother Nigel, right).