In 1993, when XYZ Machine Tools introduced the ProtoTrak control system to the UK, it created immediate interest due to its ease of use and plain-English programming system.

This control allowed many small businesses to move away from manual machines and take their first steps into CNC without having to learn a complicated G-code programming language.

After a number of generations, ProtoTrak remains the mainstay of XYZ’s machine portfolio, with over 16,000 lathes and mills fitted with this control installed in the UK.

Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ (www.xyzmachinetools.com), says: “Our ProtoTrak range has been a revelation from the day it was launched, and it has been an extraordinary journey watching customers who had faith in it back when we launched it becoming great companies in their own right, such as AC Engineering Services.”

Based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, AC is a general sub-contractor; like many others, it rarely knows what work it will be asked to do from one week to the next, or what materials it will be asked to machine.

Managing director Dean Coxhead says: “We work for a wide variety of industries, but being based in Derbyshire, we started out with a big reliance on the mining industry.

“As that industry declined, we looked at other sectors; we now have customers in motor-sport, aerospace, pharmaceutical and concrete processing. We can be working in plastic one day and Hastelloy the next, so versatility is the key word for us.”

A long-standing XYZ customer, AC was one of the first companies to see a desk-top demonstration of the original ProtoTrak control back in 1993.

Mr Coxhead says: “I remember that Mr Atherton didn’t have a machine equipped with the control at the time , just a desk-top unit, but what my father and I saw during that demo convinced us that the control could revolutionise how we worked.

“At the time, conventional CNC systems had lots of buttons and a complex programming language; ProtoTrak did away with all of that, making the whole process straightforward. We placed an order and took delivery of what must have been one of the first ProtoTrak-controlled mills in the country.”

That machine is still operational — along with another six ProtoTrak machines (a mix of turret mills, bed mills and lathes) and an XYZ 1020 VMC with Siemens control. That said, the most recent arrival is an SMX 5000 bed mill with the latest-generation SMX ProtoTrak control.

This machine — the largest in the XYZ bed mill range — has a 1,930 x 356mm table that accommodates loads up to 850kg, plus a 5.75kW 5,000rev/min ISO 40 spindle with two speed ranges as standard. It offers a work envelope of 1,524 x 596 x 584mm and 140mm of quill travel.

Mr Coxhead says: “The ProtoTrak control has been perfect for our business and has proved a very cost-effective option for the type of work we undertake and the skills we have available. We are able to transfer people from one machine to another, whether they are using the mills or the lathes, without any issues.

“Apart from the half day of training that I had back in 1993, we haven’t had any other formal training on the control; there hasn’t been any need, it really is that straightforward to use.

“The control has been progressively developed, but the interface and functionality from the operator’s perspective have remained fairly constant — although the capability has moved on considerably.”

The ProtoTrak machines at AC are used for a wide variety of components, ranging from one-offs to batch work; they have even taken on work up to 10m long on occasions.

The move to ProTurn lathes was also taken with larger and longer work in mind — hence the installation of an SLX 425 with a 2m centre distance. AC Engineering Services also has an SLX 425 with a 1.25m centre distance.

When the company was faced with more batch-type work, Mr Coxhead wanted a more-productive machine, albeit one with an easy-to-use control system.

“We needed a vertical machining centre, so the choice of the XYZ 1020 VMC with Siemens 828D ShopMill control was a fairly obvious one. We really liked the conversational programming of the Siemens system, and it seemed like a logical progression from ProtoTrak.

“While we bought this machine to produce batch work in larger volumes, we are still comfortable programming it for one-off and low-volume work, if it is the right job for the machine.”