The recent triggering of Article 50 formalising the two-year process for the UK to leave the European Union led some economic experts to predict a slowdown in growth and a general contraction within the manufacturing sector.

Others, fuelled by the fall in the value of sterling and its positive impact on exports, have been more bullish and are confident that UK manufacturing is more resilient than was previously thought.

With conflicting views of what ‘could happen’ in the future, some UK companies are not waiting and ‘hoping for the best’, but investing in their manufacturing plant, equipment, processes, systems and people — and strengthening their supply-chain relationships to make themselves better prepared for a post-Brexit future.

One such company is the sub-contract machining specialist Aerotech Precision Manufacturing — a Poole-based company that in October last year bought a high-performance Doosan VCF 850LSR five-axis machining centre from Mills CNC Ltd, Leamington Spa (www.millscnc.co.uk).

Established in 1990, Aerotech manufactures complex components and assemblies for the aerospace, defence, medical-device, nuclear and oil and gas sectors, as well as parts for special-purpose machines and equipment for the processing and packaging industries.

A significant proportion of the company’s work is in highly regulated markets, which is why it has invested heavily to gain the appropriate accreditations — including AS 9100 (Rev C), ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and Fit4Nuclear.

An emphasis on quality, short lead times and cost competitiveness was behind Aerotech’s recent investment in the Doosan VCF 850LSR, as business development manager Aaron Houston explains: “We operate in highly competitive global markets and simply cannot afford to ‘stand still’.

“As a consequence, we regularly audit and review our engineering and technical capacity and capabilities, benchmarking where we are against where we need to be. If there’s a disconnect between the two, we make strategic investments in the latest technology to bridge the gap.”

Following one such benchmarking exercise, Aerotech decided to replace one of its large-capacity three-axis machines with a new high-specification five-axis machining centre, the aim being to reduce both set-up times and cycle times via one-hit machining.

Company director Allan Redfern says: “Although we decided on the five-axis machine tool route, there are so many different designs available that we made sure we gave ourselves time to investigate the market and select the right machine for our requirements.”

The sectors served, materials used and complexity of components machined by Aerotech narrowed the choice down to a large-capacity ultra-versatile five-axis machine with a Heidenhain control and a high-efficiency swarf management system.

The machine also needed to offer excellent cutting performance in both roughing and finishing, while allowing Aero-tech to produce parts using three-axis, 4 + 1 and full five-axis simultaneous machining.

Mr Redfern says: “We had previously bought a Doosan Puma 480L lathe from Mills CNC in 2013, so as part of our five-axis machine tool selection process, we attended Mills’ ‘Groundbreaking Technology’ Open House in autumn 2015; we also visited the company’s stand at MACH 2016.”

A large-capacity moving-column machine, the VCF 850LSR has a work envelope of 3,000 x 850 x 800mm, a ±110 deg B-axis built-in ‘swivelling head’ milling spindle (32kW/12,000 rev/min), and an 800mm-diameter rotary table integrated into the machine’s 3,500 x 870mm bed.

Also featured are LM linear guideways, a 60-position servo-driven chain-type ATC, a BIG Plus face and taper tool/spindle interface and cooling systems for a number of machine elements — including the spindle, ballscrews and their housings — to minimise thermal displacement during long production runs.

“One of the components being machined on the Doosan is used in remotely operated underwater vehicles that are used in the detection, assessment and destruction of sea mines.

“It is made from aerospace-grade aluminium alloy and machined from solid. The first operation is undertaken on a lathe, followed by rough and finish machining — to an Ra 0.4µm surface finish — on the VCF 850LSR. Since machining these parts on the new Doosan machine, cycle times have been reduced dramatically.

“When visitors see the VCF 850LSR up close and in action, they are impressed. The machine gives them the confidence that Aerotech can achieve the part quality and lead times they need.”