Warwickshire-based Birds Precision Engineering has invested in a large-capacity Fanuc-controlled Doosan DNM 6700XL three-axis vertical machining centre (VMC) supplied by Mills CNC (www.millscnc.co.uk), the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland.

The new machine was installed in Birds Precision’s 3,000ft² facility in Nuneaton in September and is currently being used to machine complex prismatic parts for a long-established customer.

The components — base castings and guideways for special-purpose machines — are made from cast iron and steel, are 1.2m long x 640mm wide and weigh up to 500kg.

They are machined in small batches (typically one-offs through to five- or six-offs) to exacting dimensional
tolerances (0.01mm) and surface finishes (Ra 1.6μm).

Birds Precision supplies the parts direct to the customer and, according to owner and managing director, Chris Bird, “they have to be right first time . . . every time.”

He added: “To maintain our preferred-partner status with existing customers and win new business contracts, we made the strategic decision to upgrade our machine tool capacity and capabilities.

"We had been using horizontal jig mill borers to machine these types of parts, and although those machines were still capable of delivering the accuracies required despite their age, it was becoming increasingly difficult to source spare and replacement parts for them.

"We realised that this situation would only become more acute over time, so we decided to search the market for an alternative.”

Staff from Birds Precision visited Mills CNC’s stand at MACH 2018 and saw a number of VMCs being put through their paces.

Machine shop manager Tom Bird said: “Mills CNC has a good reputation in the market, and we liked the Doosan machines we saw on its stand.

“So much so in fact that we invited sales staff from Mills to visit us at our facility to discuss our future requirements.”

It was during these discussions that Birds Precision was alerted to the imminent introduction of the new Doosan DNM 6700XL machine — a VMC with a 2.1m X-axis stroke.

“The technical specifications of thus machine — including its size, rigidity and power — ticked all the right boxes for us.

“We also liked its competitive price and quick availability.

"Furthermore, because the DNM 6700XL is a new machine, we were convinced that it would help differentiate us in the market and a give us a distinct competitive advantage.”