A DVF 5000 simultaneous five-axis machining centre was recently installed at Dalloway Precision Engineering Ltd

Leading precision sub-contract specialist — Dalloway Precision Engineering Ltd — has invested in two high-performance machines supplied by Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ and Zayer machine tools to UK and Irish component manufacturers.

The machine tools, both DN Solutions’ models, comprise a DVF 5000 simultaneous five-axis vertical machining centre (VMC) and a DNT 2100 8in chuck box guideway lathe. Both Fanuc-controlled, they were installed at the company’s 3,600ft² facility in Lye, near Stourbridge, in June and July 2023 respectively, and as a result have significantly enhanced the sub-contractor’s in-house milling and turning capacity and capabilities.

These new acquisitions, in conjunction with the sub-contractor’s recent relocation to a larger premises at the end of June which has doubled the floorspace available, provides evidence that the family-owned Black Country company’s investment plans and programmes, somewhat curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, are now firmly back on track.

Dalloway Precision is no stranger to investing in advanced machine tools from Mills CNC and, from 2017-2019, purchased three Doosan machines in quick succession — a Lynx 2100 lathe in 2017, a DNM 5700 VMC equipped with a fourth-axis unit in 2018, and a Puma GT 2600 lathe in 2019.

These five machines provide Dalloway Precision with an impressive machining resource that delivers high-quality, right-first-time and competitively-priced machined components to existing customers as well as new customers looking for a proven and reliable machining partner.

Gary Dalloway, Dalloway owner and managing director, said: “We are always looking to improve and regularly invest in new, advanced machine tool technologies to improve our productivity and process efficiencies.”

The investment in the new DVF 5000, a high-performance, simultaneous five-axis VMC and the 8in chuck DNT 2100 box guideway lathe, was made to help the company meet a substantial increase in demand, from one of its existing UK customers, to machine complex, high-precision and critical safety rail track piston arrangements — ultimately destined for the Swedish rail sector.

A long-standing job that, since 2015, had required Dalloway Precision to machine 500 piston parts per year was, as the result of a significant planned preventive maintenance programme due to be implemented from August 2023 by the end-user customer, increased to 1,000 parts per quarter — the contact secured by Dalloway Precision is to machine 24,000 parts over the next six years — 4,000 pistons each year.

Mr Dalloway added: “The increase in demand, notified to us at the start of 2023, meant that we needed to re-evaluate our existing machining methods and processes in order to fulfil the new contract. We simply could not rely on the previous process to machine the increased number of parts, as that would seriously tie-up a significant percentage of our existing machining capacity and would have a negative impact on our ability to meet our other customers’ lead times. As a result, we decided to increase our machining capacity and develop a new, high-efficiency machining process, with five-axis machining at its heart, to cope with the new contract.”

The rail track piston arrangements are made from EN 19 high-quality alloy steel, near-net forgings supplied by a local metal forgings company, and have a number of intricate and high-precision milled and turned features, such as bores and thread forms.

With the previous process, a series of small-angled holes positioned around one end of each of the pistons, were not able to be machined by Dalloway Precision and were sent back to the customer for it to complete along with a number of specific grinding operations.

Mr Dalloway said: “The new process we developed, using a five-axis machining centre, provided the customer with a real ‘added-value’ solution enabling us to machine all features, including the angled holes.”

Although Dalloway Precision is no stranger to multi-axis milling, having previously invested in machining centres with fourth-axis units, the acquisition of a full, simultaneous five-axis machining centre was something new.

Mr Dalloway continued: “As well as being used to machine the pistons, we believed that the investment in a five-axis machine, would improve our productivity and process efficiencies across the board and would be instrumental in us being able to secure more complex work from new and existing customers in the future.”

To strengthen its turning operations, the company, at the same time, also looked at investing in a versatile two-axis box guideway lathe to handle the turned features of the pistons and, more generally, to increase and improve its machining resource. With this in mind, the company approached the market with its plans and requirements. The existing relationship Dalloway Precision had with Mills CNC meant that the Leamington Spa outfit was always going to be one of its first ports of call.

Mr Dalloway explained: “We have a good relationship with Mills CNC and the three machines we acquired from them in the past, since 2017, have proved to be accurate and reliable. Furthermore, we like Mills’ business approach which is always helpful and accommodating and their progressive, customer-focused stocking policy means that when we have placed orders with them in the past — they are fulfilled, almost immediately. As a consequence, it was only natural for us to discuss our future investment plans with them.”

Dalloway Precision placed an order with Mills CNC for a DVF 5000 VMC and a DNT 2100 lathe in April 2023. The DVF 5000 is a popular and proven simultaneous five-axis machining centre and the model supplied to Dalloway precision features a 17kW 12,000rev/min direct-drive spindle and a 60-position automatic tool changer (ATC). The machine also has integrated thermal compensation to ensure high accuracies, even during long machining runs, as well as 40m/min rapids that help ensure fast part processing and reduced cycle times. To improve productivity still further, the machine was supplied with a 20-bar through-spindle-coolant capability and a Renishaw RMP 60 compact spindle probe.

Meanwhile, the DNT 2100 is one model in a new lathe series that was recently introduced into the market by Mills CNC. The 8in chuck box guideway lathe has a rigid design and build and is equipped with a powerful, high-torque 4,500rev/min spindle, a servo-driven, fast indexing 12-station turret and a programmable tailstock.

Mr Dalloway said: “The DVF 5000 and DNT 2100 were installed in the new facility in June and July respectively, and a ‘big shout out’ needs to go to Mills CNC for the quick and seamless relocation of all of our other machines — eight in total — to our new site. The DVF 5000 is currently being used to machine complex fixtures for the piston arrangement and we hope to be in full production in the next week or so.”

Dalloway Precision estimates that the piston contract will take up 50% of its new milling and turning capacity. The company was established in January 2002 by current owner and managing director, Gary Dalloway. In the early days the company was based in Bilston, Wolverhampton, where it operated from a small ‘shared’ premises. It has grown rapidly since then — developing and honing its machining expertise, investing in new technologies and increasing its headcount.

With an emphasis on delivering high-quality, competitively-priced machined components to a range of customers, Dalloway also provides technical consultancy services, including design for manufacture (DfM) and reverse engineering, to UK manufacturers. It has the capacity and capabilities to machine everything from prototypes and pre-production parts through to small-to-medium batch sizes.

Recent contract wins have involved the machining of high-precision, stainless steel rod ends for a number of automotive and motorsport customers; the machining of complex, modular welding fixtures for a luxury car manufacturer; and the machining of intricate packaging solutions for a whisky distillery. The company, through its reverse engineering skills, is also recognised in the industry for its ability to machine cam replacement parts for Wickman multi-spindle, special-purpose machines.

Dalloway Precision, through its commitment to continuous improvement, always has one eye on the future. To ensure growth and overcome skills shortages, the company also operates an in-house apprenticeship programme run in conjunction with local colleges,. Furthermore, to help improve business efficiencies, the company is looking to invest in an ERP system in the near future and is exploring specific industry accreditations and certifications to facilitate its entry into the aerospace and medical sectors.