The total number of Doosan machines — lathes and turning centres, as well as vertical and horizontal machining centres — at Bindon Engineering now stands at 19, after the 70-employee Dorset-based company invested in a Puma 3100Y lathe supplied by Mills CNC Ltd, Leamington Spa (
www.millscnc.co.uk).
Installed in March at Bindon’s Poole facility, the Puma is being used to machine a range of complex high-precision parts; these include valves and actuators for the oil and gas sector, plus specialist components used in hydraulic crimping machines.
The new 12in chuck/102mm bar-capacity Puma 3100Y, which has an 830mm bed length and 420mm turning diameter, is equipped with a high-torque 30kW 3,000rev/min spindle designed for heavy-duty machining. Its versatility is enhanced by its 5.5kW 5,000rev/min driven-tool capability and ±65mm Y axis.
John Lawrence, Bindon’s owner and co-founder, formed the company with business partner John Rees in 1966. He says: “Although we were effectively a two-man band operating from a shed with a couple of centre lathes at the outset, we decided that we were in this business for the long haul. We recognised that customer service was critical to us growing the business, and we focused on providing high-quality competitively priced machined parts that were delivered on time — every time. To achieve this, we knew we would have to invest in the latest manufacturing technologies and create relationships with suppliers — like Mills CNC — that understood our business.”
Commenting on his latest machine purchase, Mr Lawrence says: “The Puma 3100 is a large-capacity rigidly built lathe that gives us additional machining capacity and manufacturing flexibility. The machine’s Y-axis functionality and its live tooling mean that parts can be machined to completion in fewer set-ups or without the need to transfer them between machines, enabling us to schedule work much more efficiently and effectively.”