Investing in a Quaser MF 630U five-axis VMC was a key factor in North Bucks Machining Ltd working towards its objective of becoming one of the UK’s leaders in the design and manufacture of advanced blow-moulding tools.

Established almost five years ago by Dave and Rose Palmer, the Newport Pagnell-based firm has predominantly concentrated on repairing and refurbishing blow-moulding tools for many of Europe’s leading manufacturers of plastic containers

However, when the company had the opportunity to win a long-term contract to manufacture a range of new tools, it knew there was fierce competition from established home and overseas mould manufacturers.

Director Stewart Palmer says: “We had the skills but not the machining capability. I had extensive experience with five-axis machining from my days in F1; and when I joined the family business two years ago, my first objective was to move towards five-axis working. This contract opportunity was the tipping point for investment.”

Mr Stewart’s previous experience with Bridgeport CNCs resulted in him contacting Southam-based Engineering Technology Group (www.engtechgroup.com), which identified the Quaser VMC as the most suitable machine. “This five-axis machine has a comprehensive contouring capability and a substantial 500mm-diameter table.

"We also opted for a 48-tool capacity, mindful of the complexity of many of the moulds we produce. We also specified Blum touch probing and a Heidenhain control, as this was the one I was most familiar with. On the day it was commissioned, ETG signed it off late morning and we were cutting our first metal by early afternoon.”

The MF630 is a fully simultaneous five-axis VMC with rapids in the X, Y and Z axes of 32, 32 and 16m/min respectively. As standard, it is equipped with a coolant chiller and through-coolant capability; it also features a positional accuracy/repeatability of 0.008/0.004mm and a 12,000rev/min NC40 spindle.

Since securing the first major order, which was for screen wash and oil containers, the North Bucks team has won further orders for a range of containers used for liquid fertilisers. These have a distinctive shape, and the company worked closely with the customer when designing the mould tools’ cooling holes, splits and bolt positions.

Complicating matters is the fact that these products also feature a range of bottle necks — screw in, trigger spray and pouring spouts included — that require the use of interchangeable inserts for the main body mould.