Reading-based precision engineering company Duckworth & Kent
www.duckworth-and-kent.com, which specialises in the low- to medium-volume production of complex components in difficult-to-machine materials, has bought a DMU 50 vertical machining centre from Coventry-based DMG Mori Seiki UK Ltd (
www.dmgmori.com) to strengthen its five-axis machining capability.
This machine is the first on site capable of interpolative machining in all five axes simultaneously, although to date it has been used exclusively for three-axis work with the rotary CNC axes positioned and clamped (a move to full five-axis machining is planned for this year).
Until the DMU 50 was installed, Duckworth & Kent relied on its multi-axis prismatic metal cutting on a number of four-axis vertical-spindle machines and a three-axis machine that was retrofitted in 2010 with a two-axis table capable of performing 3+2-axis work.
Managing director Terry Gleeson said: “As soon as we started using the five-axis machine, it started to attract work and was quickly operating at full capacity. We tried to put on as many jobs as possible to save on fixture costs, which for smaller batches could be the same as the cost of producing the parts.
“We now use generic work-holding systems like Lang vices and System 3R pallet chucks, without the need for any bespoke fixtures. Components are machined in a single cycle that previously needed to be re-positioned once or twice, thereby saving set-up time and increasing productivity — and allowing us to quote more-competitive prices and win more work.”
Early success using five-axis technology led the sub-contractor to invest in a fully fledged five-axis machine, and a review of the market identified two top-end machines of the right size that were within budget.
The DMU 50 was selected largely because the DMU’s -5 to +110deg swivelling rotary table has a larger clamping area than tables on equivalent trunnion-type five-axis machines, on which the trunnion pivots and drives take up a lot of space.
The versatility of the machine has resulted in work queuing for the DMU 50. It is the most accurate machine currently on the shopfloor in Reading, easily able to hold ±5µm tolerance, thanks in part to the optional linear scales fitted to the X, Y and Z axes.