Halifax-based Ernest Gill Manufacturing (www.ernestgill.co.uk) was formed in 1945 and is now a 70-strong company with two core activities.

In addition to producing a range of office furniture for sister company Emergent Crown, it provides a fabrication service for the office furniture, heating, lighting and point-of-sale display industries.

The company has followed its recent acquisition of a TruBend 5130X CNC press brake (www.uk.trumpf.com) with the purchase of an automated TruPunch 3000 CNC punch press. Both machines feature Trumpf tooling and TruTops software.

Company manager Simon Gill says: “We acquired the TruPunch 3000 for a couple of reasons. Firstly, our automated Trumpf 3530 laser cutting machine was up to capacity; secondly, our existing punching machine was past its
best. We had seen the advantages of automated load/unload on our Trumpf laser cutter, and we wanted the new punching machine to offer the same.

“The TruPunch 3000 features Trumpf SheetMaster load/unload automation with integrated tool changer and duplex cart system, which enables us to leave it running unmanned overnight. On the first night, it ran from 20.00 until 06.00 the next morning without stopping, producing a job that took 58hr using our previous punching machine.

“Furthermore, one of the small MultiTools recorded 250,000 hits on that night alone, which shows just how hard the machine worked.”