Mills CNC (
www.millscnc.co.uk) has installed a Doosan three-axis vertical machining centre at the Northern Ireland Advanced Composite & Engineering Centre (NIACE) in Belfast.
The DNM 400 II, which features a Siemens 828 control and the ShopMill conversational programming system, is being used to teach best-practice CNC programming plus the machining of exotic materials and hard metals, including
titanium, titanium alloys and Inconel.
This installation is the result of a partnership between industry, government agencies such as Invest NI and R&D organisations to create a training ‘centre of excellence’ — intended to raise Northern Ireland’s engineering skills base and help its companies to secure high-value global manufacturing contracts. Centre manager Scott King said: “Advanced CNC machine tools, cutting tools and the requisite work-holding equipment can be prohibitive for a single
company to purchase.
“NIACE and its partners are keen to support the advanced engineering sector by placing a unique training resource at the centre that the participants can use, while also offering support, advice and guidance.”
Martin Blakely, business manager at Mills CNC, said: “We are delighted that NIACE, Seco Tools, Metalweb and Invest NI share our vision of enhancing skills. There is no dedicated training academy for CNC machining in Northern Ireland, so we are delighted that Invest NI has provided the funding for this first round of training.”