Halifax-based Broadbent Stanley (
www.broadbentstanley.co.uk) is expanding its product range after announcing a partnership with Starvision, which is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of large-capacity double-column machining centres.
With X-axis travels up to 36m and Y-axis travels up to 5.7m, the Starvision range covers box-way, linear-guideway, moving-beam, and moving-column machines — plus five-axis variants, that can be equipped with a range of milling heads.
Graham Thomas, Broadbent Stanley’s managing director, said: “The addition of the Starvision range complements our existing range of bridge mills and will open up significant opportunities in the industrial sectors that we serve.
"We have probably had 10 enquiries in the past 12 months for machines of this size, so the appetite for larger machines is there.”
The Starvision range combines Taiwanese manufacturing technology with German design input, due to a technical co-operation agreement with Mönchengladbach-based Monforts.
Mr Thomas added: “What attracted Broadbent Stanley to the Starvision range was the variety of machines to suit a broad range of applications, plus the company’s willingness to adapt existing machines to suit customer needs.”
Two recent examples of the company’s tailor-made approach are: a machine with an 8,000mm table but with the X-axis travel set to 9,000mm to meet special machining requirements; and another with a 3,000mm bed plus a modified column to give a maximum clearance of 2,100mm from the spindle nose to the table.