Larkhall-based Gilmour Tools, an independently owned cutting-tool manufacturer, has added to its range of Ewag insert grinders with the purchase of a Compact Line insert-grinding machine.

Supplied by Walter Ewag UK (www.walter-machines.com/en), a member of the United Grinding Group, the new machine complements five other Ewag insert grinders (Ewamatic models) and has been installed primarily to produce threading-type inserts for the oil and gas sector.

According to managing director Gary Gilmour (www.gilmourtools.co.uk), the new 5.5kW 7,000rev/min machine is ideally suited to such work, offering very fast and accurate machining of inserts. Its production capacity is allowing the company to meet increasing order demands.

The machine’s ‘three-in-one’ dressing unit is considered especially useful, since it ensures grinding-wheel concentricity and high process reproducibility, plus it offers wheel dressing, regeneration and ‘crushing’ in a single package.

Gilmour Tools specialises in the production of a range of carbide inserts for all oil threads to many complex shapes in a variety of materials, alongside the production of tool-holders and blades.

Established in 1976, the company has customers in the aerospace, automotive and general engineering sectors, as well as oil and gas.

The Compact Line was purchased to deal with the company’s rising order book, particularly orders from clients in the oil and gas sector.

There has been complementary investment in new EDM equipment, additional machine operators and two-shift working.