Northamptonshire-based Scot Bennett Engineering, which produces precision CNC-machined parts and components in small or large batches, has notched up record sales this year and capped a record £350,000 investment with the installation of a second Nakamura AS200LMYS to help meet a 16% increase in demand.

Supplied by the Engineering Technology Group (ETG — www.engtechgroup.com), this single-turret twin-spindle machine (with live tooling at 15 stations) will reduce cycle times by up to 25%, as well as eliminating the need for secondary operations on more than 40 different product lines.

The new machine gives the company extra capacity with its wide range of milling work, which includes after-market motorcycle absorbers for an export customer.

Rob Bennett, who took over the business from his father in 2010, said: “The Nakamura is a high-quality machine delivering the precision performance, speed and flexibility that we need.

“We already have an AS200 on the shopfloor and know what it can give you.

“This second machine will give us extra milling capacity, and we have made sure that it has been configured exactly the same, with identical work-holding and software.

“This has removed the need for any extra training, while also speeding up the install process. ETG is a long-standing supplier, and the service we received was — as always — second to none.”

Jon Mannion, ETG’s regional sales manager, said: “Nakamura is a very popular choice for sub-contact machinists, and it’s not difficult to see why.

"The ability to mill and turn on the same machine, with live tooling delivering speeds up to 6,000rev/min, is a real game-changer for firms that want speed and the ability to manufacture complex components.

"It’s great to supply Scot Bennett with this technology, just three years on from its first purchase with us.

"We’ve put our industry-leading maintenance, service and repair package in place on this machine to ensure minimal down-time for a customer that is growing fast.”