After winning a prestigious power generation project to turn critical stainless-steel components, sub-contract manufacturer Fairbrother & Grimshaw (Engineering) Ltd recognised that it needed to reconsider its machining strategy to improve cycle times and shopfloor throughput. The answer was a Nakamura-Tome AS200LMYSF turning centre from the Wellesbourne-based Engineering Technology Group (ETG).

Based in Cherry Tree on the outskirts of Blackburn, Fairbrother & Grimshaw has a long-established relationship with ETG that dates back to buying recognised brands for more than a generation, prior to some brands being rolled into the ETG portfolio.

However, the relationship was cemented in 2017, when the company acquired two Quaser MV184 three-axis machining centres with Nikken 4th axis rotary units from ETG.

Neil Grimshaw , Fairbrother & Grimshaw managing director, said: “We needed to replace an ageing Bridgeport machine and after doing our due diligence, we bought the Quaser MV184 from ETG. We liked it so much, we had a second one installed.

“We have found that the quality of machines from ETG is second-to-none, which is equalled by their customer service and support. That is one reason why, when we looked at a new turning centre, despite doing extensive market research, we opted for the Nakamura-Tome.”

The 12-employee Lancashire company had won a long-term contract for 50-off stainless 316 components each month; and the challenging parts required three operations on a turning centre followed by fourth-axis machining on one of the Quaser MV184 machines.

Fairbrother & Grimshaw recognised an opportunity to manufacture the parts with one-hit machining while also acknowledging that if its existing CNC turning centre had a breakdown, completing the monthly order would be problematic.

The Nakamura-Tome AS200LMYSF was considered the perfect machine for the job with its twin-spindle configuration, long bed, milling capability and Y-axis milling that provides a 90% increase in turning length. With a longer Z-axis travel and a Hydrafeed bar feed, the new addition supports the production of complete parts either via its 8in chucking capacity or 65mm automated bar-feeding capacity.

Like four machines in one
The arrival of the Nakamura-Tome AS200LMYSF around the Easter period delivered results immediately. Mr Grimshaw continued: “The Nakamura is like having four machines in one. By using the Y-axis milling and the sub-spindle facility, our parts are coming off the machine in on hit. The benefits are the drastic reduction of set-ups, the elimination of second-ops and an overall cycle time reduction of more than 50%.

“The one-hit machining reduces the manual handling of parts, reduces human intervention and it improves the overall quality and consistency of a batch of parts. We have recently installed a new Axiom Too CMM and the parts coming off the Nakamura are not only high quality with excellent surface finishes, but the dimensions are consistent with zero deviation.”

With nine CNC machining centres and four CNC turning centres, the new Nakamura-Tome AS200LMYSF is bridging the gap between the two departments, permitting more milling work to be completed in a single operation in the turning department.

This is gradually increasing capacity in the milling department as fewer parts require secondary milling operations. Providing examples of this, Neil Grimshaw explained: “While we primarily bought the machine for the power generation part, we are witnessing similar savings on other legacy work we are transferring to the Nakamura.

“For example, we have a regular 1000-off series run of washers for the rail industry that previously took two operations. By transferring this to the Nakamura, we are machining the parts in one-hit, alleviating milling work from our fourth-axis Quaser and reducing our cycle times by more than 30%.”

He added: “Furthermore, with the bar feed facility, we can run the Nakamura unmanned until the batch is completed – saving on labour costs. Likewise, we have a die component for the food industry that is required in volumes of less than 100-off and the two turning operations and three milling operations are now a single operation on the Nakamura.”

The objective is to move more work to the Nakamura-Tome AS200LMYSF, but for Fairbrother & Grimshaw there is no urgency in expediting all its work to the new acquisition. Mr Grimshaw said: “We are moving legacy components onto the Nakamura when the opportunity arises, but as busy machine shop running a three-shift pattern, our shopfloor team have to gradually build their confidence and competence on the machine.

“In this respect, ETG has been absolutely fantastic in supporting our machinists with any queries or issues they may have. Another appealing factor with the new Nakamura-Tome AS200LMYSF is the modern large screen CNC control system. Young engineers want to be using the latest technology and the Nakamura has this in abundance.”

“While we bought the Nakamura-Tome AS200LMYSF for a particular job, we knew it would reap rewards with other components. As that comes to fruition, we are seeing set-ups, cycle times and manual input continually decreasing. Additionally, we are seeing throughput, quality, consistency, surface finishes and even staff motivation improving as a result of the investment.”

Mr Grimshaw concluded: “As our experience with the new machine grows, we have the opportunity to both alleviate the capacity burden from our milling department by completing more milling work on the Nakamura and we now have the capability to look for new types of work.

“We can already see the added potential this machine is giving us to enter new markets and take on more challenging work, this really does offer us some exciting opportunities while making our business even more competitive.”