Based in Shepshed, Winbro Group Technologies (WGT) designs and manufactures high-technology machine systems that produce holes and forms in components used in ‘the most demanding parts of aero and industrial gas turbines’, as well as in high-precision applications in the semiconductor, fuel cell and medical industries.

The group’s non-conventional machining processes include high-speed EDM drilling, along with laser-based drilling, cutting, ablation and welding — plus creep-feed grinding and electro-chemical machining (ECM). Furthermore, in 2007 Winbro Advanced Machining (WAM) was launched to provide a wide range of machining capabilities that can be used to manufacture customers’ components.

Given the nature of the industries served by Winbro, the quality of its products and services are of paramount importance, a requirement that sees regular investment in its staff’s skills and in advanced inspection equipment, which recently included a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex V CNC CMM from Andover-based Mitutoyo (UK) Ltd.

Explaining the purchase and use of the group’s CMMs, Alan Duffield — Winbro Group’s business development manager — said: “We pride ourselves in being at the forefront of machine and process development, offering a comprehensive range of systems and technologies that deliver the performance and precision demanded by global industry.

“To ensure the continued premium quality of our technologies we use a range of advanced inspection equipment, which includes our collection of Mitutoyo CMMs — three Crysta-Apex S574 models and our recently installed Crysta-Apex V CNC CMM, which has a work envelope of 500 x 700 x 400mm.

“Following a trouble-free installation and operator training, our new Mitutoyo CMM is now making a major contribution to our quality control work. In addition to accurately measuring one-off parts, our operators can load multiple parts onto the new CMM, recall pre-written programs and instigate fast, fully-automatic CNC inspection routines; and as well as providing the levels of precision that we need, the speed of inspection and flexibility of our Crysta-Apex V CMM has increased our inspection efficiency levels.”

Winbro’s new CNC CMM is situated within a production environment, a location facilitated by the fact that all Crysta-Apex V models use a real-time temperature compensation system that guarantees accuracy under temperature conditions of 16-26°C. The system measures the temperature of the workpiece and that of the measuring machine, then calculates what the measurement value would be at 20°C, before outputting the value as the precise measurement result.