Mills CNC has recently supplied leading precision sub-contract specialist with three new, high-performance machines

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ (previously Doosan) machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied Leicester-based MJ Engineering Ltd (MJE), a leading precision sub-contract specialist, with three new, high-performance machine tools. All equipped with the latest Fanuc controls, and ordered in February, the machine investment comprises two 6in chuck Lynx 2100LYA compact lathes and a large-capacity DNM 6700 three-axis vertical machining centre.

The machines were all installed at MJE’s modern 7,500ft² manufacturing facility in Market Harborough between April and August, and are currently being used to machine complex, high-precision components for a number of UK and international customers operating in a range of sectors including motorsport, oil and gas and aerospace.

David Simpkin, MJE managing director, said: “This investment enables us to provide customers with high-quality, competitively priced machined components delivered on time, every time. Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, we regularly invested in new, advanced machine tools and ancillary technologies.”

Since 2012, when MJE first relocated to its current premises, the company has invested in 12 new DN Solutions’ machines — some to replace older machines, others to provide additional capacity. A common theme running through its most recent investments is a focus on multi-tasking machine tools which has enabled the company to improve its productivity and process efficiencies by machining precision parts to completion in fewer set ups with reduced labour and fixturing costs.

Mr Simpkin continued: “Our two new Lynx 2100LYA are equipped with integrated Y-axes. This, in addition to many of our lathes having bar feeders, has resulted in us becoming more productive and better able to meet the stringent lead time requirements demanded by our motorsport and oil and gas customers.”

The same emphasis on multi-tasking capabilities is evident with its machining centres. The new DNM 6700 and a DNM 650 II, purchased back in 2015, both have multi-axis capabilities achieved via the use and interchange of a 4th-axis unit.

Mr Simpkin explained: “DN Solutions’ lathes and machining centres are technically excellent, high-performance machines which are reliable represent good value. Our experience with Doosan machines supplied by Mills CNC meant that when we decided to invest in new machines at the start of the year, we naturally approached Mills to discuss our requirements.”

Making it through the pandemic
However, like many UK component manufacturers, the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 and subsequent lockdown restrictions, had an impact on the business and, in particular, on its F1 customers; the upshot being the postponement and cancellation of a number of races plus a significant scaling back of motorsport teams’ R&D activities and their sub-contract machining requirements. Mr Simpkin said: “It did have an impact on us as we work with many F1 teams. However, owing to a number of factors, Covid-19 didn’t hit us as hard as it did many other manufacturers.”

Like many companies, the business responded positively to the national Ventilator Challenge which was announced by the Government in March 2020. During an eight-week period, from April to June, the company was contracted to machine, in large volumes, high-precision ventilator components made primarily from PTFE (a low friction fluoropolymer) and aluminium. To achieve the volumes required, the firm’s four Lynx lathes, integrated with bar feeders, were running 24/7.

Mr Simpkin added: “It was a tall order but we were up to the task. The temporary postponement of our motorsport business meant we had the capacity available, and our in-house turning technology and unrivalled machining expertise of our staff enabled us to complete the contract.”

In response to Covid-19, an existing customer involved in the manufacture and supply of oxygen cylinders, significantly ramped up its production requirements from 2,000 to 12,000 parts per month.

Mr Simpkin continued: “The increase in demand from this long-established customer was unexpected but, with the additional capacity freed-up by the disruption to our motorsport business, we were able to machine the parts, in the volumes required, on one of our Lynx 220LM chucking lathes.”

Being declared ‘essential and protected’, the oil and gas industry was not subject to the same restrictions as many other sectors. As a recognised ‘specialist’ precision sub-contractor with years of experience in the sector, and with proven expertise in machining tough and difficult-to-machine materials including titanium, Inconel, and Hastelloy, to tight geometric tolerances and super-fine surface finishes — the company’s oil and gas business suffered no serious decline during the pandemic and still accounts for 30% of MJE’s annual turnover.

Post pandemic
With business getting back to normal after the pandemic, and the motorsport sector in particular returning to pre-Covid-19 levels, MJE is back on the investment trail. The company’s most recent three-machine-tool order is testament to that. Mr Simpkin said: “Two of the new machines we have acquired replace older models — the third machine was purchased to give us extra capacity.”

As mentioned previously, three machines ordered by the business in February 2022 comprise two Lynx lathes and a DNM vertical machining centre. The 6in chuck Lynx 2100LYA, equipped with a 15kW/6,000rev/min spindle and a 12-station servo-driven turret has a +/- 52.5mm Y-axis and driven tooling capability (5,000rev/min). The machine provides MJE with additional turning capacity and is being used as a second operations’ chucking lathe — machining the back-end of parts.

The DNM 6700, installed in April 2022, is a large-capacity vertical machining centre that has boosted the firm’s milling capabilities. The machine is equipped with an 18.5kW/12,000rev/min spindle, a 30-position ATC and a 1,500 x 670mm worktable. The machine has replaced a smaller DNM 400 machining centre acquired in 2010 and joins a DNM 650 II vertical machine to provide the company with an impressive milling resource.

With its large worktable, the DNM 6700 is able to machine multiple smaller parts in a single set up as well as processing larger components; a recent job involved the machining of a 1,000 x 600mm forged titanium component with a cycle time of 5hr. Similar to the Lynx 2100LYA installed in April but with a 16-station turret, the new machine has replaced a Lynx 220LM lathe purchased by the company in 2015. This machine has been integrated with a bar feeder to enable continuous production and the ability to run unattended overnight.

To further improve its performance, MJE has also recently invested in a new ERP system to manage day-to-day business operations in real time and is now considering developing its own in-house apprenticeship programme to help bring new talent into the company.