Despite all the headwinds in the economy, manufacturing has had a buoyant 2022, if High Wycombe-based
Hurco Europe Ltd’s experience selling its machine tools is anything to go by. Order intake in monetary value was close to a record high, beaten only just by the exceptional figures posted in 2018. Seventy companies pre-registered to attend the company’s Open House at its headquarters in High Wycombe last week (6 and 7 December) and a total of 104 people were welcomed over the two days, generating £650,000 of sales.
Furthermore, attendance on the Hurco stand at
MACH 2022 in April was an encouraging 25% up on the previous exhibition. The event marked the launch of the company’s new lathes with driven tools, with 8in chuck model TMX8MYSi on the stand. The 10in chuck version was available for public inspection at last week’s Open House for the first time.
On the prismatic metalcutting side of the business, a Plus version of the popular VM30i was exhibited. The 1,270 x 508 x 508mm capacity machine has been enhanced with an upgrade to a twin-screen WinMax control, a 12,000rev/min 15kW spindle, 20-bar coolant through the spindle, LCD remote jog and a swarf auger. Additionally, Hurco’s range of large, dual-column, bridge-type machining centres in five-axis configuration has now been expanded to four models. Both the DCX32 and DCX42 are now available with a high-speed, 18,000rev/min, HSK-A63 spindle or a high-torque HSK-A100 version.
Hurco Europe’s managing director David Waghorn said: “Five-axis machines in all sizes have been very popular this year, accounting for a higher proportion of our turnover than ever before. The VMX-SRTi series with B-axis spindle head and flush rotary C-axis table continues to be the front runner due to the option of loading large components for three- and four-axis machining. However, the trunnion-type five-axis machines are also selling well, many of which we supply with an Erowa pallet storage and retrieval system.”
As far as automated loading of components is concerned, he said that a lot of interest is being shown in the company’s ProCobot collaborative robots. One was demonstrated at the Open House feeding a Hurco VM20i three-axis machining centre. The pick and place instructions to the ProCobot are sent from an App running directly in the machine’s twin-screen WinMax control, making ‘plug and play’ for automation a reality.
Apart from selling its own ranges of machining and turning centres, Hurco is also the sole agent in the UK and Ireland for German-built Roeders super-high-precision machining centres, two-thirds of those installed being equipped with automation. Users say that the mirror finish achieved when milling moulds and dies eliminates the need for any hand finishing, resulting in considerable labour cost savings. Moreover, jig grinding can be completed on the same machine platform. Heading the sale of these machines is product manager Steve Turner, following the retirement of Graham Maskell.
Mr Waghorn added: “The outlook for 2023 is good. The vast majority of our customers are sub-contractors and all seem to be very busy. It is helped by the raised level of activity in the aerospace and oil and gas sectors. Both are now booming, after having been in the doldrums for an extended period, while motorsport is perennially active.
“Against this background, we needed to employ five new service engineers in 2022 and continue to recruit more. We are currently looking for extra applications engineers in the High Wycombe area.”