Sub-contractor reaches new heights with Mitutoyo

Carmarthenshire-based Cwm Engineering Ltd has been on an acquisition trail over the last few years to target growth in high-tech industry sectors. As part of its journey, the West Wales company has moved to a new purpose-built 10,000ft² factory to make space for its investment in new machine tools. With more than five machine tools purchased in the last three years, the company recognised a requirement for a dedicated inspection department with high-end metrology equipment — that is why the company has just installed a CMM and a surface roughness machine from Andover-based Mitutoyo (UK) Ltd .

With a machine shop in Cross Hands full of turning centres and three-, four- and five-axis machining centres from Mazak, Cwm Engineering is aiming to expand its work with aerospace OEMs and Tier One manufacturers. To expand in this area, the family-run business has just built a dedicated temperature-controlled inspection department featuring a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex V 7106 CNC Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM) and a Mitutoyo surface roughness machine.

Founded in 2011, the ISO:9001 certified company nestled in rural West Wales, an area known more for its tourism and farming, started its metrology journey like all sub-contract businesses – with precision hand tools. In 2014, the business bought a manual Mitutoyo CMM. This was subsequently followed by two shopfloor CMMs to allow operators to conduct inspection at the side of the machines to prevent potential bottlenecks on the Mitutoyo CMM. However, Cwm Engineering realised that to win business from its OEM and Tier One target audience, it needed to stand out from rival sub-contract manufacturers with a dedicated temperature-controlled facility with high-end metrology technology.

Precise and complex components
Malcolm Walters, Cwm Engineering’s managing director and company owner, said: “We have invested heavily in high-end machine tools and this has given us the ability to manufacture extremely precise and complex components. However, to set ourselves apart from other sub-contract companies, we recognised the importance of investing in a dedicated temperature-controlled quality assurance department.

We are fully aware that when potential customers visit a sub-contract manufacturer, they want to see a dedicated metrology department to instill confidence in their supply chain choices. When it came to selecting equipment for this dedicated department, Mitutoyo was the stand out brand for our business. Mitutoyo is a brand that everyone knows and respects as an industry leader, and our previous experience with the company gave us the confidence that it was the brand for our business. Our previous experience with Mitutoyo was exceptional.”

The sub-contractor did its due diligence and fully reviewed the marketplace, but its experience with Mitutoyo-led the company to invest in a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex V 7106 CNC CMM that was delivered in April along with a surface roughness machine. The staff at Cwm Engineering has undergone comprehensive training on the new equipment, but the business is taking its commitment one step further by employing a quality control engineer with a wealth of experience with Mitutoyo CMMs.

Mr Walter added: “We chose this machine as it has a measurement range of 700 x 1,000 x 600mm that is packed into a small footprint. The compact footprint is perfect for our inspection department and the work area covers the diverse dimensions of the work we undertake. Furthermore, the level of information that can be obtained from the reporting system far exceeds anything we previously had.”

The Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex V 7106 is crammed with the latest technology and this includes Mitutoyo’s ABS linear scales, SMS capability for status and service monitoring and Mitutoyo’s renowned MCOSMOS software. The Crysta-Apex V 7106 is extremely accurate and fast with high-acceleration rates which are credited to its lightweight bridge construction, temperature compensation sensors and the UC480 controller that supports the multi-sensor and SMS functionality (Smart Measuring System). With a digital step of 0.1µm, the machine has an accuracy maximum permissible error of (1,7+0,3L/100)µm with a 3-D acceleration rate of 2,309mm/s².

Streamline throughput
Discussing how the Crysta-Apex V 7106 will streamline throughput at Cwm Engineering, Andrew Ritchie, the systems and operations manager at the JOSCAR registered company, said: “When we receive drawings from customers, whether it is an STL, IGES, STEP file or any other format, we can either program parts at the machine or in our SolidCAM CAM system. When we are programming parts offline with our CAM system, we can simultaneously send the files to our CMM for programme creation. This ensures that the CMM program is prepared and ready to inspect the parts while they are in production.”

Mr Ritchie added: “We have only just installed the CMM, but our immediate plan is to create multiple zero-point fixturing systems for the CMM. We use Lang zero-point clamping throughout the workshop and by having fixtures on the Mitutoyo, we will be able to easily move parts straight from the machine bed to the CMM for rapid checking without excessive set-up times. By creating a multi-point fixturing system on the CMM, we will be able to set up single or multiple parts for inspection. This will streamline our throughput and enable us to provide anything from first-offs to 100% inspection.”

To complement the Crysta-Apex V 7106, Cwm Engineering has also purchased a Mitutoyo surface roughness measuring machine (pictured right). While surface roughness can be integrated into other machines in the Mitutoyo range, Cwm Engineering opted for the separate hand-held solution for its ability to be used around the machine shop if necessary. Alluding to this, Mr Ritchie added: “Historically, we have used a sample gauge and this has proven reasonably accurate. However, our variation of work can require surface finishes from as high as Ra3.2 in general sub-contract work to as low as Ra0.4 for parts in the electronics, communications and ultrasonic industries.

Mr Walters concluded: “The investment in new Mitutoyo technology will put us in a strong position as we look to the the future. Furthermore, the Mitutoyo MCOSMOS software enables us to fully network our quality activities and reporting, customise reports, organise and archive our programmes and results, as well as offers tools like SPC with full Industry 4.0 capability. This is an investment in the future of our business and we are delighted with the support we have received from Mitutoyo on this journey.”