Wandfluh UK has been customising bespoke hydraulic valves and electronic control systems for more than 30 years. Manufacture of the original product used to take place at the company’s head office in Switzerland before being shipped to agents around the world to be adapted to individual customer requirements. In 2020, Wandfluh UK’s managing director Trevor Allen made the decision to add an in-house machining facility, giving greater control of supply and quality of the company’s complex machined products. With the construction of a purpose-built CNC workshop extension, bringing Wandfluh UK’s Warwickshire site to over 1,800m
2, the UK manufacturing department was born.
The team then began exploring the options for CNC machines to equip their new workshop, and once they had spoken to Norwich-based
Haas Automation Ltd, they knew they had found the right supplier. As engineering manager Steve O’Sullivan explained: “The level of support Haas offered made it an easy choice. The company helped us figure out exactly what we needed and what we would be capable of. In particular, I cannot praise our Haas sales manager Ryan Smith enough — he not only exceeded expectations during the selling process but has continued to do so. Whenever we have any questions or concerns, we simply give him a call, and he is always eager to assist. It is a real confidence boost knowing he is there to help.”
Mr O’Sullivan continued “Our first two machines were ordered, UMC-750 universal machining centres, equipped with simultaneous five-axis machining, a 12,000rev/min spindle, and a 40+1 side mount tool capacity," says Steve. "Then, we began searching for machinists. We chose programmers who already had experience in five-axis machining, and Haas tailored the training to match their knowledge, ensuring that we made the most of our time with the experts."
Swiss qualityWandfluh UK specialises in lower-volume, specific projects, primarily serving the subsea and military industries. While valves are still made in Switzerland, the one-off bespoke products are now manufactured within the UK factory. Customers place repeat orders again and again, because they appreciate the combination of Swiss quality and superior bespoke UK design.
“With the addition of our Haas machines, we can machine complex work in-house. This allows for our designs to be more and more complex, reducing size and weight whilst also improving hydraulic performance and efficiency. We can design, build, and test to each customer’s particular needs. By choosing the five-axis machines we have experienced improved precision and can manage greater complexity with fewer setup requirements. Our subsea parts in particular can be very complex; the Haas UMCs are ideal for the job. The accuracy of Haas machines allows us to meet all the fine tolerancing requirements for hydraulic systems.”
Wandfluh UK has since added a third UMC-750 to the workshop, this time with a 50-tool capacity to aid flexibility of parts, reducing additional set-ups on complex, multi-tool machining. This was coupled with their largest investment to date; the UMC-1250, partnered with a fully integrated six-station pallet pool. This machine boasts a 70+1 station side mount tool changer along with a generous 1,270 x 762 x 711mm envelope, increasing operational volume even further.
Mr O’Sullivan added: “The pallet pool is a game changer. We operate a single shift, but we run the machine 24hr. We can fit in our largest products, giving us greater scope during both the design and machining process and, because five-axis machining is not operator heavy, complete them in just two operations. The Haas machine control system offers a substantial advantage by ensuring seamless transitions for our programmers as they switch between various machines. Moving forward, our commitment remains unchanged – we exclusively rely on Haas.”