Parts machined on a Matsuura machine at LMS with Guhring milling and drilling products

Midlands-based LMS Precision Engineering has trusted its tooling supplier for over 35 years. With a relationship that dates back more than three decades, many manufacturers would ask ‘why?’ The simple answer lies in the fact that LMS works with Guhring UK, one the world’s leading manufacturers of cutting tools with UK manufacturing facilities and expert engineers on hand to deliver optimal machining solutions, whatever the challenge.

Scott Street, a partner at LMS Precision Engineering, said: “We are a family-run business that has been operating for over 40 years. Our main sectors of interest are aerospace and general sub-contract machining and we have always had a great relationship with Guhring.”

Chris Bush, Guhring national sales manager, said: “LMS uses the whole spectrum of our cutting tools, whether that is milling cutters, drills, taps or thread mills. In fact, everything through to the Tool Management (TM) vending machine. LMS was one of the very first customers to see the advantages of a tool management vending machine, enabling it to put its resources into providing components rather than manually ordering tools, looking for tools and managing tool stocks. The vending machine automated all this and much more.

“Our relationship with Guhring has evolved so much over the years. In that period, cutting tool technology has changed and evolved hugely, as has the LMS business, the technology it invests in and the size of the company. The customer base at LMS has evolved as well, and the company is machining a lot of different materials.”

The Guhring TM vending solutions can be built to a customer’s requirements and are available in open drawer-type for maximum versatility or 100% secure single-tool dispensing. The system will control and monitor tool consumption and spending with reporting for complete visibility. The main benefits of the Guhring TM vending solutions include 24/7 controlled tool availability and prevention of production stoppages due to tool availability. It will also eliminate loss and theft, create employee awareness of tooling costs and the system can communicate with customer IT systems.

Pictured right: the Guhring Tool Vending Solution at LMS

Reflecting on specific product lines that have supported LMS Precision over the years, Mr Street continued: “We had a lot of joy with the Guhring VA Series drill and now there is the new InoxPro drill as well, so this is bringing us even greater run times than ever before. We use Guhring on everything, from end mills such as the high-speed rippers, the through-coolant drills, high-speed steel drills, stub drills — absolutely everything.”

Mr Bush added: “LMS uses the whole spectrum of our tools and because it machines so many different types of material it has to have material-specific cutters as well as general-purpose cutters. With the range of stainless steels that LMS machines have to cope with, the new InoxPro is an ideal choice of drill. It introduces a new tough grade of carbide, with a new geometry designed specifically for titanium and stainless steel. The InoxPro also has a Perrox coating, a hard wearing and smooth coating that delivers optimum swarf evacuation.

“The benefit of using Guhring as a supplier is that we can manufacture our own carbide. We can make our own grades for specific applications, so we have made tougher grades of carbide that are not as brittle as carbides from other manufacturers. This makes it perfect for challenging applications in titanium and stainless steel.”

Mr Street continued: “The latest tools have given us the confidence to run lights out, reducing the number of tools we need to stock and giving us full visibility of all tool usage and tool performance. This is especially the case with the VA Series drill. With this drill, we can now run over 1,200 parts over a period of 15hr on 316 stainless, drilling a 10mm-diameter hole at 17.65mm deep with no problems at all.”

Mr Bush concluded: “We have built a brilliant relationship with LMS and we are looking forward to the next 35 years. LMS have got some exciting new projects coming through and new machines that the company is investing in. Combining its technology and the advancement of materials, there will be plenty of exciting new challenges ahead, and we relish the opportunity to deliver results long into the future.”