Bristol-based
MACH Machine Tools, part of the
Vigilance Group, and a supplier of high-quality CNC and manual machine tools and machine shop equipment to UK and Irish component manufacturers, recently won two separate tenders — worth over £850,000 in total — to supply
Newcastle College, part of the NCG group of colleges, with a range of manual mills and lathes, as well as a suite of three-axis vertical machining centres (VMCs).
The 24 machine-tool acquisition is an integral part of a Newcastle College investment programme designed to significantly upgrade the capacity and capabilities of its engineering facility, to help it become recognised as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ with students, apprentices, local and regional employers, as well as with the wider community. The machines, comprising eight MACH VS-1SP turret-type manual milling machines, eight MACH L-1340 manual lathes and eight MACH MDV 700-DT vertical machining centres, were installed last year at the college’s dedicated Advanced Manufacturing Suite - the manual machines arriving in July and the CNC machines following in quick succession in October.
Skilled workforce for local employersMark Goodall, head of engineering at Newcastle College said: “As a vocational college we operate in a competitive environment where young people have a number of choices open to them. As one of the region’s largest colleges, supporting the education, training and employment of thousands of people in the local area, and developing a skilled workforce for local employers, we need to be attracting highly motivated and dedicated students onto our further education (FE) and higher engineering (HE) courses, and onto our apprenticeship programmes.
“One of our biggest priorities is working in partnership with our local employers to ensure that our curriculum meets their recruitment needs - now and in the future – and that we are able to provide them with a large pool of highly-skilled labour, to ensure their long-term growth and prosperity.”
He continued: “Critical to attracting and retaining students and increasing engineering employers’ participation and involvement, are the training facilities we have at our disposal. If the technology and equipment we are using to train students doesn’t match up with what is being used in the outside world, we won’t be achieving our goal of preparing students for their future employment, or addressing the skills gap in what is a priority area of growth in the North East.”
In late 2023, Newcastle College made the decision to completely modernise and revamp its manual and CNC machine tool capabilities within its two engineering workshops as a route to transforming the practical and skills-based content of its engineering courses. As part of the investment process, two different open tenders inviting potential suppliers to submit detailed proposals for the supply of a range of manual lathes and milling machines, and a suite of CNC vertical machining centres, were prepared and advertised. The two tenders were mutually exclusive with interested suppliers being able to bid for either or both tenders.
Carmelo Catalanotto, the advanced technical lecturer at Newcastle College, said: “The tenders were essentially aimed at machine tool manufacturers and suppliers and recognised that not all potential suppliers would have manual and CNC machines in their product portfolios.”
Tender successMACH Machine Tools, with its extensive CNC and manual machine tool line-up combined with its knowledge and experience of the FE and HE sectors, alongside a range of customised and augmented services that it can provide to the education sector, was able to win both of its tender submissions. The contracts were won based on the technical quality, price and availability of the machine tools recommended; the level of service and support, including delivery, installation and training; and the scope, scale and value of ‘social support’ provided, which included sponsorship, promotions, advertising and master classes.
Mr Goodall continued: “MACH Machine Tools submitted two competitive tenders that represented real value for money and included a number of advantages that other suppliers could not match. We hadn’t dealt with MACH Machine Tools previously, and it was really encouraging to see a company prepared to ‘go the extra mile’ to win our business.”
The eight MACH VS-1SP milling machines and eight MACH L-1340 lathes have helped transform Newcastle College’s manual machine workshop. Prior to the investment, the college’s manual machine resources comprised eight older lathes and one older vertical mill which were ‘long in the tooth’ and created issues from both a teaching and learning perspective.
Mr Catalanotto added: “The manual machine investment was vital and was made to satisfy two key criteria. Firstly, we needed new, modern and reliable machines for students to understand and learn basic milling and turning principles, and to become proficient in different machining operations. Secondly, we needed to increase the number of manual machines we had at our disposal so that students could learn new skills and put them into practice on a machine by themselves or in pairs, rather than in groups. Our investment in MACH manual machine tools means that all students now have access to, and can be taught on, the same high-performance machines.”
Built to lastFurthermore, MACH manual machines are built to last and include standard technology features that on many competitor machines are only available as optional extras. Each MACH VS-1 SP turret type milling machine is built to exacting quality standards and delivers high accuracies, fast processing speeds and is equipped with a large capacity 1,245 x 229mm worktable with a 340kg table load, powerful 5,000rev/min spindle and digital readout (DRO).
Meanwhile, the MACH L-1340 lathes are compact machines equipped with quick-change toolposts and tailstocks, and feature anti-vibration and stress relieved beds, backlash eliminators and two-axis DROs. As part of the manual machine tool package, MACH Machine Tools also arranged to remove the older manual machines from the college’s workshop before installing the new ones. The eight MACH MDV 700-DT three-axis VMCs have joined a number of other three- and five-axis CNC machines previously acquired by the college.
Mr Catalanotto continued: “Similar to the rationale for investing in the MACH manual machines, we needed a number of high-specification machining centres to enable students to acquire, and try out their newly acquired CNC machining skills, and for more advanced students to develop their manual, CAD and conversational programming and post-programming skills. We believed that eight identical CNC machines would be the optimum number we would require, from both a workshop space and classroom-size perspective.”
The fast, powerful and precise MACH MDV 700-DT machines were supplied with the advanced Fanuc 31i-B5 Plus control and are equipped with 12,000rev/min high-speed, direct-drive BT30 spindles, 21-tool automatic toolchangers (ATCs), toolholder and cutting tool package for each machine and oil/mist extraction units.
In addition to their Fanuc controls, the machines were further supplied, and integrated with, a unique MACH programming station - a Windows-based PC that sits alongside each machine and features a custom-designed version of the DynaPath software and a Fusion 360 CAD/CAM package that is networked to every machine’s Fanuc control.
Conversational programmingMr Catalanotto added: “The advanced Fanuc control enables us to teach students the fundamentals of ISO programming, using G- and M-codes, and the inclusion of the MACH Programming station also means we have access to many innovative DynaPath software features as well. These include the ability to take advantage of conversational programming and the facility to create complete machining programs directly from DXF files. The inclusion of Fusion 360, an industry-leading and recognised CAD/CAM software package, also provides us with the inherent flexibility to design and generate machining programs complete with full simulation and reliable toolpath verification.”