Bristol-based
Sanoh UK Manufacturing, a manufacturer of metal and plastic tubing products and related components, has recently invested in a new vertical machining centre (VMC) supplied by
MACH Machine Tools Ltd, a supplier of high-quality CNC and manual machine tools and machine shop equipment to UK and Irish component manufacturers, and part of the
Vigilance Group.
The MACH MDV 1160S is a high-performance, rigidly designed and built three-axis VMC equipped with a 15kW 12,000rev/min direct-drive spindle, with through-spindle coolant capability, and a large 1,200mm x 600mm worktable. The machine is fast, accurate and flexible and is ideal for heavy-duty roughing operations and super-fine finishing too. In addition, the VMC comes equipped with an advanced DynaPath control.
The machine was installed at Sanoh UK’s Engineering Centre facility in Avonmout in April, replacing two older semi-automatic milling machines that were part-exchanged as part of the deal. The Engineering Centre is a fully integrated ‘de facto’ in-house toolroom that serves the manufacturer’s production operations which are located in separate facilities on the same industrial site in Avonmouth, and are responsible for making innovative and specialist inspection gauges, assembly and testing fixtures and other tooling required to manufacture the company’s products. Since being installed, the MACH MDV 1160S has been busy machining a range of different-size base plates — essential components in the Engineering Centre’s pre-production and production gauges and assembly fixtures.
These plates are made from aluminium and are 12.7mm thick and are supplied to the Engineering Centre pre-cut in a variety of sizes — from 200 x 200mm through to 1,400 x 700mm — and, after deburring operations have been completed on the company’s semi-automatic two-axis machines, are moved to the new MACH MDV 1160S for machining. These machining operations essentially comprise the drilling of a number of pre-fixing holes on the plates’ undersides allowing them to be securely clamped on the machine’s table before a series of pre-set, application-specific holes, used to hold a number of posts and blocks in position, are drilled on the plates’ top sides.
Leyton Dunn, Engineering Centre manager, said: “Prior to investing in the new MACH machine, these drilling operations were performed on our semi-automatic mills. However, the relatively small worktables on these machines meant that we were constantly having to stop drilling operations to unclamp the plates, move them to a different position and then reclamp them before drilling operations could continue. For larger plates this sequence had to be repeated three or four times before drilling operations were completed.”
In addition to their limited size capacity, the semi-automatic two-axis machines did not have a dedicated Z-axis control for drilling. Although this issue could be addressed during set-up operations, it wasn’t fast or seamless and increased part-processing times.
Significant time and cost savingsMr Dunn explained: “It was clear that the machining processes we were using were not as efficient as they could have been, and that relying on our semi-automatic machines was affecting our overall productivity and lead-time fulfilment. We believed that an investment in a new three-axis CNC machining centre with a larger worktable would improve things, but to test our assumptions and justify the proposed increased expenditure, we needed to demonstrate the time and cost savings that could be realised from the new acquisition.”
A previous, real-life gauge project, completed earlier on the company’s existing semi-automatic machines, was used for investigation. The project, which involved machining a series of drill points in a number of different-size plates up to 1,200 x 450mm, was analysed with the times taken to complete deburring, set-up, plate movement, re-fixturing and drilling operations required to complete a total of 1,248 holes, which all added up. These figures were then compared to the time taken, following the same machining processes, albeit with fewer plate movements and re-fixturing operations, to achieve the same number of holes drilled if a new, larger-capacity three-axis machining centre was used.
Using the company’s existing machine tool technology, a total of 82.5hr was required to complete the project whereas, using a larger capacity three-axis CNC machine, the estimate, using downloaded simulation software, was reduced to just 11.65hr – an anticipated time saving of 70.8hr. Mr Dunn commented: “These savings were just for this project. With similar savings likely to be made on different jobs, combined with having access to a powerful and fast three-axis machining centre with the capability to machine complex, high-precision 3-D milled parts, it was clear that the new investment was the way forward.”
With senior management endorsement, a detailed machine tool specification checklist was drawn up, and a number of machine tool companies and suppliers were then approached. MACH Machine Tools was one of three companies contacted and asked to provide machine recommendations and quotes. A visit to MACH Machine Tools’ facility in Bristol provided the opportunity for the Engineering Centre staff to be introduced to the MACH MDV 1160S VMC and familiarise themselves with the advanced DynaPath control.
Advanced spindle technologyMr Dunn reflected: “We liked the look of the MDV 1160S VMC, the size of its working envelope, its advanced spindle technology and the fact that it came supplied with oil mist extraction unit, through-spindle coolant, swarf conveyor and air cooling — these features were optional extras on equivalent competitor machines. Furthermore, the VMC was available from stock ready for immediate delivery and its competitive, ‘direct-from-the-factory’ price tag was also a major selling point. As a result, we ordered the MDV 1160S.”
As this was the Engineering Centre’s first investment in a CNC machine, the company wanted the control to be flexible, powerful and easy-to-use, and the innovative DynaPath CNC control, with its large 8GB memory, impressive block lookahead capabilities, integrated DXF reader/editor and its ability to be used for either ISO and/or conversational programming, fitted the bill. In addition, the system’s fast, Wi-Fi enabled, 24/7 remote diagnostics and monitoring assistance and support facility, was also seen as a particular strength and differentiator.
The machine was installed at the Engineering centre in April this year and after three days of operator and programmer training, was up and running. The MDV 1160S VMC has already ‘cut its teeth’ on a project involving the drilling of a series of holes in 10 different-sized plates ranging from 350 x 700mm to 1,400 x 550mm. Owing to the size of the MDV 1160S’ worktable, the number of plate movements and the related refixturing operations required were reduced to just four instead of 24, and was completed in 70hr less than if the project was completed on the Engineering Centre’s semi-automatic machines. The estimate, from a return on investment perspective, is that once the MDV 1160S has drilled 39,000 holes, payback will have been achieved.
Although the MDV 1160S has so far been used exclusively for machining plates, it is anticipated that it will also be used to machine a range of different high-precision parts in one-offs and two-offs for a range of the Engineering Centre’s other jig and fixture products and solutions, and that the machine’s large working envelope will enable multiple parts to be machined in a single set-up.