‘Hitting it out of the park’

The story of Swindon-based Billet Precision Ltd began when Will Casey, James Lewington, and Ryan King — all experienced machinists — had a chance meeting through a mutual love of cars, a meeting that subsequently led to a partnership built on shared engineering excellence. Mr Casey said: “We are all massively into our cars and met through our hobby. James and Ryan are cousins and have worked together at the same sub-contract manufacturing facility; and having known them both for over seven years, we knew we would fit perfectly in our own business.”

The team’s decision to base the business in Swindon was based on Mr Casey’s analysis of the local market, and it transpired to be an analysis that proved strategically beneficial. He said: “There are many science and research companies around the area, as well as the Formula One (F1) teams, and this mix has paid dividends, as we now serve a variety of sectors including aerospace, oil and gas, energy, science and research, and motorsport.”

Billet Precision’s approach to equipment selection reflected their commitment to be effective right from the start; and rather than starting small and building up gradually, from the outset they bought three DMG Mori machines — two CMX 1100 vertical machining centres and a CLX lathe with Y-axis and driven tooling capability. Mr Casey said: “We knew that to achieve our ambitions — machining parts we wanted to make for customers we wanted to work with — we really had to ‘hit it out of the park’ from the outset. I know how brilliant my fellow directors are, we just needed the equipment and tooling to show that to the rest of the world.”

While DMG Mori provided the machine platform, the choice of cutting tools would be equally critical. As it happened, Mr Lewington and Mr King had already established a sound relationship with Leeds-based TaeguTec UK Ltd and the company’s technical representative, Tony Wilkes.

That said, the decision to work with TaeguTec was not only about familiarity but also about proven performance, as Mr Casey explained: “Even if the performance of a cutter from someone else can come close that of TaeguTec, the performance, level of service and support — and even price — will invariably make it a non-starter; and while TaeguTec will tell us their recommended cutting parameters and performance ceilings, we have often gone beyond these and got a lot more out of the tools.”

Beating problems
Recounting his experience of applying TaeguTec’s CNMG inserts, fellow director Mr King said: “For machining 316 stainless steel, I consistently used the TaeguTec TT9215 grade with impressive results. However, when encountering a particularly abrasive bar of material that was burning through tools, TaeguTec’s Mr Wilkes recommended switching to the new TT5080 grade — a grade that is typically used for machining forged stainless steels or Inconel.

“The results were impressive, with the performance and longevity of the new grade significantly improving on our previous grade. Indeed, we now hold stocks of TT5080 inserts, so no longer worry when we get an ‘exotic job’ that requires a fast turnround.”

This improved performance is seen throughout the fledgling business. For example, after trying various brands of straight parting-off systems with limited success, Mr King tested TaeguTec’s SFC triangular-bladed parting-off system — and achieved ‘dramatic results’. “The TaeguTec parting system comes with through coolant and a flow rate that seems to be twice as strong as a standard flat blade tool, thanks to the design of the holder. The results are that I can run at double the feed rate with a much higher speed, all while having a much straighter cut and far superior finish finish. The result is improvements in both run times and quality on any job that needs parting-off.”

When Mr King needed to improve drilling performance on ‘exotic materials’ while also achieving better dimensional accuracy, TaeguTec’s Mr Wilkes recommended the company’s Drill Rush range. Reporting on the drill, Mr King said: “The P+ insert exceeded any expectations I had. On Inconel, the cutting performance was lovely, not only effectively ejecting chips back out of the hole and drilling very fast but also drilling very straight. Moreover, I was getting more than double the tool life from P+ than the previous U-drill, even when running at double the feed rate with slightly higher speeds — and maintaining holes within 0.07mm tolerance.

‘High-performance milling’
Fellow director Mr Lewington said he has also seen ‘impressive results’ with TaeguTec products, citing the example of using a TaeguTec SpeedTec 4N TF90-650-22R-09 face mill with 4NHT 090408R-AL K10 inserts for high-performance milling applications. “This tool has enabled notable productivity improvements, allowing us to cut cycle times by 50% by running this tool at 0.2mm per tooth, which is close to the rapid feed rates of the machine; and in some cases, it is taking depths of cut up to 7mm.

“Moreover, the capabilities of this face mill extend across multiple operations. For facing, it achieves a near-mirror finish with an 80% stepover; and when wall milling, we can maintain a 7mm depth of cut while maintaining high levels of surface finish and tolerance. For slotting and pocket milling, we can use a more-aggressive ramp angle, with high-pressure through coolant ensuring excellent swarf evacuation.”

As Billet Precision is continually seeking to improve productivity and quality, the company has also installed a TaeguTec Typhoon on one of its DMG Mori machines. Driven by the machine’s high-pressure coolant, the Typhoon high-speed spindle unit is compatible with most machine tools, increasing spindle speeds to over 30,000rev/min for small-diameter tools, thereby enabling them achieve optimal performance and improve cycle times by at least 65%, while at the same time improving surface finishes and tool life.

Regarding service, Mr Casey said: “Mr Wilkes is always on hand with technical support and always keen to take a look at our upcoming jobs to ensure we always have the right tools for the work. Indeed, rather than just being comfortable with what we have used for such a long time, he is always making suggestions and saying things like ‘we have just improved the angle on this tool to give better chip clearance, give it a try’.”

“Moreover, TaeguTec is always benchmarking against its own products to ensure we have optimal performance. As for the future, we are planning expansion and ordering more DMG Mori equipment — and keeping TaeguTec as our first port of call for any technical questions and support.”