The four Yamazaki Mazak Quick Turn 250 lathes on the shopfloor at Viking Precision EngineersMiddlesex-based
Viking Precision Engineers Ltd has invested £1.6 million in a dedicated turning facility equipped with four Yamazaki Mazak Quick Turn 250 lathes supplied by
Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd in Worcester. The new facility is built on the strength of Viking’s customer relationships, which include long-standing contracts with London Underground and its track record in the aerospace sector.
The four turning centres, which are the latest investments in Viking’s near 36-year partnership with Mazak, join the existing Mazak machines at the company’s CNC milling machine shop at its headquarters. The first facility has 10 machines, including a Vari-axis i-500 five-axis machine, two VCN vertical milling machines and three FJV machining centres that were acquired to manufacture large aerospace workpieces.
The new dedicated turning shop has been built to help Viking diversify its machining capabilities into smaller turned parts, says Richard Bec, Viking’s production manager: “The Quick Turn machines were purchased to grow the business into high volume, smaller component work that requires a turning solution. We are now running 24/7.
“Many of these smaller, high-precision components are tribology-based parts used in advanced testing equipment for lubrication and friction systems. These intricate components play a key role in solutions that support innovation in the sustainable and reusable energy sector, an area of growing importance and strategic focus for Viking Precision Engineers.”
Exceptional precision and reliabilityThe Quick Turn series of industry-leading CNC turning centres is manufactured at Mazak’s European Manufacturing Plant in Worcester. Known for their high-rigidity construction and built-in motor spindle, the machines deliver exceptional precision and reliability. Viking Precision’s new Quick turn 250 MSY models further enhance capability with integrated milling, a second spindle, and Y-axis functionality, enabling complex, multi-tasking operations in a single set-up.
Viking’s decision to make Mazak its preferred supplier has made the move into high-volume turning work much easier. Richard continues: “We have one machine supplier and one control software, which means operators can go from one machine to the next. Operators on our four-axis and five-axis Mazak machines can quickly go into the new facility if we need help there. Everybody can support a consistent workflow because they are familiar with the Mazak operating system.”
Pictured left to right: Richard Bec and Alex Turner of Viking Precision Engineers LtdAlex Turner, works manager at Viking, said the Mazak machines are a real selling point, particularly for the aerospace sector. He added: “Aerospace customers have been to the facility and seen the Mazak machines, which gives them peace of mind that we can do the job. We can do the larger sections in our original facility and then over in our turning shop we can machine much more intricate parts with really tight tolerances. We have got real flexibility with the bigger Mazak machines and the smaller turning centres. Mazak have looked after us and we’ve been loyal to them. We have been able to grow and add capability over time, with four-axis machines, large workpieces, long shaft workpieces and now turning. The breadth of the Mazak range means they have got a machine for practically every application.”
Alan Mucklow, managing director UK and national distributors at Yamazaki Mazak, concluded: “Viking is one of many valued customers who have built a long-standing relationship with Mazak, reflecting years of collaboration, trust and shared commitment to engineering excellence. It is fantastic to see four of our UK-made turning centres helping another British business succeed at the very highest level and we look forward to working with Alex, Richard and the wider Viking team for many more years to come.”