Riverside Precision Engineering (RPE) was originally set up in 1991 by its two directors — Michael Ditchfield and Scott Whalley — as a tool-making business.
Initially, the pair used manual machine tools, but when a local furniture maker requested batches of 500 parts to a tight price, they knew that a different approach was needed. Automated capstan lathes took over from the manual machines that they had been using.
With the business growing and a variety of orders coming from an increasing number of customers — including a manufacturer of diving equipment — RPE bought its first two CNC lathes. These were soon followed by a pre-owned Citizen L16-IV sliding-head lathe that immediately made the company more competitive and able to meet some of the cost-down targets being presented by some customers.
This new-found capability resulted in RPE becoming a committed user of Citizen sliding-head lathes and Miyano fixed-head turn-mill centres from Bushey-based Citizen Machinery UK Ltd
(www.citizenmachinery.co.uk). Indeed, RPE has so far installed a total of two Miyano machines and nine Citizens. Recent contracts include one to produce 150,000 rivets that were used in stand seating for the London Olympics.
The purchase of the latest Miyano — a BNJ-51 SY3, now housed in RPE’s new 11,000ft2 premises — was helped by finance from James Clist of CNC Capital. Again, the machine immediately “drew a line in the sand in terms of productivity and lead-time reduction,” said Mr Ditchfield. “We knew what to expect, and the Miyano did not need to prove itself. We immediately had high-quality components, machining consistency, fast cycles and ease of setting; most change-overs and resetting can now be completed within 1-1.5hr.
“Moreover, we can put a whole host of different parts through the machine; parts with multiple related features and contrasting demands as a result of material type — from very soft to particularly tough — and tight tolerances — both linear and geometric. Parts are largely made from 316 stainless steel, but brass, aluminium steel and plastic bar is also machined.”
Focus on technology
The two directors say that, while they could have bought two lower-cost machines for just a little more than the cost of the single Miyano, “the level of machining technology the Miyano offers adds credibility to our name and is a good selling point for the business. Moreover, as well as being a capable turning centre, it is a very cost-effective single-cycle milling machine.”
Current customers are from the valve, marine, furniture, medical, rail and oil and gas sectors. Batch sizes on the Miyano vary from 15 for prototype and trial parts to more than 10,000. The Miyano BNJ-51SY3 has a 51mm bar capacity and an 11kW main spindle that is served by a 12-station all-driven turret (2.5kW 6,000rev/min) with a Y-axis feed. A 5.5kW secondary spindle has its own six-station turret, giving added independence and flexibility for back-working cycles that can work simultaneously with the main turret/spindle to provide flexibility via time-saving overlapped operations.
“This capability is an important factor in reducing cycle times,” says Mr Whalley. “Furthermore, the second turret can machine off-centre via an X-axis shift that allows it to follow the movement of the main turret. When this capability is combined with the use of double-sided driven tool-holders, it is possible to combine and overlap front and back operations on a part. We also specified the parts-catcher and output conveyor that transports the finished component out of the cutting zone into the part collection box.”