#tooling #mfg #manufacturing #engineering Lion Engineering Services, Great Yarmouth, is a leader in the supply and repair of ‘down-hole’ drilling equipment. Following a recent £400,000 investment that included a new five-axis CNC PTA welding plant and a Mitutoyo CMM, the company decided that it needed a purpose-built grinding machine.
Managing director Martin Brown said: “We currently use manual grinding machines, but our aim is to maintain the lead over our competition by further improving quality and accuracy — and automating processes where possible. As components such as fishing tools, stabilisers, drill bits and so on become more sophisticated, we need to introduce a higher level of technology to machine them.”
The company decided that UK-based Broadbent Stanley
(www.broadbentstanley.co.uk) offered the right product to meet its needs — in the form of the Yorky Oilfield Grinder. This is a purpose-designed grinding machine, available as semi-automatic or full CNC models and with different bed lengths (a fourth axis is also offered on the CNC variant).
Able to grind all types of oilfield tool, including drill pipes up to 12m long, the Yorky is popular with both repair shops and the OEM market. After some discussion and successful cutting tests, Lion Engineering Services placed an order for a Yorky four-axis machine with a Fanuc Oi CNC system. Along with machining to higher tolerances — resulting in a better-quality product — the Yorky is expected to reduce lead times by a substantial margin.