MACHINING CENTRES DRIVING PERFORMANCE
The Spinner VC750 3-axis VMC on the
shop-fl oor at Plasticom alongside the
other main investment this year, a
Sodick AD35L die-sink EDM
machine
forms part of its remit,
while other services include
ultrasonic welding, blister
and other packaging
techniques, laser welding
and printing.
Established 60 years
ago, the company is
owned by chairman Edwin
Simmonds and his wife,
Sonia, group nance
director, who says more
than four- fths of the
injection mould tools it
makes are used inhouse.
Alexander has
adopted a policy of
buying in bolsters from
Meusburger to allow
Plasticom to concentrate on 3D
milling and sparking of tools. A xture sits
permanently on the table of the Spinner
VC750 so that each new bolster can be
clamped quickly prior to machining of mould
inserts within the 760 x 460 x 460 mm
working envelope, which is large for the
machine’s 2.6 x 1.7 metre footprint.
He also advises that dimensional
tolerances down to a few microns are
routine and the surface nish achieved is
“fantastic”. In aluminium as well as Stavax,
a mirror nish can be achieved using
standard, mid-price, carbide end mills and
considerably less polishing is needed
overall.
STRONG DEMAND
Meanwhile, New Forest rm Quick Machining
Solutions has invested in a Doosan DNM
4500 VMC (pictured below) from Mills CNC
( www.is.gd/OIjyom ) – the exclusive
distributor of Doosan machine tools in the
UK and Ireland – to improve production and
help meet continued demand for its
machining services.
The precision subcontract specialist has
invested in the compact, high performance
3-axis machining centre, that is equipped
with a powerful, direct-drive 12,000rpm
spindle, a large 1000mm x 450mm work
table, a 30-position ATC and the latest
Heidenhain (TNC
640) control. The
machine also features roller LM guideways
and thermal error compensation to ensure
high accuracies and repeatability’s over
long machining runs.
The new machining centre was installed
at Quick Machining Solutions’ modern,
refurbished 7,000 square foot facility in
September 2020.
Investing in a new machine tool during
the Covid-19 pandemic has helped Quick
Machining Solutions meet a growing
demand for its high quality machining
capacity and capabilities.
Owner and managing director Wayne
Harris says: “A number of component
manufacturers closed down their operations
and/or furloughed a signi cant number of
their staff in response to the pandemic
outbreak.
“We felt that even in these uncertain
times, we had an obligation to our
customers to remain open whilst ensuring
we did everything to keep our staff safe.
We also used any spare time for training,
maintenance and other improvements
within the business.
“As a consequence of ‘keeping our
doors open’ we were able to pick up new
business from a number of customers who
were having dif culty sourcing their
machined parts in the
necessary
timescale. This increase in demand, in
addition to continually improving our
machining (milling) capabilities, was the
main catalyst behind the DNM 4500
investment.”
The company drew up a checklist and
investigated the market before making the
investment to ensure that the new
machining centre would meets its
“immediate and future machining
requirements”.
Harris says: “We needed a highperformance
3-axis machine with a compact
www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets | January 2021 33
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