SUBCONTRACTING PROGRESSIVE FIRMS PLOUGH AHEAD
other suppliers because of its high quality at
an affordable price and, unusually, the
possibility to retro t a pallet pool that adds a
further four pallets to the existing two. The
tool magazine is also extendable, from 80
through 120 to 220 pockets.
Says Taylor: “The exibility of being able to
expand the machining cell on-site at an
affordable price was very attractive to us.
“We will almost certainly opt to do it in the
next couple of years and take advantage of
unattended machining to lower piece part
cost when producing anything from large
batches, through small-lot multi-part runs to
ones and twos.
“The other advantage of this route to
automation is that it avoids the expense of
buying another machine and saves space on
the shop oor.”
An expanding order book was the prompt
at Eastleigh-based precision manufacturer
GW Martin & Co. (GW Martin), with the
company opting for a Mazak
( www.is.gd/fi haqu ) HQR-200MSY CNC turning
centre (8” chuck). Following a project win for
a high precision part, the machine was
installed a four-week time window.
Providing components to the automotive,
medical, electrical, vacuum and defence
sectors, the company has traditionally
specialised in the production of precision
parts in high volumes and has adopted a
strategy to reduce costs and increase
capacity over the last ve years, with
investment in automated production being
central to this.
A Mazak Multiplex W-200Y multi-tasking
CNC turning centre with automatic gantry
loading was installed in October 2019.
Impressed by Mazak’s work adapting the
Multiplex to t the company’s bespoke
component manufacturing processes,
GW Martin turned to the machine tool
Impressed by Mazak's previous performance in adapting and installing a Multiplex
W-200Y multi-tasking CNC turning centre, GW Martin turned to the machine tool
manufacturer to supply this HQR-200MSY
The new unit’s two-turret, two-spindle
set-up enables reduced cycle times and,
when combined with the long Y-axis stroke,
high accuracy milling. Following the
machine’s order at the end of February 2020,
Mazak’s application engineering team quickly
engineered the HQR-200MSY off-site to t
into GW Martin’s machining line. From order
to installation took only four weeks and
enabled the company to manufacture the
volume of bespoke parts, in line with the
project’s demanding schedule.
Says Richard Blake, business
development manager at GW Martin: “Having
worked with Mazak in the past, we were
aware of their reputation for supplying quality
turning centres. So, when we required an
automation-capable solution at short notice
that could machine high quality components
in large volumes, we knew where to turn.”
AUTOMATION & REPLACEMENT
A more recent investment is one made at
Ayrshire-based NPI Solutions Ltd, which has
automated an existing machine and replaced
two ageing machining centres with two new
Doosan models. All were supplied by Mills
CNC ( www.is.gd/ugoyob ).
Since 2011, NPI has made a number of
strategic investments in Doosan machine
manufacturer to supply an HQR-200MSY.
tools and, prior to the addition of the
two latest machines, had acquired
three Doosan lathes and three Doosan
machining centres. Says NPI’s
managing director, Kevin Priestley:
“Doosan machines are reliable and
represent good value. We like Mills.
They know our business and we
believe the company’s after-sales
service and support is hard to beat.”
The Doosan M1013 cobot, the
delivered and installed in late July. Says
Priestley: “We are always looking to improve
and recognise the power and potential of
automation.
“In discussions with Mills’ sales and
technical consultants, we began exploring the
bene ts we could gain from integrating a
cobot with our Doosan DNM 350-5AX 5-axis
machining centre acquired in 2016.
“The ability to run the machine and cobot
unattended was particularly appealing and
would help us really take advantage and
exploit of the DNM 350-5AX’s one-hit
machining capabilities. Lights-out operations
is a desired state. The cobot investment is a
rst step in getting there.”
Prior to deciding on the Doosan M1013
cobot, NPI approached other cobot suppliers,
but selected Doosan because of “its build
quality, and its safety, payload and reach
radius characteristics”, plus the company's
existing relationship with Mills CNC made it
an easy decision.
The machining centres – a Doosan DNM
4000 (520, 400, 480 mm; X, Y, Z) and a
DNM 6700 (1,300, 670, 625 mm; X, Y Z) -
were installed at the company’s 46,000 ft2
facility in the rst week of July 2020 and
replace two older machining centres that had
served the company well but which had seen
better days.
Priestley again: “We are a company that’s
committed to continuous improvement and,
as such, regularly monitor and review our
performance.
“We had become aware (earlier in the
year) that two of our older machining centres
were creating a ‘pinch point’ in our operations
and were affecting our productivity and
ef ciency.
“We decided that we wanted to replace
the two older machines and approached Mills
CNC to discuss a way forward.”
company’s rst investment in a
robotic automation system, was
NPI likes Doosan
technology and its
supplier, Mills CNC
26 October 2020 | www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets
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