XYZ Machine
Tools has equipped
Techgrave's
toolroom with
multiple machines
Toolroom investments
XYZ Machine Tools-equipped toolroom becomes money-spinner for Techgrave; technical trade moulder
upgrades in-house toolroom with Hurco machining centre, plus more
Only founded in 2016, Techgrave
has carved out a market-leading
position, thanks to its combination of
machine tool technology and the decades of
experience held by its founders, Pete Adams
and Dillon Evitts, plus their dedicated team.
Techgrave provides bespoke industrial
engraving and toolmaking to a diverse range
of customers, but with particular focus on
the manufacture of dies and punches for the
production of collectable coins for mints
around the world and military medals, both
new and reworking existing dies for longestablished
awards such as the OBE. The
jewellery sector is also a prominent user of
Techgrave’s services. The company has
invested heavily in CNC engraving, laser,
reverse engineering, CADCAM and, most
recently, its toolroom capabilities.
This latest investment saw the arrival of
an XYZ MiniMill 560 HD vertical machining
centre, an XYZ SLX355 ProTurn lathe, an
XYZ KMX 1500 turret mill and an XYZ
surface grinder from XYZ Machine Tools
( www.is.gd/oxorop ). This combination of
machines provides a complete toolroom
solution for Techgrave, as well as greater
control over quality and delivery.
Says Dillon Evitts: “When we rst started,
our initial investment went solely on
engraving equipment and software, with any
TOOL, MOULD & DIE MAKING TOOLED UP FOR WORK
toolroom requirement being subcontracted.
As we got busier, we started to nd delays
and quality issues with outsourcing, so took
the decision to bring toolmaking in house.
The XYZ machines give us total control over
manufacture of die and press tool blanks,
collars and die holders, and the knowledge
that we can guarantee 100% conformity
across our entire manufacturing process.”
Although intended to support Techgrave’s
in-house machining requirement, the
machines soon turned into a business
opportunity. “When we budgeted for the
machines, we were happy that producing our
own work would cover their costs, so had no
desire to ll any spare capacity. We were
just happy that we had the capability to meet
the demands of our customers. One day we
might be making a die for a coin, the next
might be a mould for a running shoe, it’s
that varied. However, as word got out that
we had this capability, we began to receive
inquiries from existing customers for
toolroom work,” explains Adams.
“We look on this work as a bonus but
remain adamant that it will not impact on
our own production, whether that is work for
established customers in the minting sector
Guaranteed tolerances
Protolabs ( www.is.gd/alajeb ) is now offering customers a machining tolerance of ±0.08
mm with a resin tolerance of between 0.002 mm/mm and 0.010 mm/mm, depending on
the material. David Barnes, EMEA product manager for injection moulding, comments:
“For some applications, such as interference parts, dimensional tolerance is extremely
important. Our aim has always been to make the design engineer’s job simpler by
providing the right amount of veri able information.
“This means we can now guarantee the tolerances for all of our 50 stocked resins, and
we can advise on the accuracy of the other 1,500 that are available to our customers
across the world. For the stocked resins, the tolerance will be shown when customers
upload their design and select their chosen material as part of our Protoquote system.
“It means that this information becomes part of the design for manufacturability
analysis that is typically available within just a couple of hours.”
www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets | September 2020 29
/oxorop
/alajeb
/www.machinery.co.uk