www.machinery.co.uk @MachineryTweets September 2019
FIVE-AXIS MACHINING SUPPLEMENT
making it a seamless process.”
The UMC-5X features X-, Y- and Z-axis
travels of 600, 600 and 500 mm, and
has a 600 mm table diameter that can
carry components up to 600 kg. The
C-axis boasts 90 rpm, with rotation via a
direct-drive, low-maintenance, hightorque
motor. A-axis range is ± 120°,
with 2.5 sec for full movement.
Continues Langan: “The XYZ UMC-5X
was our rst venture into 5-axis
machining, which we knew would
improve productivity by eliminating
multiple machining operations. We had
no work that demanded full 5-axis
capability when we bought the rst XYZ
UMC-5X, but we knew we could reduce
set-up time and cycle time by moving
work from other machines. We had no
expectation of keeping the machine busy
24/7 but, as word spread, customers
began to recognise the capability that we
now had and work kept on coming in.”
And with an in ux of orders from
existing and new customers for
dedicated 5-axis work following arrival of
the rst machine, additional capacity
was soon required. With the success of
the rst machine from XYZ, there was no
reason for Langan to look anywhere else
for a second 5-axis machine. He says:
“Work is continuing to move towards
5-axis machining and, with the two XYZ
UMC-5X machines, we can combine
operations and become far more
ef cient, which will ultimately lead to
more work as we are more competitive.
The ease of use of the machines, with
the Heidenhain control that we are
familiar with, along with the support from
XYZ Machine Tools https://is.gd/
kufaha made our decision to double up
straightforward.”
Haas purchase tradition continues with
multiple 5-axis machines acquired
Doran Precision Engineering of
Newcastle, Northern Ireland, undertakes
aerospace sector precision engineering.
In fact, it accounts for 90% of the
factory’s output and takes in parts for
a worldwide customer base, including
interior parts for aircraft giants such
as Thompson Aero Seating and
Collins Aerospace. The company
also machines a wide range of
aerospace-grade materials,
including aluminium, stainless
steel and plastics.
SUPPLEMENTFIVE-A family-run business established in
1993 and now employing 22 people, it
boasts 31 CNC machines, with the latest
investment having been a clutch Haas
UMC-750 5-axis universal machines. The
company is a long-time Haas (https://
is.gd/fucuba) machine user, purchasing
its rst, a Haas VF-9 3-axis vertical
machining centre, in 2011. It now counts
16 Haas machines acquired over the
past eight years, including 12 Haas
Super Speed mills.
Apart from machine performance,
general manager Christopher Doran also
values Haas’ reliable aftercare service,
saying: “We rarely have an issue but if
we do need an engineer, they’re on site
quickly.”
He continues: “We recently added
three UMC-750 5-axis universal
machines to our Haas family, allowing us
to produce both small batches and
prototype work in a much shorter time
frame. Using the latest Mastercam
package, with the UMC’s 12,000 rpm
spindle and 40+1 side-mount tool
change, we quickly found cycle times
were reduced by 30%.
Founder and managing director Kieran
Doran says: “These were our rst 5-axis
machines, but they were easier to use
than I’d imagined. They really worked for
us. We use them for 5-sided machining;
making multi-option parts, we nish them
in much shorter lead times with a higher
accuracy and precision.
“Following on from the success of our
UMC-750s we have just installed the
new Haas 5-axis UMC-1000. We’re
excited to see what we can do with the
larger working envelope.”
The UMC-750 model has X-, Y- and
Z-axis travels of 762 by 508 by 508 mm,
with 500 mm diameter integrated 2-axis
trunnion rotary table. Equivalent
dimensions for the
PRODUCTION MACHINING
larger model are 1,016 by 635 by 635
mm, with a table diameter of 635 mm
that can carry 454 kg versus the smaller
machine’s 300 kg.
Hurco shop adds two
5-axis models to eet
Subcontractor Almond Engineering,
having doubled the size of its premises
in 2016 and the same year having
purchased its rst 5-axis machining
centre, a Hurco VMX42SRTi with
swivelling B-axis spindle, has now
installed a second, similar model.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its
inauguration this year, Almond
Engineering now operates eight Hurco
machine tools (https://is.gd/utebev), a
TM8 CNC lathe with 8” chuck and seven
machining centres. The latter form the
vast majority of prismatic metalcutting
capacity on site, the only other
machining centre being a Bohner &
Koehle bought in the 1970s.
As to the subcontractor’s continued
purchase of the Hurco brand, Smith
comments: “Ours is a prototype and
small batch production environment,
so ef cient shop oor programming is
important to us. We rely on it 90% of
the time.”
And he adds: “Additionally,
the machines themselves
are cost-effective to buy, as
well as being robust, reliable
and accurate. We regularly
hold ±0.01 mm when cutting
virtually any material, from
Inconel and Hastelloy through
steels and aluminium to
plastics.”
He notes also the user
friendliness of Hurco machines,
5
Doran Precision
Engineering is a
Haas shop
Doran Precision Engineering’s
Haas UMC-1000
/www.machinery.co.uk
/utebev)