projects aimed at next-generation aircraft,
and we were able to show that we are fully
aligned with these OEM and Tier 1 initiatives.
18
AEROSPACE SUPPLEMENT
PRODUCTION CASE STUDIES
“We have received very positive feedback
Merc Aerospace has complemented each of
its four Matsuura 5-axis machining centres
with Lang workholding technology
October 2019 www.machinery.co.uk @MachineryTweets
and signi cant interest in the machining
strategies and tooling that were
demonstrated.”
Likewise, Schunk Intec’s general
manager, Marcel Machado, adds:
“We couldn’t be happier. The event was a
great opportunity to show a complex
technology performing live. Attended by a
highly technical group representing all the
main names in the aerospace industry,
the event was a true re ection of the work
being performed at the AMRC.”
Lang clamping system suits multimachine
cell for Merc Aerospace
Merc Aerospace has added an additional
Matsuura MX-330 PC10 5-axis machining
centre, bringing the number of machines up
to four for its dedicated Matsuura (https://
is.gd/voxovu) cell and has tooled it with Lang
workholding purchased from Thame
Workholding (https://is.gd/fahawo), in similar
fashion to its existing equipment.
Based in Lancashire’s ‘Aerospace Valley’,
Merc Aerospace specialises in the
manufacture of tight-tolerance parts to
demanding deadlines in small to medium
volumes. The company has been serving the
aerospace sector for more than 40 years,
with aerospace-related work representing the
vast majority of its work.
Prior to the installation of the company’s
two original Matsuura 5-axis machining
centres, thorough research was undertaken
into the most suitable workholding systems
so as to realise the machines’ maximum
productive potential. The Lang Makro-Grip
5-axis workholding system was chosen, along
with Lang’s zero-point clamping system to
complement that.
Makro-Grip clamps on just 3 mm of
material, courtesy of Lang’s stamping
technology, while the zero-point system,
which is said to be the lowest pro le zeropoint
system on the market at only 27 mm
high, provides precise and repeatable
mounting of different xtures.
Explains Merc Aerospace commercial
director Richard Meade: “As we purchased
both of our original Matsuura MX-520
machining centres and our recently installed
models to satisfy increasing demand,
we knew that installing these high-yield 5-axis
machines was only half of the answer.
“To make certain that we delivered the
volumes of high quality components
demanded by the ambitious contacts we had
committed to, we needed to source a
superior range of robust workholding that
would not only hold our workpieces securely,
but would also be able to minimise our nonproductive
time spent on set-ups and
maximise our machine tools’ available
production time.
“After considering several alternatives, a
demonstration made by Tony Lewis of Thame
Workholding convinced us that the Lang
workholding ticked all of our boxes. Having
now used the ingenious system for some
time, we have estimated that we have
slashed the time previously spent on set-ups
by as much as 75%. In addition, the Lang
system provides exceptional rigidity and
repeatability of location, when for instance,
moving a Lang vice that is holding a part to a
second machine tool for further operations.
“When undertaking tight tolerance work,
the secure and robust nature of the system
has helped us to achieve the required levels
of precision and surface nish, thereby
enabling us to further reduce our already low
scrap rate. It also helps that the various
elements of our Lang workholding have the
kind of compact designs and pro les that
give us excellent workpiece accessibility. This
enables us to adopt our preferred, highly
ef cient one-hit machining approach and to
achieve further timesaving.”
Praise is also made of the system’s costeffectiveness.
“Lang workholding was less
expensive than some of the other less able
products that we considered,” Meade
highlights, who adds that a much quicker
return on its investment has been achieved
than was rst calculated.
Kyal Machine Tools Limited.
The Settling Rooms, Springfield Street.
MARKET HARBOROUGH
Leicestershire LE16 8BD
Tel No. 01858 467182
e-mail: simon@kyalmachinetools.co.uk
/www.machinery.co.uk
/fahawo)
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