Product category:
Vertical machining centres (VMC)
News Release from: C Dugard | Subject: Eagle vertical machining centres
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 29 June 2006
Subcontractor installs four VMCs,
maintains output
Subcontractor had to remove, relocate, install and commission 24 machine tools and commission four new VMCs, which it did, while maintaining a Kanban aerospace parts delivery.
Bowmill Precision had just four days to initiate the removal, relocation, installation and commissioning of 24 machine tools and install and commission four new Dugard Eagle vertical machining centres while maintaining a no compromise Kanban delivery programme of assembled landing gear kits and assemblies for Airbus A320 To add to the tactical problems of the event at the Poole (Dorset) company, every process change was subjected to rigorous 'Delta First Article Inspection' to enable Bowmill to comply with customer-driven quality procedures
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 26 Jan 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Travelling column VMC has dual-pallet indexing
Vertical machining centre with a travelling column design and integrated rotary dual-pallet indexing system provides higher levels of productivity and output and efficient workpiece loading/unloading.
Wide range of CNC machines will suit all tastes
High speed lathes, as well as vertical and horizontal machining centres, to suit all tastes, will be exhibited at Mach 2002 by C Dugard.
In the event, the specialist aerospace contractor met the challenge successfully, as managing director David Boucher, outlined: "We have to deliver 16 sets of Airbus A320 kits that include slave links, lock-up bolts and complex bracketry direct to line every 10 days to Messier-Dowty, and we've a significant record of achievement backed by endorsements from the customer for 100% on-time deliveries".
"Because we obviously did not want to fail in our commitment, we had to carefully plan the changes to improve workflow and efficiency and re-arrange the shopfloor, where space is very economical, to enable us to meet increased deliveries to Messier-Dowty." Nick Epps, operations director, relates how Messier-Dowty, the world-leader in landing gear manufacture, requested Bowmill Engineering to quote against increasing its existing contract by a third and at the same time add a previously fabricated part that had to be machined.
"This meant we had to purchase additional machine tools which, from experience was straightforward.
Further reading
Low-cost turning and MCs cost under GBP 50,000
High-speed vertical turning and machining centres offering production times that are significantly faster than current machines can achieve - with up to 96m/min rapids - cost under GBP 50,000.
Double-acting ballscrew cuts machine downtime
Very fast-moving mill-tap centres, zippy machining centres and a very nippy pick-up spindle vertical turning lathe are the results of applying a double-acting ballscrew axis drive.
Super-fast machines do not use linear motors
An "amazing response" was given at MACH 2002 to the UK launch of CNC machines offering production times that are significantly faster than current machines, but costing less than GBP 50,000!
With the constraints of space on the shop floor, it meant a significant reorganisation." He followed on to explain: "From receipt of the contract we had just five weeks to re-map and re-organise.
From our previous experiences with C Dugard - already having nine Dugard-supplied machines on the shopfloor - we decided to make use of their experience in planning and resiting machines to enable us to meet the tight schedule." Bowmill Engineering's experience with Dugard has grown step-by-step.
The company is an avid believer that using multiple machines sourced from the same supplier creates the same 'partnership' and working relationship that Bowmill, in turn, has with its customers.
Adds Nick Epps: "There is a lot of choice from the breadth of the Dugard Eagle range and other machines available from the company.
We know the machine's fitness for purpose; they have a good reliable life span with high functionality without the complications of technology for technology's sake.
Our business is to manufacture precise components from raw material - Dugard has an established reputation to provide equipment that will assist us in our objectives." A series of meetings were set up with Dugard engineers and other key suppliers to carefully plan the strategic moves.
Bowmill managers and the 'Lean Improvement' team, wanted to create a turning cell, extract and part-exchange a redundant large Quasar horizontal machining centre and install three of the new Dugard Eagle machining centres into a milling line.
The difficulty was the Quasar was in the centre of the workshop and so 24 machines had to be taken out of service and moved to temporary locations to allow for the new installations.
Then all the machines affected had to be reinstalled and commissioned - and all in a window of just four days.
Finally, the plans were laid down and all the machines were decommissioned early on a Thursday morning and production was reinstated by the Monday morning.
Epps explained how using the Dugard experience paid-off effectively.
"They worked extremely closely with our engineers and everyone knew what had to be done, from emptying the coolant and disconnecting the machines right through to where they could be stored to provide access.
We had to also install a new power switchboard, the floors had to repainted with new gangways, then machines reconnected and levelled.
Once completed, the next phase involved programming, retooling and commissioning the new machines which had to meet quality approvals.
But by the Monday, we were ready to recommence production." Bowmill Engineering is a GBP 4.5 million turnover company employing 78 people progressing out of what David Boucher maintains was very humble origins back in 1970 when founded by his father Victor.
He reflected: "Our first customers were local companies Normalaire Garrett and Flight Refuelling, and the standard of work demanded by them made our name in the industry.
This led to expansion and a decade of rapid growth as we became a strategic supplier for almost every flying control installation during the 90s." Since 2000, the company has progressively developed recently acquiring Bowmill Metal Treatments, and is still expanding under a continuous improvement strategy." He maintained: "The plan now is to develop as a niche supplier providing a valuable 'integrator' service to customers involving in-house treatments, machining, assembly and test." There is currently a joint venture underway with a North American company and a progressive engineering project in South Africa which is all being co-ordinated while the business maintains a specialist service to its small spread of quality-driven blue chip customers.
The new Dugard Eagle installations comprised two Eagle 660 and two Eagle 850 vertical machining centres.
An identical Eagle 660 machine had already been installed but one of the second machine specifications was enhanced with a four-axis unit.
One of the new 850 Eagles also has the added flexibility of four-axes of movement and a 10,000 rev/min spindle option to improve production of complex aluminium barometric instrumentation components.
These are made in batches of 30 to 50 parts which include 1.5mm, 3.0mm and 4mm diameter dowel and bearing diameters made to tolerances of just seven microns.
Positional tolerances are within 0.025mm.
Indeed, at Bowmill Engineering machining complexity and strict surface finish requirements are regarded almost as normal working practice covering a diverse range of products including vital parts for flight control that encompass a broad spectrum of machining disciplines, assembly and test operations.
Summarising, Epps explained: "The installation and production down time would have been significantly increased with the end result compromised without the input from C Dugard. Request a free brochure from C Dugard ...
Their assistance was invaluable to us in securing the delivery of the project and long term contracts which will help maintain UK skill base in what is becoming an ever challenging global industry.".
• C Dugard: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
