Product category:
Vertical machining centres (VMC)
News Release from: C Dugard | Subject: Vertical machining centre - 4-axis
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 06 November 2006
Machining centre offers vibration-free
cutting
Subcontractor is achieving excellent surface finishes with a machining centre because of the lack of vibration during cutting, and realises 750 parts to a set of inserts on a milling cutter.
After being made redundant as a toolmaker and jig borer, Terry Mould established Telmar CNC in 1991 as a precision subcontract machinist that now involves his wife, daughter and son Today, with nine employees, the Chandlers Ford (Eastleigh) operation is still keen to maintain its 'family-run' principles that have been the foundation for continued success
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 26 Jan 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Telmar CNC is now also increasingly utilising fourth-axis and one-hit machining philosophies to enhance the company's reputation for cost-effective productivity efficiency.
Indeed, such is Mould's enthusiasm for automating his subcontract operations that he even closed the factory for a day earlier this year so that everyone could go to the MACH show and update on technology developments.
Part and parcel of this quest for continual improvement is Telmar CNC's portfolio of nine machine tools from C Dugard of Hove, UK, initially used equipment but more recently also involving the latest Dugard Eagle machines that Mould described as: "ideal for subcontractors in terms of capability, cost and, importantly, availability." He said: "As a time-served engineer I treat everything I make with respect, but I also need the highest versatility from my equipment and I must keep processes up to date." Also, as a subcontractor - in Telmar CNC's case mainly supplying load cell, high voltage electrical, pharmaceutical, marine and some automotive components: "I feel this gives the company the widest scope to enable us to make the most of the business," he said.
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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!
However he maintained: "What I don't want is to be trapped in a specialist market sector, or with one major, dominant customer - a lesson I learnt in the fledgling days of the business." With his jig boring background Mould knows that patience produces precision, and utilising his first secondhand manual lathe and milling machine he produced winch gear for an Isle of Wight company that was designing and building the winch gear for an entry in the round-the-world yacht race.
In 1992 after winning a contract to make 400kVA cable connectors and spending 72h making a part that he had quoted 40h for, he was advised to invest in CNC.
He took that advice and invested in his first two used machines from C Dugard.
From there Telmar CNC has never looked back on expanding the business.
For some two years the cable company created 90% of turnover, and the company was too busy to seek other business.
Then it 'took the bull by the horns', and went after and won work from a load cell manufacturer in Wales.
This started another machine purchase trail, this time focusing on Dugard Eagle lathes and machining centres.
Mould maintained that the specification of the Eagle is ideal for the subcontractor and, with the machine available on ex-stock delivery, means users can react quickly to new contract requirements.
"Normally we can have a machine in production within a week of picking-up the telephone to make an enquiry," he added.
As skilled in precision machining as he is, Mould is very concerned over the lack of machining knowledge when he is looking for new employees.
His company is producing parts from materials as diverse as exotic steels, aluminium and plastic, and these he says require experience to keep machining under control.
The need for improved productivity is, as a result, leading him to look to automation including the introduction of single-cycle operations.
The latest Dugard Eagle 1000 and 660 vertical machining centres, purchased this year, were both acquired with fourth-axis units to enable operations to be combined and thus provide multi-face machining capabilities.
A further new machine purchase under consideration is for a turn/mill centre, with 700mm diameter capacity and subspindle.
This will expand Telmar CNC's capability even further and improve the company's operational strategy.
The Dugard 1000 is singled out as the ideal vertical machining centre.
"You get what you pay for," Mould insisted, as he described how he has been able to dramatically reduce milling cycles for an aluminium component machined out of a solid billet on this very rigid machine.
Commenting on the machine performance he saids: "We can fill several bins of swarf in a day by removing the 70% of material we have to mill away from the billet but, most important, is the resulting effect of the machine build on tool life." He maintained: "We are achieving excellent surface finishes because of the lack of vibration during cutting, and we are obtaining more than 750 parts to a set of inserts on a milling cutter." The four-axis Dugard Eagle 1000 and the smaller capacity Eagle 660, tend to be used to produce single prototype components and batches up to around 200 parts.
However, one order has so far occupied the larger machine for 18 weeks.
"It just ran and ran between 6 am and 6 pm.
Because the Eagle 1000 has proven to be such a key machine we are in fact, now considering to replace an older vertical machining centre - originally purchased from Dugard in 1995 - with another Eagle 1000." The machine was described by Mould as having a very useful table size of 1000 mm by 510mm and able to accept loads of up to 600kg.
This provides the versatility he demands for the fourth axis and room for loading parts straight to the table.
Choosing the Fanuc OiMB control from the CNC options and a 15kW, 8,000 rev/min spindle from the optional 13kW, 8,000 rev/min, 10,000 rev/min or 12,000 rev/min units available, he reckoned he has the ideal solution for the type of parts customers want to present to him. Request a free brochure from C Dugard ...
In reflection Mould said: "We have continually maintained a policy of being very accurate, and competitive in both pricing and delivery, and these have proven important foundations." But he maintained: "Automation of the machining process is the way forward and the whole family is keen to invest consistently to secure the company's future.".
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