Product category:
CNC lathes
News Release from: Colchester-Harrison | Subject: Tornado 200 and Tornado 110 two-axis CNC lathes
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 September 2003
CNC lathes raise medical components
output
The installation of bar fed CNC lathes has played a big part in the growth of a medical business enabling it to machine a wide range of components some three to five times faster than before.
Such has been the success of its medical engineering business supply of medical gas distribution equipment, that precision subcontractor Unniett Engineering based in Water Lane, Leeds changed its name last year to establish itself as a branded manufacturer of 'own and discrete' products for the medical market Now trading as Connect Medical Systems (CMS), the company has also recruited a small number of specialists from within the industry to help develop and expand its range of medical equipment and virtually all of CMS' turned parts are produced on either its Colchester Tornado 200 or Tornado 110 two-axis bar fed CNC machines
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 5 Jul 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Improved lathe at even more attractive price
The Tornado 220 two-axis CNC lathe range is faster, heavier by almost 20 per cent and more rigid, to provide a consistent turning operation from part to part
Solid base on which to turn one-offs
Colchester has combined the stability of a solid base and an advanced control and software package into the Combi K-Series CNC lathe for one-off components or batch production.
To which managing director Nigel Roberts maintains: "The installation of the Colchester Tornado lathes has played a big part in the growth of our medical business over the last few years enabling us to machine a wide range of gas supply components some three to five times faster than our previous production methods.
But you need to look further than just floor to floor times," he insists, "its accuracy, ease of use and changeover of the Tornados that has enabled us to be more cost-effective and helped improve our delivery performance." Medical work currently accounts for some three-quarters of the business and CMS offers a complete range of equipment designed to produce, control, distribute and monitor medical gases within a hospital or laboratory environment.
This includes the production and assembly of terminal units for piped medical gas installations, multi-mount pendants, zone modules, hose assemblies, isolation valves, anaesthetic gas systems, pressure switches, rigid and retractable pendants and air and vacuum systems.
Further reading
Toolroom made thorough evaluation of 3-axis lathes
An extensive search of three-axis lathes led to three UK suppliers of CNC mill/turn centres facing in-depth evaluation of machine, control, software and running economics before a choice was made.
Turning cells play central role in SME initiative
Two two-axis 'lights-out' turning cells have very quickly taken a central role in a GBP 500,000 automated machining initiative designed to present cost-effective manufacturing techniques to SMEs.
Tornado CNC lathes get driven tooling
Colchester's top-selling Tornado slant bed CNC lathe is now available with driven tools. The three-axis 'M' version has six driven positions on the Sauter 12 station turret.
All machining work is carried out at the Leeds factory, while assembly and test of the gas supply systems is carried out at a second factory located in Rochdale.
Typical parts machined on the Tornados include connectors, unions, probes, special nuts, air manifolds and location pins and bushes which vary from 6mm diameter by 15mm long for a typical cartridge valve up to 200mm diameter by 80mm long for a multi-mount pendant bearing.
Most of these components are produced from brass in batch quantities of 100 although some jobs can involve larger volumes of up to 1,000.
Both the 110 and 200 Tornados tend to be run for up to 20 hours each day and include machining cycles such as outside diameter turning, boring, threading and drilling.
However, key cycles include special profiling, facing and grooving with tolerances on these medical parts tending to be around 0.01mm.
CMS engineers first saw a Tornado 200 in action at a major machine tool show and thought then that it seemed to provide a very cost-effective way of upgrading the turning capability and meet growing demands for quite a large range of batch work.
Attracted by the highly competitive pricing coupled with a performance, accuracy and ease of use capability, this led to a visit to an existing user to see the machine in action, and quickly led to the order with a 3m long bar feed.
Subsequently, a Tornado 110 was also purchased to cater for smaller medical components and has a shorter one metre bar feed so that the higher spindle speed capability can be used to the full.
Both machines are run by just one operator per shift and all programming is carried out at the machine on the shopfloor.
With additional investment being ploughed into the UK health sector, medical engineering has become more active but still remains highly competitive.
CMS has certainly built-up its activities around the manufacture and assembly of key medical gas supply systems which are supplied to installers working on refurbishment projects as well as new hospital building programmes.
Last year, for example, CMS produced over 20,000 of its gas and vacuum terminal units and topped up its UK supply with 17 per cent export business.
As an example of how the business can develop, over 2,000 of the company's terminal units have recently been installed in the Wishaw General hospital in Motherwell with a similar number due to be installed at the Glasgow Royal Hospital.
Despite all the increased funding now available to the National Health Service, costs are still a major factor when it comes to 'fitting out' or upgrading hospitals.
For instance, CMS has to compete with other engineering companies for its medical gas supply systems, and economics along with quality and delivery, are critical supply criteria.
That's where the performance of the two-axis Colchester lathes has really come into play enabling CMS to be not only more productive, competitive and cost-effective but very responsive to changing market demands.
Typical of the components produced on the Tornado 200 is a 51mm diameter by 27mm long first fixing body for a terminal which can be produced in a cycle time of just under two minutes.
Machined out of brass in batches of 1,000, operations include: profiling, drilling, boring, grooving and parting-off.
While on special hose-type probes, the smaller Tornado 110 machines 14mm diameter by 45mm long brass elements in a cycle time of less than 90 seconds.
Produced from 0.625mm brass bar, six different types of probe are required in batches of 100 with specific diameters to suit the various gases, in order that they cannot be confused.
• Colchester-Harrison: 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
