Product category:
Machining centres - all types
News Release from: Mori Seiki UK | Subject: Mori Seiki Duracenter 5
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 27 October 2004
Cost effective choice for subcontracting
Subcontractor Dicker Precision Components needed a replacement machine for its Hailsham factory,and chose to install the new Mori Seiki Duracenter 5 vertical machining centre.
Subcontractor Dicker Precision Components was looking for a replacement machine for its Hailsham factory, and chose to install the new Mori Seiki Duracenter 5 vertical machining centre from Pollard to grow its productivity Since 1972 the company has been making pump components for leading pump manufacturers and flanged access fittings, heavy duty covers and solid and hollow plugs for the oil and gas industry in batch quantities of up to 100
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 5 Jun 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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It was a difficult choice, balancing quality and cost offerings from the different suppliers.
Mori Seiki are renowned for their quality and the name certainly attracted us." >From a visit to the Pollard showroom in Leicester, David Painter and his fellow director Raymond Love could see the quality of the build compared with the other machine tools they had considered.
Raymond Love explained, "We were looking for a machine which would offer a long life.
The substantial castings in the machine are 40-50% heavier, the ball screws are bigger and we could see the quality of the bedways and the general solidity of construction.
Additionally, the drive on the spindle is from a built in motor rather than a belt drive." The Duracenter chosen by Dicker Precision also included a 4th axis which enables the company to complete many of its parts in one setting, and a chip-conveyor with powerful flushing, which makes keeping the machine clean a simple task.
Compared with their old machine, the company has experienced some dramatic performance improvements.
"Tool changes are a factor of five times quicker and rapid feed rates are three times faster.
The Duracenter is also very accurate, it has had a positive effect on our piece part costs and effectively provided us with additional capacity for more work," said David Painter.
David Banham, Pollard's Technical Director, added, "Mori Seiki has designed the gearless direct drive spindle to bring out the full power at all speeds.
Acceleration from rest to 12,000 rpm is achieved in 1.1 seconds, and tool changing chip-to-chip times are as low as 3.5 seconds.
Overall, this machine is constructed to maintain Mori Seiki quality at a competitive cost." The 12,000 rpm spindle speed, the rigidity of the machine, and the rigid tapping capability have encouraged Dicker Precision to re-evaluate its machining methods, and it is optimising its programmes and moving to carbide tooling from ripper cutters.
In addition, the company finds the increased spindle speed very useful for engraving, which is a common feature on many of its components.
"A further nice feature of the machine is the sealed lubrication system, eliminating contamination of the cutting fluid with tramp oil and hence prolonging its useful life," added David Painter.
Raymond Love particularly liked the ease of setting, "The probe on the machine allows you to pick up an edge, two faces for a centre line or three points for the centre of a circle.
This saves us a lot of time over the dial indicator methods we used previously." Investing for the long term was an important factor for Dicker Precision. Request a free brochure from Mori Seiki UK ...
David Painter concluded, "We could see the quality in the Mori Seiki Duracenter, and anticipate that it will give us reliability, a long life and a higher end of life value all at a realistic cost - it is an ideal choice of machine for a subcontractor.".
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