CNC horizontal miller/borers machine tough metals

An investment in two horizontal milling and boring machines provide a subcontract engineering company with excellent machining capabilities even when cutting hard and difficult materials.

An investment in two horizontal milling and boring machines provide a subcontract engineering company with excellent machining capabilities even when cutting hard and difficult materials.

Barker Collins' investment in two Doosan Daewoo Horizontal Boring Machines reveals the company has big plans for the future.

Market-leading precision engineering subcontract specialist - Barker Collins Engineering - is going for growth (and succeeding) in a big way.

The Sheffield based company, since its MBO in 2003, has gone from strength to strength - and has built a solid reputation, nationally and internationally, for the quality of its products and the reliability of its service.

Barker Collins specialises in the manufacture of complex precision parts and components for marine, off-shore, power generation, defence, petrochemical and other process industries.

Unlike many UK precision engineering companies - Barker Collins has focused its considerable resources and expertise on the manufacture of large and complex components and sub-assemblies - where a requirement for high part accuracy and excellent surface finish are not merely expected from customers - they are demanded too.

To succeed in these niche sectors and, to differentiate itself within the markets it serves - Barker Collins has made (and continues to make) significant investments in the very latest CNC machine tool technologies.

Following the management buy-out three years ago the company invested in a CNC horizontal boring machine, a CNC gantry mill and a CNC Universal RAM milling machine.

These have been followed up, most recently, with the installation of two Doosan Daewoo ACE DB 130C Horizontal Boring Machines at the company's facility during May-June 2006 - both supplied by Mills Manufacturing Technology - based in Leamington, UK.

Said Chris Carter, managing director at Barker Collins: "We have made a conscious decision to focus our business on the manufacture of large complex parts for a quite diverse range of industries.

However, to achieve in these sectors - we need (and rely upon) the very latest advanced machine tools available.

The decision to invest in the 2 x DB 130C machines is a case in point." * Machines that 'do the business' - he DB 130C Horizontal Boring Machines are rugged and powerful.

They deliver excellent performance and provide Barker Collins with increased manufacturing capability and flexibility.

The DB 130C's are moving-column type horizontal boring machines designed to machine large (3000mm x 2000mm) and heavy (up to 15,000kg) workpieces.

They have a fully-cast machine structure and massive slideways that provide the optimum performance for all heavy-duty machining applications.

The DB 130C machines provide Barker Collins with excellent machining capabilities even when cutting hard and difficult-to-machine materials, thanks to their powerful 26kW, 2,500 rev/min spindle motors and integral three range gearboxes.

The machines have a 130mm diameter boring spindle with 700mm travel (W-axis), which enables long reach across the table.

The main spindle bearings are air/oil lubricated to reduce friction and heat build up, and the gearbox, motor and bearing temperature is controlled and regulated by an oil cooler facility - all of which reduce thermal distortion and increase component accuracy.

To optimise accuracy still further, the machine's X, Y and Z axes are fitted with Heidenhain linear scales as standard, and the machine table's X-axis movement is supported by air pressure - again to reduce friction.

The machine has a large machining envelope with X, Y and Z travels being 3000mm x 2000mm x 1600mm respectively - and both X- and Z-axis can be extended further as an option, if required.

To increase rigidity during deep boring and tough machining operations, the boring spindle and Y-axis can by hydraulically clamped in position.

The DB 130C has a (B-axis) continuous rotary table that can be indexed every 0.001 deg, with shot pin location every 90 deg.

The drive system used features a rigid double pinion-type drive to eliminate backlash, and a rotary scale for accurate table indexing.

To increase productivity and manufacturing flexibility still further- the DB 130C includes a fixed address tool changer available in various sizes and, as an option, can be supplied with an integrated two-station workpiece pallet changer.

A quick tour of the Barker Collins facility provides evidence of the diverse range and type of work handled by both the company - and by the two new Doosan Daewoo machines.

Large engine parts (e g, crankcases) for the company's power generation customers; large turbine blades and rings; hermetically-sealed containers for the nuclear energy sector; huge naval gun emplacements and housings for the UK's Ministry of Defence and FLP (flameproof) boxes and housings for the mining and mineral extraction sectors all demonstrate the variety of the work now managed as a matter of course by Barker Collins.

Yet despite such diversity - these parts, and their manufacture, have many things in common.

1 - All components are performance-critical and, as such, part accuracy and surface finish are of paramount importance.

The parts are complex and are machined to high tolerance (+/-0.001in).

To ensure quality - workpiece accuracy is continuously checked and inspected by Barker Collins' CMM equipment.

2 - Delivery and lead times for components are always acute - and these pressures have driven Barker Collins' investment strategies in new machine tool technologies.

The company now benefits from - reduced job setups, reduced machine cycle times and improved production output etc 3 - Parts and components are produced in low volumes.

Barker Collins advanced CNC machine tools and investment in CAD/CAM capability ensures that small series components can be manufactured economically.

Concluded Chris Carter: "We have made a significant investment in Doosan Daewoo technology and these two new machines - plus the comprehensive after-sales service and technical support we get from Mills - mean that we are well positioned to capitalise on the opportunities that exist in manufacturing large complex components.".

Back to top