Product category:
Vertical machining centres (VMC)
News Release from: Matsuura Machinery | Subject: MC-660VG vertical machining centre
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 04 November 2003
Correct M-C choice produces growth,
stability
Always believing that investing in new state of the art technology offers reliability, speed and accuracy, accurate machine tools are seen as the key to a subcontractor's growth and stability.
Pantograph have chosen Matsuura and its vertical MC-660VG machine to continue their growth in the mould and die sector Pantograph Precision is a family run business, founded in 1964 by the present owner Lat Hadley
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 21 Jun 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Making mostly finished mould inserts from patterns produced by hand, it moved from its original base to the Slough Trading Estate in 1972.
Expanding rapidly, Pantograph soon established itself as a reliable and cost effective precision engineering injection mould and tool making company.
Pantograph have always believed that investing in new state of the art technology, offering reliability, speed and accuracy is the key to their growth, expansion and future stability.
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Adaptable production capability is offered by a VMC in single- and twin-spindle variants - a long X-axis table allows long parts to be machined, or parts can be machined in 'pendelum' fashion.
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To that end they purchased the UK's first Charmillies F40 wire erosion machine in 1975.
The company ethos of leading technology investment continues to this day.
Now operating from Colnbrook, near Heathrow Airport, for sometime now Pantograph have specialised in the manufacture of moulds for lenses, used in everything from bullet-proof visor and polycarbonate safety glasses to high altitude aviation crew masks.
This lead them into the mould production of breathing apparatus face masks which includes not only the lenses, but also the mould tool for the rubber facemask which is attached to the breathing apparatus, for use in fire-fighting to diving.
In the mid 90's Pantograph invested in the benefits of modern CAD/CAM systems and purchased a system from Delcam, enabling them to produce mould surfaces and cutter paths, realising the potential of cutting hardened mould steel.
At around this time they purchased a Sharnoa Vertical Machining Centre, fitted with a bolt on 35,000 rev/min spindle.
However, the technology at this time only allowed them to achieve feed rates of 2000mm/min if the required accuracy was to be achieved.
Eighteen months ago they set out to purchase a new machine to carry their business forward.
To those ends they designed a test piece that would demonstrate the contending machines capabilities in accuracy (+/-0.005mm) and their ability to process data quickly in terms of its block processing speed.
The semi sphere test piece was cut in five different directions, programmed with 0.003mm accuracy at a feed rate of 3000mm/min.
The test was also used to check the contending machines thermal stability and spindle balance.
After many months of working closely with all the companies vying for their business, Pantograph felt able to cut the potential supplier list to three.
Stuart Hadley, Pantograph's CADCAM director stated: "The Matsuura is one of a select few that could machine the test piece at the feeds and speeds required.
Of those machines that achieved the required feeds and speeds, even fewer hit the necessary quality in terms of surface finish and accuracy." Hadley went on to say that the stability and reliability of the MC-660VG is excellent, with operators and programmers very impressed with the companies purchase.
The supplied MC-660VG has a Matsuura designed and built 15,000 rev/min High Speed Spindle, and Matsuura's own 2.5D high speed software 'Advanced Zee Lag' installed.
Advanced Zee Lag is software for calculating the cutter path to successfully eliminate servo lag, and allows the machine to traverse at its maximum feedrate in relation to the programmed tolerance set for a component.
Apart from machine integrity, a deciding factor for Pantograph was the after sales back up service and technical support that machine tool suppliers were offering with their product.
Matsuura's obvious long term investment in its 4,000m2 Leicestershire, UK Facility, containing a unique Class 1000 Spindle Department, extensive CAD/CAM applications expertise and European spares stock holding centre was very influential in their final decision.
Matsuura's proven success in supplying machines from its MC-Series range into similar industries also played its part.
Since installing the Matsuura MC-660VG, it has been tasked to successfully produce fighter pilots breathing apparatus and rig for the European Fighter Aircraft.
Hadley said: "It is interesting that we are finding that lenses are now easier to polish from the Matsuura than the jig grinder, and we are holding +/-0.005mm, 'day in day out' without any problems.
The new technology also means that we are able to manufacture variable contour lenses easily, which previously was a very complex process, and to a much tighter tolerance.".
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