Lathe and miller controls ease CNC transition

The inherent flexibility of lathe and milling machine controls and the resulting ease of programming and set-up have resulted in a seamless transition to CNC machining for a rigging maker.

The 'super yachts', which are generally exceeding 30m long need a lot of rigging.

Ocean Yacht Systems (OYS) focuses upon the super yacht and large race boat market.

Since December 1997 this privately-owned company located on the business park area of Bournemouth International Airport, UK, has established a world-wide reputation for the quality and reliability of its rigging systems, available in either stainless steel (Nitronic 50) or PBO (Zylon) synthetic fibre.

It also operates a highly regarded service programme, ensuring that safety critical, highly tensioned moving parts are correctly lubricated and maintained.

The growing demand for OYS' products, which now include fixed, swing and retractable bow and stern thrusters, means the machine shop is running 24h/day.

Production manager at OYS, Stuart Moss, explained: "The deadline pressure is much the same as in motor sport and we cope by having a hardworking and versatile team of people, all of whom are highly skilled individuals".

Materials machined include aluminium, bronze, stainless steel, tool steel and titanium.

Since September 2007 machining has involved two new manual/CNC machines supplied by XYZ Machine Tools.

These are the first CNC machine tools to be installed in the 1000m2.

workshop, so operator training at XYZ's Burlescombe headquarters was a high priority.

Both machines are equipped with the latest-generation ProtoTRAK controls that contribute to maximum operator productivity, particularly on the one-off components or small batches typical of the work undertaken in the purpose-built OYS facility.

The flexibility of ProtoTRAK and the resulting ease of programming and set-up have resulted in a seamless transition to CNC machining, said XYZ.

A recent example was the machining of components for the Nitronic 50 rod rigging and hydraulic systems specified for Ethereal, a 58m ketch under construction at the Royal Huisman Shipyard in Holland.

"By increasing the machine shop capacity we are able to offer a wider choice of bespoke components and a faster response for standard products," said Moss.

As well as marine applications, the 11kW/1800 rev/min XYZ ProTURN SLX 555 3m centre distance gap bed lathe and the 5.75kW/5000 rev/min XYZ ProtoTRAK SMX 5000 bed milling machine (1930mm x 356mm table/850kg maximum table load) are also playing a key role in OYS' move into the construction industry.

A new division, OYS Architectural, is transferring the knowledge gained from marine work into the provision of architectural rigging components for projects ranging from office buildings, such as the recently-completed Unilever House redevelopment on London's Victoria Embankment, to bridges.

This new area of expertise encompasses a diverse range of materials and an extensive array of end terminations and tailored connectors.

However, whether for marine or architectural applications, Moss said that OYS' requirements remain the same: components machined to stringent specifications that include a surface finish needing the minimum of polishing to achieve a mirror finish.

In every respect, he says, the two XYZ machine tools have proved equal to the challenge.

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