NAKAMURA PROVIDES MEDLEY OF PRODUCTIVITY GAINS

When Medley Precision won a contract to produce fire suppression assembly systems, the Mansfield-based subcontract manufacturer was initially producing the parts on a single spindle turning centre. However, as the required quantities quickly escalated, the company sought a better solution, turning for help to the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) and the Nakamura-Tome brand.

Like many subcontract manufacturers, Medley has a plant list of high-end machine tools that epitomises the quality demanded by its equally prestigious customers in the offshore, power generation, rail, medical, aerospace and defence sectors. With the aluminium fire mist nozzle systems consisting of a family of four components, the initial requirement was for 200 parts (x4) per month – a volume sustainable for the existing turning centre. However, the volume rapidly exploded from a total of 800 parts to 6000 (1500-off x4) and a solution was needed urgently.

Medley Precision’sproduction manager Stuart Solomon recalls: “The volume rapidly expanded and we looked at a sliding-head lathe, but one of the parts in the assembly was over 50mm diameter – beyond the realm of a slider. We then looked at a range of other manufacturers, but it was the pedigree, quality and the price-to-performance ratio of the Nakamura-Tome brand that sold it to us.”

The AS9100-certified Nottinghamshirecompany purchased a twin-spindle, twin-turret Nakamura-Tome WT15II turning centre at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to cruise through the 6000 part per month order.

“For us, having the facility for one-hit, ‘lights-out’ machining via a barfed turning centre was crucial to our investment decision,” says Solomon.“Moving from a chucking single-spindle lathe to the Nakamura WT150II was a complete revelation. On the four parts, we more than halved the cycle times. The cycle time for the aluminium nozzle body was cut from 14 minutes to 6, while the time for the other three parts were cut from 8, 6 and 4 minutes, to 4, 3 and 2 minutes respectively. But this wasn’t just about cycle time improvements, we wanted to create a stable and efficient process.”

The results were immediately evident. Medley went from one operator permanently located on the single-spindle lathe to one operator on two machines. The quality and consistency of the parts improved vastly, as did the surface finishes. Notably, the same Nakamura stability that improved surface finishes and consistency also prolonged tool life significantly with operational costs falling sharply.

“With the cycle time savings, we could also introduce a deburring cycle for each part and still be more than 50% faster than before,” explains Solomon.“The deburring cycle eliminated the need for the parts to be put through a post-machining rumbler. Our operator would put 200 parts per hour into the rumbler for deburring while running a single-spindle machine full-time. Not only have we eradicated this additional process, but our consumable costs and the energy efficiency of running one machine instead of two is evident.”

With the first Nakamura-Tome WT150II proving such a success for Medley, the company once again turned to ETG when the order books in the turned parts department continued to bulge.

Says Solomon: “With the first Nakamura dedicated to 24 hour, five days a week production of the fire-suppression system, we were noticing our remaining single and twin-spindle turning centres were increasingly close to hitting full capacity – we needed another Nakamura.”

The manufacturer was witnessing a surge in rail work with an increasing demand for fuel systems and associated parts for trains in batches of 100+, as well as an increase in high-value oil and gas exploration parts such as flow regulators and pins in varying quantities from 20 to 150+ parts. Medley specified the Nakamura WY150F, a turning centre with a larger footprint and work area than the WT150II – a footprint that accommodates Y-axis cutting on both the upper and lower turrets.

“The Nakamura WY150F is a slightly larger machine than the WT150II, but it offers additional capabilities,” says Solomon.“The machine was only commissioned recently and we are already seeing the benefits. We swapped the single-spindle machine out and replaced it with the WY150F, as the single-spindle machine no longer meets our profile for a turned parts machine. Although we can acknowledge that the single-spindle turning centre is no match for a twin-spindle Nakamura in productivity terms, we are realising the true value of the Nakamura WY150F, as we are now transferring parts from our other twin-spindle turning centre.”

He continues: “We’ve just moved a part from our other twin-spindle machine to the Nakamura WY150F, cutting the cycle time from 15 minutes to less than 8 on a brass component for the rail industry. This cycle time saving is achievable by hitting both sides of the part at the same time, by using the upper tooling turret on the main spindle and simultaneously hitting the back end of the part in the sub-spindle with the lower tooling turret. By identifying this saving, we will be gradually moving more of our volume components to the new Nakamura and transferring our lower batch quantity work to the single-turret turning centre. Another factor that is making the Nakamura perform so well is the impressive technology and software within the control panel, as well as the Hainbuch work-holding system.”

With the first Nakamura WT150II turning centre dedicated to producing a family of fire-suppression components and the second Nakamura WY150F rapidly churning its way through capacity for Medley, the reduced lead times and improved component quality is bringing more work to the subcontract manufacturer.
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

MTC offers lifeline to Britishvolt employees

The Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre is providing a lifeline to redundant employees of the collapsed battery manufacturer Britishvolt. In total, the MTC is offering Britishvolt workers with the opportunity to fill more than 50 engineering, manufacturing and supporting roles at its Ansty Park headquarters. The roles available include engineers of all levels, as well as project managers and trainers.

MTC chief people officer, Vicki Sanderson, says the MTC was keen to support the UK manufacturing community: “The UK has long suffered from a shortage of people with the right engineering and associated skills to take the country’s manufacturing industry into the future, so it’s important that these skills are not lost to other sectors.”
For further information www.the-mtc.org

Innovative tooling at heart of partnership

MSC Industrial Supply Co UK (MSC) and Walter Tools have entered a new supplier partnership focused on ensuring machine shops receive high-precision tooling and value-added service.

“Walter Tools’ focus on innovation and new product development matches closely with MSC’s values of providing products and services of the highest possible standard,” explains James Howarth, head of category management at MSC. “Many industries, from automotive and energy all the way to aerospace, require high-quality suppliers with whom they can work closely; who understand their needs and can recommend the right tools for the job. Walter Tools’ focus on helping customers streamline their processes resonated with MSC and is a key reason behind the forming of this partnership.”
For further information www.mscdirect.co.uk

In-Comm launches £3m Technical Academy

A new £3m technical academy, located just a few miles from the home of the industrial revolution, is now officially open to the public.In-Comm Training, which already operates two facilities in the Black Country and Shrewsbury, is looking to train more than 350 apprentices and upskill 2500 existing workers at its T54 centre near Telford over the next 12 months.

The ‘Ofsted Outstanding’ provider has created 20,000 sq ft of manufacturing training space, fitting it out with new equipment and state-of-the-art technology, spanning from the latest CNC machines, robotics, material testing and CADCAM systems, to welding, electricaland metrology equipment.A team of 20 expert trainers will guide the engineers of the future bydelivering best-practice courses.
For further informationwww.in-comm.co.uk

Bandsaws in stock at Dimakin

The UK branch of Dimakinrecently took delivery of yet another container filled with bandsaws ready to leave the door.

Dimakin says that it bandsawsare jam-packed with features, including dual mitres, variable speed, digital readouts and double vices.The company has a fully operational showroom in Coventry for potential customers who want to see the cut quality of the bandsaw before committing to purchase.

Dimakin prides itself on customers being 100% satisfied in thepurchase they are making, and that the machine is the exact one they require. By visiting a showroom with a comprehensive range available, visitors can move up or down the range when ‘testdriving’ the machines, assessing different capacities and features that suit their individual needs.

All bandsaw models are in stock, fully built, powered, and ready to use, including the BS-420-DM. This metal-cutting bandsaw is the largest in the current range of Dimakin bandsaws and is suitable for medium-to-large output fabrication workshops.

The compact and economical BS-420-DM offers manual or hydraulic descent and the capability to produce mitres up to 60° left, 45° right. With 27mm blade depth for precise cutting, the accompanying coolant system comes as standard to extend blade life.

The blade tension is fully adjustable. Users also benefit from blade tension gauge, cam locking device and material stop. The blade stops automatically upon finishing each cut.

In addition to its bandsaw stock, Dimakin also stocks roller tables. Both in-feeding and out-feeding roller tables are available, such as the RTO-3000, a 3 m outfeed roller tablecomplete with material stop for rapid and precise repeatability.
For further information www.dimakin.co.uk