Confident about its future UK success in 2007, Mills Manufacturing Technology delivered more than 300 Doosan Daewoo CNC machine tools valued in excess of GBP 30 million.

Mills Manufacturing Technology has announced record sales for 2006 delivering more than 300 Doosan Daewoo CNC machine tools valued in excess of GBP 30 million. Said Mike Jenkins, managing director at Mills: 'The results for 2006 are fantastic and represent real growth of over 20%'. 'This performance was all the more special considering that during the year we managed to refinance the business and complete the installation of a new GBP 150,000 integrated management system which will deliver real benefits for the business and our customers.' With its installed base in the UK and Ireland now topping 3500 machine tools - Mills is confident about its future success in 2007 and beyond.

Continued Jenkins: 'The investments we have made in our technical and applications teams mean that we are well placed to capitalise on the growing demand among customers for complex turnkey solutions.

Doosan Daewoo machines are in high demand.

From standard entry 2-axis lathes and ultra-productive 3-axis machining centres - right through to multi-axis, multi-tasking mill-turn centres - we can provide the optimum machine tool solution.' In May 2007 Doosan Daewoo will hold its bi-annual DIMF Show in Korea where it is expected that over 60 new machine tool models will be launched.

These new machines (many destined for the UK in the months to come) - reveal and demonstrate Doosan Daewoo's ambitions to be the world's largest machine tool manufacturer within the next three years.

To meet increasing production demands in the medical and electronics sectors for micro tools of 0.1mm to 12.7mm diameter a 6-axis tool grinder has 'what you see is what you grind' software.

The new Walter 6-axis Helitronic Micro tool grinder available from Koerber Schleifring UK of Honiley near Kenilworth has been specifically designed from the ground up to meet increasing production demands in the medical and electronics sectors for the production of micro tools of 0.1mm to 12.7mm diameter and the regrinding of tools from 2mm to 12.7mm diameter. As an example of cycle times, a drill of 0.4mm diameter and 2mm long can be produced in 3 min 20s, while a 0.4mm diameter square end mill of 1.5mm long can be ground in 4 min 30s. Featuring an HSK 40, 5kW spindle and utilising Fanuc 310i CNC that incorporates Walter's 'what you see is what you grind' Helitronic Tool Studio software, the machine's double-ended grinding head (optionally three-spindle, with one 5kW and two 1.5kW drives) has integrated cooling that combines with linear drives and torque motor (with integral cooling) and a mineral cast base to help generate high precision, excellent surface finishes and longer wheel life.

An integrated Fanuc robot (double gripper) loading system also features, for fast - less than 10s - tool change, in conjunction with the four-pallet Pallet load system.

This provides unmanned working of up to 300 tools per pallet - three pallets for unground tools; one pallet 'empty' for ground tools - of tools from 1mm to 6.9mm shank diameter and 120mm long.

Larger tools of 7mm to 12.7mm shank diameter and 120mm long can be handled at 108 tools per pallet.

The Helitronic Micro has an X-axis travel of 400mm, a manual X-axis of 110mm to reduce grinding traverses, (available as a fully automatic axis as an option), and Y- and Z-axis both of 320mm, while C-axis is 200 deg.

The A axis workhead speed of 2,000 rev/min permits precise cylindrical grinding applications, such as when multi-step tools are being handled.

And hydraulically-operated tool shank steady rest enables high-precision workpiece guiding, which is particularly appropriate when long workpieces such as drills are being processed.

The company is now offering a tool room CNC knee mill, the Route 66 Task Master. The mill is equipped with the company's Quill Drive, which is said to allow a quick disconnect option between CNC or manual operations. In addition, users can tram the head to the desired angle without the chance of misaligning the quill drive, the company says. X and Y brackets are cast construction, and the ball screws are 0.0005" per foot lead accuracy. The mill uses the Centroid M39 for CNC operations. This control has conversational programming and uses Fanuc-style G Code for processing off-line CAD CAM files.

The mill can run as a three- or four-axis CNC or as a manual machine with a three-axis DRO at the push of a button. According to the company, power requirements are not a problem; the machine runs on 110V which operates the control, and either 220V single phase or 220V 3 phase power for the spindle. This machine will work in a tool room or in a home garage.

Stainless Works has purchased a Trumpf L2532 3200 watt CNC laser cutter that will enable it to CNC laser cut various materials ranging from thin foil sheet up to 3/4-inch thick stainless and l1-inch thick mild steel. The Trumpf L2532 can cut 4X8 sheet, and is an extremely precise CNC laser cutter accurate to .004 inch. It can cut up to 70 inches per minute, making it extremely fast with exceptional edge finish and repeatability. Stainless Works is interested in bidding on any CNC laser cutting work, from two parts to 2,000, and will not charge set-up fees-even for one-off parts. Stainless Works manufactures high quality CNC mandrel bent headers, exhaust systems, mufflers, and components for musclecars, street rods, street machines, trucks, sport compact, and motorcycles. The company sells both private label products and products under the Stainless Works brand.

UK machine tool distributor, Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools, will be exhibiting seven of the latest German built machine tools and equipment at an 'Open House' during May.

An open house will be held on 15th and 16th May 2007 at the Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools headquarters and technical centre in Gosport, Hampshire. Of the 15 German-built turning and prismatic machining centres and component washing machines being demonstrated from Index, Traub, Hermle and Durr, seven will be on show for the first time in the UK. Two videos and an orthogonal head display from SHW will feature innovations by this German manufacturer of large capacity machining centres.

There will also be an opportunity to see Geo Kingsbury's own range of MHP lathes and automotive test stands in build.

Anyone interested in attending the show and participating in the dinner being hosted by Geo Kingsbury at Southampton Football Club on the evening of the 15th May should contact Lynne Packer at the company.

Having to increase its manufacturing capacity, a subcontractor has invested GBP 250,000 in CNC lathes and a vertical machining centre to meet growing oil/gas/subsea components demand.

UK subcontractor to expand CNC machine tool park Having to increase its manufacturing and size machining capacity, a subcontractor has invested GBP 250,000 in CNC lathes and a vertical machining centre to meet growing oil/gas/subsea components demand. Investing more than GBP 250,000 in a package of Colchester-Harrison CNC machine tools from 600 Centre of Shepshed, subcontract precision machinist Ultimate Precision of Jarrow, Tyne and Wear sees the purchase of five machines as important in increasing its capacity to cope with 60 to 70% increases in production demands from oil and gas and subsea sectors. The order, involving progressive installation of a Colchester-Harrison Combi 6000, MultiTurn 4000 and 2000 flat-bed CNC lathes, a Tornado T8, two-axis lathe and a Storm VMC 1300 vertical machining centre, is part of the company's planned increase from small to medium size part machining into high specification parts up to 1m cube and up to 1m diameter by 4m long.

The company, under managing director Ken Davidson, employs 30 people and has grown from its formation in 1997 supplying aerospace, automotive, medical and general engineering sectors.

It has recently added 55% to its turnover from contracts gained from subsea and offshore industry customers.

Said sales and marketing manager Andy Hey: 'We still produce batch work for existing customers and continuous production for the automotive sector, which tends to have very tight margins, but the new areas are really very challenging in materials, tolerances and machining knowledge so we need production equipment that is reliable, accurate and very flexible.' The company investigated the machines available and while managing the growth of the business, value for money against equipment performance and flexibility were key markers on the comparison spread sheets.

'Here,' said Hey, 'The performance of the Combi and its specification fitted our requirements exactly against machines costing 45% more.

We also have the factory in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire providing a close lifeline for support because our philosophy is not to let customers down on delivery.' In addition to general materials, Ultimate Precision also produces parts from exotic materials and bespoke alloys, such as Duplex and Super Duplex, stainless steels and ceramics.

Tolerances run into a few microns on certain dimensions and high orders of surface finish are commonplace.

Here programming was a key element in judging the flexibility ranking of the machines and by standardising on Fanuc control, which is a key part of the 600 Group machine's specifications, means the setters on the shopfloor are quick to adapt to the new installations.

In addition to the machines from 600 Centre, the company has installed Fanuc's FAPT off-line programming and made good use of the on-machine interfaces and macros developed by Colchester-Harrison.

Altogether, the CNC plant list at Ultimate Precision has 21 machines and three co-ordinate measuring machines.

Distributor of CNC machine tools, XYZ Machine Tools, offers 'open invitation' to visit its Open Days and see the latest CNC lathes, millers, machining centres, etc, in operation.

XYZ Machine Tools' location in Devon, UK, just off Junction 27 of the M5 and within a few minutes drive of the unspoiled beauty of the Blackdown Hills - designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - makes any visit to its Burlescombe headquarters an enjoyable experience. But on 24/25 May there will be an added attraction, with showroom demo machines, all just a few months old, on offer at significantly less than list prices. Said Nigel Atherton, XYZ's managing director: 'The planned refurbishment of the main showroom facility here at Burlescombe means that everything must go during the two Devon open days, so there are plenty of bargains to be had and savings of thousands of pounds to be expected.

And, given that the two open days precede a Bank Holiday Monday, there's the additional incentive of making it a long weekend in the glorious Devon countryside.' Under the banner of 'the smarter choice for prototype and low volume production', XYZ will focus visitors' attention on the versatility of its extensive product range.

This includes manual/CNC turret/bed mills and lathes equipped with the celebrated ProtoTRAK control and full-CNC lathes, bridge mills and vertical machining centres, including a high speed (HS) version, equipped as standard with Siemens ShopMill and ShopTurn conversational controls.

'We have always been committed to providing high quality, value for money machines backed by the highest standards of after-sales service, training and product advice,' said Atherton.