16 June 2024 Production Engineering Solutions pesmedia.com MACHINING Operating from a 50,000ft² manufacturing facility, Dawnlough Precision was founded in 1987 and is accredited to ISO:9001, ISO:13485 and AS:9100D. Underpinning its growth is the adoption of advanced production tools such as FMEA, PPAP and SPC and investment in flexible, capable and productive machine tools. In fact, its production facility on the West Ireland coast has more than 54 CNC machines that provide premium manufacturing solutions. Recently acquired by the Acrotec Group, the 110-employee business is still run by longstanding managing director and previous owner Brian McKeon. Keith Kennedy, aerospace production manager at Dawnlough says: “We manufacture high precision components for the aerospace and Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) industries as well as tooling and production aids for the medical device sector. “When I started in 2006, tooling was the main business focus, but as the aerospace and medical device industries have expanded locally, this presented many opportunities. Our aerospace work started with seating components for Rockwell Collins, which led us into 5-axis machining. We then progressed to flight-critical components for the likes of Spirit Aero Systems and Pratt & Whitney. Similarly, we evolved from manufacturing medical tooling and instruments to producing complete assemblies.” Discussing the expansion in the medical industry, Mr Kennedy continues: “Our core business has predominantly focused on vascular work and from this, we have expanded our offering. We now produce an array of components for our RAS customers as well as consumable instruments.” The first Bumotec on the Emerald Isle It is here that the search for a suitable machine led Dawnlough to purchase a Bumotec 191neo FTL-R in June 2022. Discussing the acquisition, Mr Kennedy recalls: “We had several components we initially targeted for this type of machine. “We needed a machine with very high levels of accuracy, short cycle times and high efficiency because it’s a very competitive market. We visited many companies reviewing high-accuracy machines, but it’s only as you look closer and purchase one of these machines for this type of work, you really see the value-add they bring. “We were looking for repeatability, flexibility, high spindle speeds, the ability to machine hard material and 2-3μm precision on production runs. We had very specific requirements and we were not sure if it was going to be achievable. “Some of our initial trial parts were 46HRC and we are using tools from 0.1 to 0.5mm. We needed repeatability of 2 to 3μm, but we needed to hold that overnight. Some of the functions of the Bumotec machine such as the software for monitoring the machine, the cutting load, the contact cutting time and the large 90 tool ATC in the machine are incredible. It was a huge investment and an unknown risk – but it ticked all the right boxes.” As well as machining 46HRC parts, there was also a need for specific RAS components that were a key driver behind the first Bumotec installation: “We were machining these parts in batches of 200-off up to six times a year and there are six different parts in the family with a projected ramp-up of 200-300% a year so we wouldn’t have been able to support the customer with our existing method,” Mr Kennedy explains. “There was also a fallout due to accuracy, as we couldn’t 100% meet the GDT accuracy. “We needed to put bar diameters up to 1.5 inches in the machine while also running high precision production runs of small instrumentation parts. The Bumotec also had the subspindle and a robotic unit which was important, as we need traceability for every part we make. We took demonstration parts to Bumotec in Switzerland in April 2022 and we received the machine in June.” Success brings machine number two Following the success of the Bumotec 191neo with FTL-R configuration, the Galway company then added a second Bumotec 191neo in March 2023. Supplied with an FTLPRM configuration, the second machine was introduced with complete automation and a 20-position pallet station for lights-out production. “What they offered us with the second machine was a complete turnkey solution for our instrumentation components. We had given them a target for extreme levels of precision and production volume with the flexibility to produce families of parts,” Mr Kennedy recalls. “We needed to machine materials from 46 to 52HRC such as 17-4 and 420 stainless steel as well as titanium. The instrument parts for use in invasive robotic surgery include tools like grippers, cutting instruments and scissors. We are producing the parts in medium to high volume runs across two different parts in various quantities per month.” Some of the parts had very long cycle times on the 5-axis machines and this needed to be reduced to below 30 minutes with 48HRC material. Not only was the cycle time a challenge, but Dawnlough had to attain precision levels in a production environment with the flexibility to produce upwards of 30 different components. Initially machining 20 to 50 parts a month, the schedule was set to rise rapidly to 200 parts per month before reaching production volumes – numbers not possible on a 5-axis machining centre. “With the second machine, we knew exactly what Bumotec could offer, so we worked with them remotely,” Mr Kennedy says. “What Bumotec offer is exceptional and way beyond anything we had anticipated. With the original Bumotec 191neo FTL-R, we had the subspindle, but with the next set of parts we needed the Bumotec 191neo FTL-PRM. With this machine, we had the option of the vice, a 3m bar feed and also a robot loader. We needed the robot loader for traceability. It also expanded the capacity of the machine where we could go from 50mm barfed stock to 80mm billet loading. “The sub-spindle option we had on the FTL-R wasn’t feasible for the parts we needed, whereas the FTL-PRM gave us two vices which negated secondary machining, so to be able to pick up the component in the vice and conduct the second operation in a single cycle was key to finishing the parts.” Contributing to the conversation, Dawnlough’s general manager, Eddie McHugh adds: “We were machining parts on our 5-axis machining centres and we needed to increase output by 400%. We were machining around 400 parts a month on two different products with a cycle time of 45 minutes. This was tying up two machines and one man permanently every month. On second and third shifts with fewer staff, we had concerns about machine tolerance drift, so output was reduced and it also made inspection labour intensive. “With the arrival of the Bumotec 191neo FTL-PRM there’s a labour saving with one man running two machines around the clock. Additionally, with the pallet loader, the parts are loaded into the machine and back to the pallet loader in a specific order which made huge savings on inspection. We have also made considerable savings on tool costs and changeovers Bumotec solves medical production puzzle Galway-based Dawnlough Precision is a subcontract manufacturing business that has travelled a relentless journey of growth since it started manufacturing tooling for the aerospace and medical industries back at the start of the millennium. Instrumental to this success is investment in two Bumotec 191neo turn/mill centres from Starrag. PES reports. The Dawnlough facility in Galway, Ireland Keith Kennedy (left) With senior CNC engineer Ronan Faherty A selection of intricate medical device components produced on the Bumotec S191neo at Dawnlough
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