First steps into CNC

James Camden Engineering, which manufactures aerospace and motorsport parts, was working on a titanium component for an aerospace application. This was largely 3D printed using the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) method. However, this part also required complex thread milling, which was too difficult to achieve on standard, manual milling machines.

The Warwick-based subcontractor conducted a comprehensive review of the CNC machine tool market and concluded that Fanuc, a leading global manufacturer of factory automation solutions, offered the best combination of cost, performance, precision technology and service.

Jordan Coles, a toolroom machinist at James Camden Engineering says: “We wanted an accurate machine that could work to high tolerances with precise, consistent performance. We looked at many suppliers and decided that Fanuc’s solutions were most suitable for our needs.”

After reviewing the components, the type of regular work and the quantities produced, Fanuc advised James Camden Engineering to invest in a Robodrill D21Mi-A5 high power version machining centre. The 3-axis Robodrill was the first CNC machining centre for the company.

Mr Coles explains: “We haven’t just bought this machine for production machining – it’s also been brought in for machining accurate, small batch parts. 3D printing of critical features isn’t as precise as machining on the Fanuc Robodrill, so we receive the 3D printed parts from a third-party supplier and finish all of the critical features on the Robodrill.”

The Fanuc Robodrill includes AC servo motors, high-precision thermal compensation and a CNC control unit, built upon a sturdy and compact platform. It achieves a bi-directional axis positioning accuracy of less than 0.006mm with repeatability of less than 0.004mm. It also has a maximum speed of 10,000rpm, which is derived from an 11kW spindle motor.

“From a service perspective, we couldn’t ask for more,” Mr Coles says. “Fanuc’s sales team was attentive to our needs and understood our business. Its application engineers also visit us frequently to check everything is working and to advise us. The combination of speed and power produced by the CNC Robodrill is ideally suited to our demands. It has genuinely gone above and beyond all expectations.”

Fanuc www.fanuc.eu/uk/en/cnc www.fanuc.eu/uk/en/robodrill