Hereford manufacturer doubles up on 5-axis technology

Mazak numachine web 1
Mazak numachine web 1

Any manufacturing company looking to take its first foray into 5-axis machining has never had it so good with a profusion of cost-effective, fully featured entry-level machines available on the market. Earlier this year, Mazak turned a few heads with the UK launch of its ultra-competitive CV5-500. Dave Tudor visited one of the first UK users – Hereford-based NuMachine – to see the machine being put through its paces.

Yamazaki Mazak’s product portfolio is unquestionably vast, but a real differentiator from the competition is the fact that its European headquarters is based in Worcester, making it – as one of only a handful of true UK machine tool builders – a very rare breed indeed.

However one thing missing from Mazak’s product range was a highly compact, cost-effective fully-functional 5-axis machine aimed squarely at satisfying the needs of the subcontract and SME markets. The CV5-500 was developed specifically to meet those needs.

With a price tag starting at just £145,000, Mazak is certainly hitting the sweet spot in terms of pricing. As Alan Mucklow, Mazak’s managing director, UK & Ireland, sales and service division enthused earlier this year at the CV5-500’s UK launch: “This is a huge deal for Mazak. Up until now, customers looking to break into 5-axis machining would be looking at the Variaxis j or i series – great machines but not entry-level.

“Now, with the CV5-500 we can offer an extremely robust, well-specified machine at a highly competitive price. It’s built from the ground up for SMEs and precision subcontractors.”

Born again

One company suitably impressed by the CV5-500’s one-hit machining capabilities, highly rigid bridge-type thermally symmetrical construction (as opposed to travelling column) and 2,300mm (L) x 2,570mm (W) x 2,993mm (H) compact footprint was NuMachine located in Hereford. So much so in fact it bought two machines.

27 employee NuMachine is essentially a new company that rose from the ashes of PK Engineering which went into liquidation last year. Whilst it managed to retain all members of staff and most of its customers, NuMachine is, in all other respects, a totally different business with a new managing director, Brandon Davies.

NuMachine managing director, Brandon Davies

Despite only being at the helm for just over a year since arriving on these shores from South Africa, Mr Davies has given the business, and the order book, a much-needed shot of adrenaline. A number of new contracts and orders have been won with more in the pipeline, spanning predominantly work in the medical, hygiene, automotive, aerospace and defence industries. In addition, new staff have been recruited – including apprentices.

NuMachine’s forte in a nutshell is design for manufacture and the turning and milling of often complex, tightly toleranced components in exotic materials such as aluminium, stainless, copper, brass, titanium, plastics and acrylic in small to medium batch quantities. Not many companies can say they never machine mild steel – but NuMachine doesn’t. Ever.

“We embrace the work no-one else wants to do,” Mr Davies affirms. “We may not be the quickest but we have a wealth of experience and expertise in-house and we get the job right and delivered on-time. Our reject rates are virtually zero.”

Examples of recent lucrative contracts won are evidence of this philosophy and testament to why NuMachine has such a proactive investment policy: 50 sets of casino roulette wheels per month for a customer in Las Vegas and 100 units of electric car charging bars a month for a UK company. These are profitable, longstanding contracts. Every subcontractor’s dream in fact.

Invest in success

Brandon Davies is a driven, ambitious man with plans to more than double turnover over the next year. As we shall see, he’s an individual who’s certainly not afraid to invest in the company’s future.

NuMachine – through a common owner – has a sister company, Sarginsons in Coventry – a globally established consultancy which specialises in R&D, advanced metallurgy, the production of high integrity sand, gravity and low-pressure castings and heat treatment.

Sarginsons’ ultimate expertise lies in creating and manufacturing lightweight components and prototypes – particularly for electric and hybrid cars for customers that I’m not allowed to mention – but also for applications in oil and gas, aerospace, rail and wind turbines.

As its sister company, NuMachine undertakes much of Sarginsons’ prototype machining work as well as operating as an independent precision subcontract engineering company in its own right.

“The Sarginsons work represents 40-50% of our overall business and that’s important because it provides a solid financial foundation for us to invest regularly in new machines and technology,” Brandon Davies explains.

“The prototype work suits our skillset because it involves the machining of relatively complex components in small batch quantities – and it’s not all casting work; many parts are machined from solid.”

NuMachine is a company that lives up to its name; since his arrival, Mr Davies has invested £1.5 million in new technology – which includes the two Mazak CV5-500s as well as equipment from a number of other suppliers. Two things tend to drive Mr Davies’ investment plans: turnkey projects, where a machine is purchased for a specific contract; or obsolescence, where an existing machine is simply well past its sell-by date.

5-axis work is on the rise

NuMachine’s recent investment in two Mazak CV5-500 machines – installed in June – is evidence of the fact that the company is seeing a dramatic increase in 5-axis work – or put another way, work that needs to be machined in one hit in as few set-ups as possible.

“The CV5-500s were our first 5-axis machines and they’ve improved our productivity significantly,” Mr Davies explains. “It’s not just that they’ve drastically reduced the number of set-ups required on some of the complex work we undertake; they’re also really good at producing intricate profiles and forms very efficiently. In some cases we’ve slashed six or seven set-ups down to one which has made a colossal difference to cycle times and ultimately our bottom line and profitability.”

Like any methodical managing director, Brandon Davies evaluated the market thoroughly before making his choice. He received four quotations for similarly specified 5-axis machines but Mazak’s proved to be the most cost-effective package – and by quite a margin – surely dispelling the myth once and for all that Mazak only manufactures comparatively expensive machines aimed predominantly at larger businesses.

On the contrary, it seems with the CV5-500, Mazak has successfully been able to really push the price/performance boundaries and break new ground.

Standout qualities

The skill shortage that blights the manufacturing industry means machine tool builders have real challenges. Machines need to be powerful, technically advanced well-engineered ‘under the bonnet’ while at the same time being simple to use from the operator’s perspective.

A selection of components machined on the Mazak CV5-500

“It’s very early days but that’s exactly what the CV5-500s provide for us,” Mr Davies advises. “There’s always a learning curve with new technology and our operators were unfamiliar with the Mazatrol CNC on the CV5-500 but after some training and hands-on experimentation, we’re really getting to grips with it. In fact I would say the CV5-500s’ standout qualities are the Smooth X control, the compact footprint and the excellent build quality. They’re really robust machines.

“A real plus point for me however is that Mazak manufacture in the UK. No other company can really say that. We’re only about 30 miles from Worcester,” he adds

The CV5-500 comes equipped with the Mazatrol Smooth X CNC which takes full advantage of the machine’s 5-axis capabilities. It’s distinctly possible that operators, in a momentary lapse of concentration, could feasibly forget they’re operating a machine tool because its 19-inch touchscreen display looks just like a futuristic smartphone or tablet display. Functionally, five highly interactive process home screens – programming, tool data, setup, machining and maintenance make up the main elements of its operation.

The future’s bright

The decision to buy two machines was always on the cards from day one: “One is simply not enough,” Mr Davies advises. “We have one job that takes 70 hours to manufacture 70 components on our current machine. By doubling up on the CV5-500s we can split the batch, produce the parts quicker and benefit from the improved cycle times on each machine. It all adds up to a saving of around 17.5 hours per machine – a real win win.

“5-axis work is increasing so to stay competitive buying a second machine was a no-brainer. Not everything needs 5-axis simultaneous so the ability to use the Mazak machines in 3+2 just adds to their versatility. We specified the machines with automatic tool changers, swarf management and Renishaw probing.”

In these difficult COVID-esque times, it’s refreshing to see a company like NuMachine doing so well. Brandon Davies’ future plans for the business include tripling turnover over the next two years and expansion into new premises.

The company’s ability to win lucrative new contracts, especially in the current climate is commendable. As we speak, NuMachine is literally on the cusp of securing a deal worth £1.6 million a year with a US-based company manufacturing components for autonomous vehicles. It looks like even more investment is on the cards for the Hereford manufacturer.

NuMachine is currently developing a new website. The company can be contacted directly on 01432 279373.

Mazak www.mazakeu.co.uk

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