Multi-tasking turning centre delivers multiple benefits

The company, established in 1993, manufactures high precision, complex components and assemblies for a diverse range of industry sectors and, most notably, for a growing number of blue-chip aerospace and defence customers.

HEC offers its customers comprehensive manufacturing services and solutions from prototypes, pre-production and production, and is AS EN 9100 and ISO 9001:2008 accredited as well as holding quality approvals from a number of leading aerospace OEMs.

The business is a leading exponent in multi-axis machining, and regular strategic investments made in advanced 5-axis milling machines and multi-tasking turning centres have been instrumental in helping the company grow its aerospace business and develop preferred partnership relationships with a number of UK and international Tier 1 companies in the sector.

As well as building and maintaining strong relationships with its customers, HEC adopts a similar integrity-based approach with its technology and equipment suppliers.

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland is one such supplier and has, over the last seven years, sold four new turning centres to HEC Precision – the most recent being a new Puma 12 inch chuck 3100Y (Y-axis turning centre) which was installed at the company’s Southall facility in August 2015.

The Puma 3100Y turning centre is currently being used by HEC Precision to machine a range of high precision (aluminium) aerospace parts and families of components. The machine is loaded with cut to size 50mm, 80mm or 100mm diameter bar and, as well as being used to machine components during the normal working day, can be left to run overnight, with minimal operator intervention, thereby increasing work throughput and machine tool utilisation, and reducing the cost per part.

Although the machine is predominantly machining aluminium components its box guideway construction and powerful high performance (30kW/3,000rpm) spindle means that HEC could, if required, use the Puma to machine components made from hard and difficult-to-machine materials like stainless steels, titanium and Inconels in the future.

HEC’s managing director, Kevin Manhood explains: “We decided to invest in the Puma 3100Y turning centre because it’s a flexible and proven multi-axis machine and allows us to offer our customer the flexible machining capacity required to accommodate the ramping up in demand of a range of parts for their A350 programme.”

The decision, by HEC to opt for the Puma 3100Y was made for a number of technology and commercial reasons which included: the machine’s ±65mm Y-axis and 7.8kW/5,000rpm driven tool capabilities which enable the company to machine – turn, mill, drill – complex components in fewer set-ups and reduced cycle times; its rigid build and construction which enables HEC Precision to achieve high accuracy, high volumetric removal rates; the immediate availability and, hence, rapid installation of the Puma 3100Y at HEC Precision's facility; the aftersales service and support provided by Mills CNC, including its operator and programmer training courses provided by the CNC Training Academy; and the price/performance ratio.

Mr Manhood continues: “We have a good relationship with Mills CNC. Since 2009 we have invested in two Doosan Lynx 220LM compact turning centres, a large capacity Doosan Puma 400MB and most recently, the Doosan Puma 3100Y.

“All these machines have driven tooling capability which have helped improve our productivity, strengthen supply chain relationships with our customers, and deliver quality precision components on time, every time.”

HEC Precision www.hec-precision.co.uk

Mills CNC www.millscnc.co.uk