Getting into gear

Newmont Engineering is one of the UK’s most respected companies in gear cutting and precision engineering.

Established in 1955, it continues to support UK manufacturing by delivering engineering excellence, supplying vital parts to the aerospace, defence, medical and metrology sectors.

Based in Isleworth, West London, Newmont was founded by Charles Newson and is still independently owed by the Newson family. During the 1960s, its focus was on manufacturing precision gears and in the seventies it won a prestigious contract to manufacture a missile stabilisation platform for Dassault Aviation.

Since then the company has expanded its range to include leadscrews for the medical industry and crown splines for commercial aircraft, including parts for the historic supersonic airliner, Concorde and the current Airbus A380 and Boeing 787.

Newmont began its journey with Haas over 10 years ago with a TL-1 Toolroom Lathe. The company followed this two years later with a big-bore TL-25 twin spindle lathe, purchased to tackle the heavy machining operation required for aerospace components.

Managing director Rob Davies says the decision to invest in Haas was an easy one: “We did our homework and then we sat with the guys in the workshop and asked them which brand they wanted. They were unanimously in favour of Haas. The machines are light and spacious inside and the large glass panels all around mean you can see what’s going on when you’re cutting, which is a real advantage. The universal Haas control also means we can switch lathe operators to VMC during holiday periods, and vice versa.”

The last four years has seen Newmont invest in three more Haas machines – an ST-10Y lathe with Y-axis, and VF-1 and VF-2 vertical machining centres, both equipped with fourth axis, through-spindle coolant and wireless probing.

“We bought the VF-1 based on our experience with the Haas lathes and loved it,” explains Mr Davies. “A year later we were in the market again. We chose the VF-2 because, for a little more money, we could get a much bigger table, meaning we can add another vice without having to remove the Haas fourth axis rotary.”

The VF-2 was purchased to produce yolks (over 4,000 per year) which are attached to a carbon fibre composite to control the landing gear of the latest commercial airlines.

Newmont is committed to precision manufacturing in the UK, and actively encourages young people to come into the industry via work experience and apprenticeship schemes, as well as inviting engineering students to its facility to experience manufacturing in action.

Mr Davies describes the Haas machines as a gateway to precision engineering: “The control is so simple to use, which means our set-ups are really efficient. We’ve noticed improvements to both the machines and the control over the years, which have made a great product even better.”

HAAS AUTOMATION www.haas.co.uk

NEWMONT ENGINEERING www.newmonteng.co.uk

Company

Haas Automation

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