Rural excellence

engineering, DC Developments is in a surprisingly rural location. The address may be the City of Norwich, but the landscape around the factory is pure Fenlands. Solutions reports.

The first indicator that you are approaching an engineering hotbed is when you pass the Lotus Engineering headquarters less than a mile from DC Developments' base. “My Dad worked for Team Lotus before setting up the company in 1980,” explains Matthew Campbell, who takes on the dual role of director and technical manager. “In fact, DC Developments' first job was prototype work for Lotus.”

Initially the focus was on fabrication work, but as the company grew it sought out new markets, in particular the marine sector, initially making boats, but increasingly concentrating on the machining of stainless steel parts for a number of boat builders.

“We fabricate a wide range of parts now from fuel tanks through to water tanks and hand rails for companies like Oyster Yachts,” says Mr Campbell. “The marine sector is not high tolerance work but it is very concerned with aesthetics. A pulpit rail for example will have to be very high quality with sleek lines that match elite nature of the boats.”

DC Developments has never been afraid to expand via acquisition either, picking up a rival machining company in 1994 which enabled it to branch out into new sectors, including oil and gas, safety and the construction sectors.

The company, which employs 36 staff with 25 on the shopfloor, now works for some big names, including Tyco Safety Systems – a manufacturer of fire systems for boats, with DC Developments providing a variety of components, including nozzles for the hoses. Another regular customer is Boniface, based in nearby Thetford, the manufacturer of wrecker trucks that uses DC Developments for panels and bracketry.

Life with lasers

The company's machine shop features more than 14 machines, including a Mazak Quick Turn 250 MY lathe, a Mazak Quick Turn Nexus 250MSY lathe and a Mazak Nexus 410A milling machine. “The Mazak's are fabulous machines offering high accuracy and repeatability, which has allowed us to get into higher volume production work,” Mr Campbell adds.

One of the most significant moves by the company however was the decision to move into laser cutting in 1997. “We used to subcontract any laser work to another company, but we found that we were losing contracts because we could not offer a complete solution,” he says.

The decision was therefore taken to bring laser cutting in-house with the purchase of a Mazak NTX 48 1kW Laser. “Our first laser machine changed the way we work. Any plates that needed cutting were transferred to the new laser which cuts out the need for guillotining,” Mr Campbell explains.

The first laser was quickly followed by a further Mazak STX48 2.5kW laser which enabled DC Developments to move into cutting new metals like aluminium. “The extra power offers greater speed which means we can cut stainless steels and thicker materials which, in turn, enabled us to get into new sectors and new types of work,” he says.

In 2003 DC Developments stepped up a further gear by acquiring a Mazak Space Gear 48 2kW 6-axis laser cutter, enabling the company to cut 3D components and tube work for applications such as fire suppressant equipment.

Thick and thin

DC Developments' latest acquisition is a Mazak Super Turbo-X 612 Mk III, a 4kW laser cutter capable of machining large workpiece sizes with high accuracy. Combined with standard features such as automatic nozzle changer and cleaner, servo focus torch and IMS control means this 4m by 2m machine is capable of cutting up to 25mm mild steel and 15-20mm stainless steel with minimal operator intervention. The new laser has enabled us to win new orders and protect existing relationships by being able to offer customers the capability of cutting much thicker steel,” Mr Campbell reveals.

“We can now cut everything from mild steel through to stainless steel, aluminium and MDF and can handle very intricate detail and complex shapes. Our customers benefit from a very high quality edge that requires no de-burring or finishing.”

In fact, quality is very much a DC Developments USP. “We specialise in quick turnarounds. Typically our customers know we can deliver within two to three days regardless of how busy we are but we never allow speed to impact upon quality. It is up to each individual company to choose how they run their laser machines, but we take a very high quality oriented view.”

DC Developments says its relationship with Mazak has been central to its ability to deliver quality as Mr Campbell explains: “The key issue with Mazak is that you are buying extremely well built and reliable machines. We've still got the first Mazak laser machine we ever bought and it never goes wrong.”

In 2010 DC Developments acquired another company, Brimbelow Engineering, which manufactures stern gear that consists of propellers and rudders for boats – work which has been moved onto the Mazak lathes to increase the speed of production.

Going forward continued sustainable growth is the objective. “The key is to keep up to speed with new technologies and be willing to invest and integrate those technologies into your business,” Mr Campbell concludes. “Customers are looking for better and faster cutting without compromising quality. That's what we do.”
Yamazaki Mazak Optonics
www.mazaklaser.eu

DC Developments
www.dcdevs.co.uk