Low frequency vibration machining technology has allowed Astley Diamond to offer a new small part turn-milling subcontract service.
The small two people business based in Witton, Birmingham took the plunge and made a significant investment in Citizen’s Low Frequency Vibration (LFV) turn-mill technology and within just three months of installation has opened a new operational door by using this sliding head machining platform to provide a subcontract.
Proprietor Ben Astley says the Citizen Cincom L20-VIIILFV has also been able to transform the firm’s blank turning operations for its diamond tool production.
Said Mr Astley: “Swarf problems totally controlled our business of machining silver steel blanks to which we then electro-plate diamond finishes and sell direct to customers or through a network of distributors that means our tools can end up being used anywhere in the world.”
To give an example, on a batch of 500 rotary diamond burrs that are used to fettle cast iron produced for a regular Polish customer, he would have to stop his previous machine every five or so parts to clear the tangled bird’s nest of swarf.
He said: “It would take at least 70 hours to produce the batch and now with LFV I can complete the same order well inside 16 hours. As swarf is chipped so finely, the only attention required is to change over the short bar feed and remove completed parts from the outfeed conveyor. Even size and surface finish is totally consistent which gives me total confidence.”
He added: “I can now concentrate on the electro-plating, packaging and other duties such as paperwork, but most surprising is that the new machine has opened a new door in providing customers with a subcontract turning service. Customers who often just call in to collect parts or give me an order for diamond tools or plating work are immediately impressed by the new machine taking up much of my floor space and are asking me to quote and giving me orders for other turning work.”
He has just completed an order for hundreds of small collets out of EN24T. “I turn the outer form and drill through and the customer now collects them for slitting and finish grinding,” he said.
Ben’s Astley Diamond Tools was originally set up by his father some 40 years ago, it has a long standing customer base. Ben started to work with his father in 1998 and now runs the operation following his father’s retirement two years ago. The firm produces electro-plated tools in natural diamond, cubic boron nitride (CBN) and synthetic diamond between 3 mm and 20 mmm diameter.
Astley also produces made-to-order internal grinding wheels between 3 mm and 20 mm diameter, routers for opening out gaskets and existing holes, diamond needle files plus electro-plated grinding wheels up to 450 mm diameter for which he turns the blanks on another CNC lathe.