Essex press shop and toolmaker Alpine Tools has invested in new wire EDM cpacity to keep up with demand from the automotive sector.
With its own press shop serving the production facility of a major automotive plant in Eastern Europe, needed to invest in capaacity for its in-house press operations and various subcontract customers. The company selected a Sodick VL600Q CNC wire EDM machine from a shortlist of six.
Established in 1965, Alpine Tools is an ISO9001-accredited family-owned toolmaking business headquartered in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. The company maintains a fully equipped and qualified independent toolroom in support of its own press shop, as well as a broad spread of subcontract customers. The press shop houses both mechanical and hydraulic presses ranging from 12 to 120 tons in capacity, running progression and single-operation tooling for producing automotive parts. All components have full traceability that help Alpine Tools to maintain customer score cards of 100% for on-time delivery and quality.
Although a relatively small company it has a major long-running automotive contract that sees for a range of pressed stainless steel brackets for vehicles assembled in Eastern Europe.
The new machine arrived in November 2022, with installation, commissioning and training passing off smoothly.
“Since then we’ve kept the machine busy with a variety of tasks, including the manufacture of high-precision press-tool punches and dies,” said Mr Chetland. “We also use our new Sodick wire EDM to undertake press-tool maintenance.”
In addition, the machine will serve the company’s subcontract toolroom operations. Here, the company produces fixtures for machining and welding, along with inspection gauges and other tools from materials such as tool steel, stainless steel and even aluminium. These tools end up in sectors such as medical, heating and lighting.
Mr Chetland added: “We’re an independent toolroom so we’ll take on anything that comes through the door. The new Sodick gives us greater accuracy, better economy and a somewhat larger working envelope than we had previously, providing us with a wider scope of work to pursue.
“The new machine provides us with higher accuracy, better finish and far more reliability. We’ve not run lights-out yet, but we plan to. It will be nice to go home at night knowing that we’ll arrive next morning and find the machine still running, without stoppages due to a failed wire re-threading operation, for example.
“Our diversity of skill and knowledge sets us apart from standard milling and turning shops. We have a lot of toolmaking experience and understand the purpose of what we manufacture. Also, we often have customers come to us with a problem, so we set about designing a solution.
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