A new 5-axis machining centre is slashing cycle times at Newcastle Tool and Gauge and allows it to machine parts it could not previously have taken on.
Since its formation in 1979 Newcastle Tool & Gauge (N.T.G.) has adapted to change, originally a toolroom manufacturing press tools for local industry it has evolved into a precision engineering machine shop. Customers come from a wide range of industry sectors, including oil & gas, power generation, subsea and thermoforming. As its customer profile continues to change, so does its requirements for machine tools and during 2018 it identified a requirement for full-simultaneous five-axis machining.
“We have a varied mix of CNC machining centres, turning centres, grinding and wire erosion machines, but we knew that five-axis had to be an integral part of that mix. A group of us visited MACH 2018 with the brief to look at every five-axis option. We all came back from that trip of the same opinion, that the XYZ UMC-5X was the right option for us,” says Mark Withycombe, Operations Manager. Among the key features that drew the team to this conclusion were the use of a trunnion table that provided the weight carrying capacity needed as well as the ease of access for loading.
With the machine now installed the initial expectations of the team at N.T.G. are being fully met, with the build quality and accuracy of the machine helping to reduce cycle times. One particular job that would normally have taken six operations to complete, is now down to two and cycle time has been halved. “The move to five-axis simultaneous machining with the XYZ UMC-5X is a first for us and it has definitely opened up new opportunities, with the capability of the machine allowing us to machine parts that we couldn’t have considered before,” says Bryan Larvin, Works Manager. “This is the first machine we have had from XYZ Machine Tools and from what we have experienced in terms of support we would certainly consider more when the time is right to invest.”
The XYZ UMC-5X is a simultaneous five-axis, gantry style machine with axis travels of 600 mm in X and Y (500 mm in Z) to maximise use of the 600 mm diameter table.
The XYZ UMC-5X also features Traori/Kinematic functions during five-axis simultaneous machining for improved accuracy, high accuracy Heidenhain linear scales on the X, Y and Z axes and similar super high specification rotary scales on rotating B and C axes.