CNC sliding headstock lathe has produced cost savings of up to GBP 9/component and helped win an overseas contract for a manufacturer of laser-based and other instrumental devices.

Following the installation of a 13-axis, Citizen M32-III CNC sliding headstock automatic lathe from NC Engineering of Watford, UK, Photonic Products, a double Queen's Award winning OEM supplier, has been able to recoup GBP 120,000 a year on subcontract costs, create cost reductions of up to GBP 9.00 per component and following installation of the machine, has been able to secure a US$775,000 contract from a blue chip customer in the USA. Based on the Hertfordshire/Essex border, Photonic Products has enjoyed meteoric growth since its formation just a decade ago. From one man working at home, the business has grown into a 44-employee concern, with overseas offices in Germany and California, generating a turnover in excess of GBP 4.2 million.

However, sales forecasts for 2006 are heading for a massive increase of over 40% on last year.

The business initially focused on the distribution of laser diodes for electronics giant Sanyo, but quickly opted to add the manufacture of laser modules to its portfolio.

Photonic Products' laser modules are used for car wheel alignment tracking, industrial pen pointers, banknote recognition, measurement of glass thickness, fibre optic test equipment, dental scanning, airport baggage sorting and even for room size measurement instruments used by estate agents.

In essence, a laser module is a small semiconductor device fronted by an optic with electronics housed to the rear within a mechanical body.

This body, along with other turned parts such as receptacle housings, are manufactured at the company's rural facility near Hatfield Broad Oak.

'Around five years ago we acquired a manual lathe and employed a model engineer for producing prototypes,' said operations director Damon Cookman, who follows on to explain how this move speeded their sampling process and within 12 months had led to a very positive increase in business.

'This started us thinking about how we could further improve and we began to look very seriously at CNC solutions,' he said.

At the time the company was using three trusted subcontractors, however, the typical six to eight week lead-time was becoming an increasing concern.

'Unfortunately it was difficult to start making demands as we felt we were producing small batches,' he said.

That said, in 2003 some GBP 90,000 was contracted out and this climbed by a third the following year.

'This growth made us reconsider where the business was going and what options we had,' he maintained.

Two of Photonic Products' subcontractors used Citizen sliding head technology, so the showroom of NC Engineering at Watford was an obvious port of call to catch up on the technology.

'Although having NC Engineering based in Hertfordshire was attractive, we were also considering machines by other suppliers,' Cookman said.

'But, as soon as we walked in the door, it became obvious this was a professional machine tool operation that was very willing to help.' The Citizen range of machines has been progressively developed to cater for a wide range of turning and milling requirements and even though the majority of Photonic Products' turned parts could be completed on lower specification models, there were two particular components that would benefit from the functionality of a top-of-the-range machine such as the M32-III.

'These two parts contained a number of prismatic features that meant we would need a large tooling capacity,' explained Cookman.

'Once we discovered that the M32-III was really a machining centre able to integrate precision turning with its 10-station turret that with multiple tool holders could accommodate over 40 tools, we knew it was the machine for us.

We felt we would rather spend a little more on a high specification model than potentially jeopardise future orders due to a lack of flexibility.' Installed in October 2005, the Citizen M32-III was specified with the Cool Blaster programmable 2000 lb/in2 high pressure coolant system to counter concerns over potential 'bird nesting' of high volumes of aluminium swarf, as well as to ensure the removal of any swarf contamination from the machine's sub-spindle collet.

The machine also came fitted with an IEMCA Boss 332r-E barfeed and Citizen's CNC Alarm Alert remote call out system, allowing the initiation of 'lights-out' operations to be maintained without any safety concerns.

Indeed, the company was running unmanned between 16:00 and 07:00 within a month of installation.

Said Cookman: 'We are very proud of this considering the advanced specification of the machine and the fact that we were totally new to CNC but it is also testament to the support offered by NC Engineering.' The company now has within its operation the ability to hold extremely tight tolerances and do so with confidence as Cookman explained: 'On one part we successfully held two micron on a 5mm diameter'.

'Although we've sited the machine in an air conditioned room, I was still concerned.

However, once we had the machine settled, it held tolerance consistently.' One of the most complex turned parts currently produced in batches of 12,000 is a nickel-silver receptacle housing for a telecoms device that is used to fire a laser beam down a fibre optic cable.

The cycle involves multi-diameter turning and threading, drilling holes as fine as 0.5mm diameter, counterboring, slot drilling with a 3.5mm cutter, the milling of external flats, milling tiny spigots and ballnose milling with a 3.5mm cutter.

Simultaneously in the subspindle, holes are drilled and tapped off-centre and the part is drilled and bored.

In both main and subspindle operations the machining cycle makes full use of the M32's ability to cut with three tools simultaneously and the part is completely deburred within the cycle time of just 6 min.

The cost savings are quite dramatic as Cookman outlined: 'Today, using our own M32-III, the cost is just GBP 3.00, a quarter of our subcontract costs even when we are including labour, material, consumables and overheads.

We have calculated that we are around GBP 5,000 a month 'in pocket' with the Citizen installed.' But Photonic Products is not 'sitting on its laurels'.

Currently the company is investigating how to further improve efficiency and one solution proposed by NC Engineering is the retrofitting of a gantry unloading system that operates within the confines of the machine.

This will avoid the occasional situation of the hopper becoming full when running lights-out, will also ensure handling damage is eliminated and brings the unload element into the production cycle.

Another significant advantage that the M32-III has brought to the company is the ability to secure future business, as Cookman proudly explained: 'We've just won the biggest single contract in our history from a blue chip OEM in the US worth US$775,000.

We would never have won this business without the ability to quickly produce initial prototypes and pre-production batches that were representative of production.' Adding recognition to its achievements this year, the company won its second Queen's Award for International Trade with 83% of its products sold overseas.

Although the company has only been at its present 13,000ft2 site for two years, already it is in the process of fitting a mezzanine floor to create a further 7,000ft2.

At the beginning of the year, turnover was projected to climb from GBP 4.2 to GBP 5.2 million - but judging by results from the first half of 2006, GBP 6 million is the more likely achievement.

'In terms of manufacturing we are going from strength to strength,' Cookman concluded.

'We are lucky to be in a niche market - the big league distributors that supply to the CD and DVD market can't compete in our sector because they cannot support these products technically.