In terms of working space capacity, a new milling centre offers 16m3 of work space and its modular design offers a choice of spindles and milling heads for the mould and die industries.

In terms of working space capacity, the new DMU 340P Giga Milling Centre offers the equivalent of 530, DMU 35 universal milling machines, DMG's smallest! Needless to say however, this new addition offers much more than just 16m3 of working space. The DMU 340P is of modular design and can be adapted with various spindles and milling head options for individual requirements. The standard model features a swivelling NC milling head for universal five axis machining and is fitted with a 44kW motor spindle for maximum speeds of 10,000 rpm and torque of 28Nm.

Alternatively, DMG offers a controlled gear motor including b-axis.

This is high- end solution that delivers a torque rating of 1,550Nm at speeds up to 6,300 rev/min.

In conjunction with a pallet changing system (optionally expandable to four pallets) this universal machine becomes the high-productive DMC 340U for workpieces up to 10,000 kg.

The flexibility of this machine not only allows high performance milling but also turning.

For this purpose, a combined NC milling-turning table can be specified.

This operates at a maximum speed of 120 rev/min and replaces the NC rotary table.

The 'Unimold' version of the DMU 340P is designed specifically to meet the high-speed machining requirements of the tool and mould industry.

This variant features an attachable spindle for speeds up to 24,000 rev/min in addition to the standard NC milling head with B-axis.

And for those wishing to achieve both roughing and smoothing of complex workpieces in one set-up, the range includes the double headed 'Dynamold' DMU 340P.

With the milling head at the start position, the 'Dynamold' user can first initiate careful rough cutting with a tool that can be adjusted to the workpiece through +/-30deg.

The spindle head is then swivelled through 180 deg to present a high-speed fork head with two dynamic NC axes of rotation that allow 5-axis finishing at speeds of up to 24,000 rev/min.

In all its stages of expansion, the DMU 340P and the DMC 340U benefit from fast rapid traverses of 60m/min., in X, 30m/min in Y and 40m/min in Z together with accelerations of up to 0.6G.

Chip-to-chip times are typically 15 seconds.

Tools weighing up to 30kg are fitted from the standard 60-station magazine; 120, 180 and 240 pockets are optionally available.

The portal design of this machine ensures maximum rigidity and in conjunction with Deckel Maho's own patented compact milling spindle and the 45deg milling head design, the DMU 340P provides the user with maximum manufacturing precision.

To complete the package, the user also has the choice of high-tech CNC systems - MillPlus IT, Siemens Sinumerik 840D powerline and Heidenhain iTNC530.

An XYZ Edge 1500 manual/CNC turret mill has recently been installed by Maycast-Nokes Precision Engineering to cut down the setting and run times for small batch work.

An XYZ Edge 1500 manual/CNC turret mill has recently been installed by Maycast-Nokes Precision Engineering to cut down the setting and run times for small batch work. Although it began life in 1971 as Evans Foundry Ltd, ISO 9002 accredited Maycast-Nokes Precision Engineering is today regarded as one of the UK's leading suppliers of fully machined castings. These castings are machined in one or other of two machine shops, where an impressive array of machine tools, from pallet-fed machining centres and CNC lathes to manual mills, lathes and drills, caters for large and small volume batch work, including one-offs and prototypes.

It is here, in Machine Shop 2, that an XYZ Edge 1500 manual/CNC turret mill with a 1066 mm by 228 mm table has recently been installed, primarily, says Phil Poulsom, Maycast-Nokes' Technical Director, 'to cut down the setting and run times for small batch work'.

Because this 3 hp variable speed (75-4200 rev/min) mill is equipped with the easy-to-learn Prototrak Edge control, it is also proving ideal for the company's ongoing training programme.

This entry-level, two-axis control combines two-axis CNC with three-axis digital readout, providing the perfect step up from manual machining and enabling new recruits to quickly and easily master the intricacies of creating, editing and storing part programs.

In fact, the company, which employs 130 people and has four apprentices on site, has been so impressed with the XYZ Edge 1500 that it is contemplating installing a second machine.

'There have been no problems at all,' says Phil Poulsom.

'Installation and training went smoothly and the machine's performance has been excellent.' Maycast-Nokes' Halstead, Essex site houses a fully equipped pattern shop that enables the sand foundry to produce a wide range of castings.

Precision investment castings are also manufactured in a variety of light aluminium alloys as well as stainless and low carbon steels and a range of copper-based alloys.

Gravity die castings produced using cast iron dies with steel cores are another speciality.

Whatever the casting process and however complex the machining, Phil Poulsom is adamant that component quality is the key to the company's success.

Co-operating with customers from the initial stages of design saves costs and, ultimately, reduces the lead time from prototype to production without sacrificing quality and reliability.

'We are an approved supplier to the world wide defence and aerospace markets,' he points out, 'and we apply the same rigorous standard of care to every customer's order.

With its 300mm swing over bed (168mm over cross slide) and 700 mm between centres, the new XYZ ProturnVL 300 is the smallest of the four models in the Proturn range of manual/CNC lathes.

With its 300 mm swing over bed (168 mm over cross slide) and 700 mm between centres, the new XYZ ProturnVL 300 is the smallest of the four models in the Proturn range of manual/CNC lathes. However, with its 7.5 hp variable speed spindle motor providing spindle speeds from 25 to 3000 rev/min and one-piece ribbed cast iron bed guaranteeing rigidity and high precision, this latest addition packs a powerful punch for a machine priced at GBP20,000 + VAT. As with the larger models, the ProturnVL 300 comes complete with the highly acclaimed Prototrak VL control, which allows the user to switch between manual operation and computer control on the same set-up.

This guarantees maximum flexibility when machining simple or complex parts in prototype or production quantities.

And the control's unique 'Traking' feature allows the user to physically wind through a programmed toolpath before switching to computer control, ensuring collision-free operation and boosting user confidence.

Standard equipment includes a 160 mm diameter three-jaw chuck, Dickson quick change toolpost and six tool holders, 4MT taper tailstock with 130 mm of travel, joystick control for rapid positioning, ballscrews and AC brushless servo motors on y and z axes, automatic lubrication, and interlocked chuck and swarf guards.

A front opening, easy access swarf tray makes light work of swarf removal, and a worklight is also fitted as standard.

In addition, the Prototrak VL control provides a DRO capability when the ProturnVL 300 is operated in manual mode, as well as a CAD/CAM RS232 interface and a networking (Ethernet) RJ45 capability.

Competition winner has invested the prize money towards buying a larger CNC bed mill with a tilting head to machine machine much higher definition mould tools and so expand its business.

Brimbelow Engineering's role as a manufacturer and supplier to the leisure boating industry of marine sterngear, which embraces propellers, propeller shafts and rudders, explains its proximity to the picturesque Norfolk Broads. These days, however, the six-employee company is equally well known for its sub-contract machining expertise. Customers include Trend Marine Products, the world's largest manufacturer of marine windows for which Brimbelow Engineering makes press and stretch bending tooling, and Anglian Water.

Having served an apprenticeship with the CEGB and then spent several years offshore as a maintenance technician servicing X-ray equipment on pipe laying barges, managing director Gavin Seward bought out the two brothers who had set up the business in 1973 and began updating Brimbelow's production resource.

Conventional machines, which had required three more people on the shopfloor, have since been replaced with computer-controlled alternatives.

Recently, as the winner of XYZ Machine Tools' MACH 2004 competition, he has put the GBP 10,000 prize money towards the purchase of a 3.75kW variable speed XYZ SM 3500 manual/CNC bed mill.

This is equipped with a tilting head (45 degrees left and right) and a 1372mm by 356mm table capable of holding components weighing up to 600kg.

The new machine is installed in Brimbelow's 5000 ft2 workshop alongside a smaller XYZ SM 2000 manual/CNC turret mill bought some 18 months previously.

Both machines, which can be switched between manual operation and computer control as required, are fitted with the easy-to-use Prototrak control, contributing to a machine performance that is described by Seward as: 'absolutely fantastic'.

He recalls visiting MACH 2004 to look at turning centres: 'but as more and more of our work is milling, I opted instead for a larger capacity version of the SM 2000 and a three-axis control on the basis that it would bring in new customers.

With the greater vertical axis travel of the SM 3500 - 584 mm compared with 406mm - we can machine much higher definition mould tools and that's the new business we are chasing at the moment.

Overall, in terms of accuracy and surface finish, both XYZ machines are well suited to our type of work, whether it is machining plastics, bronzes or stainless steel.' Although Seward is a boating enthusiast, the Catfield, Great Yarmouth company's customer base also includes OEMs in the aircraft and agricultural industries.

Components for aircraft ground support equipment, for example, are a significant contributor to the company's GBP 500,000 turnover as are emergency replacement parts for boats and agricultural machinery.

The November open houses at XYZ Machine Tools' Blackburn and Nuneaton showrooms resulted in orders for 17 machines valued at just over £500,000.

The November open houses at XYZ Machine Tools' Blackburn and Nuneaton showrooms resulted in orders for 17 machines valued at just over £500,000. With two more open house events scheduled for Glasgow (2-3 December 2004) and the newly extended 60 000 ft² HQ near Tiverton, Devon (20-21 January 2005), XYZ's managing director Nigel Atherton is confident the upward trend in sales will continue. While the company's Prototrak-equipped manual/CNC mills and lathes are much in demand from the prototype and small batch sector of the market, Mr Atherton says the XYZ Mini Mill 560 is 'probably the best selling vertical machining centre in the UK as an individual model'.

This success reflects XYZ's determination to increase its share of the machining and turning centre market, and why a star attraction at the two 'open houses' was the competitively priced 22.5 kW (30 minute rating)/17 kW (continuous rating) XYZ 250 TC turning centre featuring a full c axis and driven tooling.

Designed specifically for volume production, the machine's robust ribbed cast iron construction guarantees the optimum combination of performance, reliability and productivity when machining at spindle speeds up to 3500 rev/min.

Maximum turning diameter is 250 mm and maximum bar capacity is 77 mm, complemented by x and z axes travels of 195 mm and 580 mm respectively.

VDI 40 tooling can be located in any of 12 positions on the 410 mm diameter tool turret, with rigid tapping as standard, and is powered by a 12.7 kW (30 minute rating) ac motor capable of generating a maximum speed of 4000 rev/min and a maximum torque of 27 Nm.

Productivity is further enhanced by rapid traverse rates of 12 m/min (x)/20 m/min (z) and an automatic tool setting probe, both of which ensure that non-cutting time is kept to the minimum.

A smaller machine, the 12 kW (30 minute rating)/9 kW (continuous) XYZ 200 TC is also available with driven tooling.

It, too, features a ribbed cast iron construction, with rigid induction hardened slideways and bedways protected by a one-piece guard.

Both machines carry full CE approval and certification, and feature the proven, easy-to-use Shopturn conversational programming system running on the Siemens 810D control.

Standard on both machines, which can also be supplied with Fanuc controls, is a programmable tailstock, parts catcher, swarf conveyor and flood coolant, while laser calibration and Renishaw ball bar testing are also included in the standard package.

The complete range of machine tools and ancillary equipment distributed by XYZ Machine Tools is highlighted in the Burlescombe, Devon company's new Product Range 2006-2007 brochure.

The complete range of machine tools and ancillary equipment distributed by XYZ Machine Tools is highlighted in the Burlescombe, Devon company's new Product Range 2006-2007 brochure.

The 78-page full colour brochure contains detailed specifications for every XYZ machine - from market leading Mini Mills and other vertical machining centres, Mini Turn and other turning centres, large CNC bridge mills and 'extra large capacity' CNC lathes through to the company's traditional ranges of manual mills, lathes and grinders and manual/CNC mills and lathes equipped with the easy-to-use and exclusive ProtoTRAK control.

A fixed bed and moving table CNC milling machine with interchangeable heads is aimed at sectors that in addition to carrying out roughing operations require optimum finishing conditions.

A fixed bed and moving table CNC milling machine is aimed at sectors that in addition to carrying out roughing operations require optimum finishing conditions. The new model is equipped with manual and automatic heads and the possibility of incorporating a high performance electrospindle, as well as a tool loader, tool and part measuring probes, etc All these features make this machine a versatile and ideal solution for numerous jobs. Technical specifications are as follows.

* Longitudinal traverse: 2000-3500mm.

* Cross traverse: 1000mm.

* Vertical traverse: 1000mm.

* Feeds: 20m/min.

* Heindenhain Smart iTNC-530 numerical control.

* Manual and automatic heads.

* Semi-guarding.