The production of parts designed to be implanted into human beings require the highest quality standards and a 100% guarantee that manufactured components correspond exactly to specifications.

The production of parts designed to be implanted into human beings require the highest quality standards and a 100% guarantee that manufactured components correspond exactly to specifications. After all, would you want anything less than 100% guaranteed parts inserted into your body? However, as with all industrial processes the manufacturers of medical parts are also under the delivery time and cost pressures that face all businesses.

The market for components and equipment dedicated to the various medical sectors has been growing consistently over several years and according to market analysts, this trend is likely to continue.

To address this very demanding market, Tornos has been investing in R and D for years.

This has resulted in Tornos developing productive and economic machine tools and processes that enable the latest generation of medical implants to be produced in only one process.

That means the manufacturers don't have to pass components from one mean of production to the other to finish the parts.

This guarantees better quality and faster time to market for the parts.

Tornos is the first manufacturer to develop and adapt its sliding head lathes to produce the highly specific machining processes used for certain medical and dental implants.

This includes external and internal thread whirling in operating and back-operating modes adapted with high-pressure deep drilling spray system.

This among the many achievements and developments has enabled the Swiss company to acquire unrivalled know-how for this sector.

What is the best solution to machine the very demanding parts?

No worries, the specialists of the company who are working hand to hand with medical specialists are at the disposal of customers to look for the best fit solution to the customers needs.

For instance: * The choice of the best machining solution.

* Equipment and accessories/peripherals adapted to requirements.

* An appraisal of productivity and the optimisation of the machining process.

* Technical support before, during and after product delivery.

* Development of specific tooling (thread whirling cutters, special tool holders, software macros to simplify the programming of complex shapes etc).

Tornos has given its global website a change of identity with a new portal address.

A machine tool manufacturers for the medical industry has launched its new website. Tornos has given its global website a change of identity with a new portal address. The new website is easy to locate with the globally recognisable dotcom address.

With ease of use being the core focus of the website, customers can now view applications by industry with colourful images and prompts quickly and accurately guiding users directly to the page they need.

Visitors to the website will also find a download centre, from here browsers will be able to download past issues of the Deco magazine, product catalogues, application brochures and pictures of components from various industries and the machines used to produce them.

A subcontract machine shop had machine tools for batches of 500 - plus, but changing market conditions encouraged it to seek a CNC automatic lathe capable of producing small batches efficiently.

WML Engineering has always been an innovative company looking to progress in the continually competitive UK subcontract market - so when Tornos launched the new Deco 20s at EMO, the Swansea based company was on hand buy the Worlds first Deco 20s. Predominantly a sliding head lathe machine shop, WML serves the medical, electronic, automotive and general subcontract sectors. The company felt it needed to alter its manufacturing strategy to improve its competitiveness in the UK's continually changing marketplace - with this in mind it bought the new Deco 20s.

WML director Jason Meir comments: 'The market is always changing and we found our machine shop was suited to batch runs of 500 plus, the new Tornos Deco 20s enables us to meet the needs of the small batch runs from 20, 50, 100 parts upwards.

The changing marketplace meant we were missing out on small jobs that often came with larger contracts, this will not happen with the Deco 20s in place.' The Deco 20s was procured by WML not only because of its ability to suit the needs of WML's changing customer base but for its enhanced tool setting, control option and machine rigidity.

This combination provides WML with a significantly improved machine set-up time.

The new Tornos control designed in conjunction with Fanuc has proven a major selling point to WML.

Meir continues: 'The Deco 20s has the option of switching the control from the Tornos TB-Deco programming software to the industry standard ISO code - and this makes the machine very appealing.

The TB-Deco configuration will enable the machine to interface with our current range of Tornos Deco 20a machines and allow us to program offline and connect the machine via our Ethernet set-up.

Whilst the ISO set-up on the new Fanuc 30i control enables us to become more flexible and competitive with the market needs.

If a job is required immediately, the ISO set-up enables us to program from raw on the shop floor.

For applications requiring batch runs of 1,000 plus we would use the TB-Deco as it fits the application much better.' Developed from the A-line series of machines, the Tornos Deco 20s has been developed to enhance set-up times and flexibility.

Another aspect that Tornos has paid consideration to with regards to set-up time is the tooling.

Meir continues: 'The power tooling on the new Deco 20s is very easy to bolt-on and bolt-off.

This is ideal for setting up batch runs of 20, 30 or a 100 parts.

The A-line really is the all singing and all dancing machine that is built for power, strength and it can do anything.

However, the new S-line uses the same philosophy of power, strength and rigidity but what it gives us is the ability to set-up a machine for an emergency batch of 20 or 50 parts.

The short set-up times of the new Deco 20s now enables WML to offer customers a sample service.

The Deco 20s is configured with less complexity than the A-line of machines; however the S-line machine can produce most of the components that the A-line can manufacture.

The S-line does not have a number of characteristics that are on the A-line of machine such as the balanced turning feature and independent feed rate drilling.

On a longer batch run these are key performance variables, but we want the machine for what it was predominantly designed to do - short batch runs with short set-up times.

We now have the A-line of machines for batch runs of 500 plus and the S-line for the small batches from 20 upwards.

With the Deco 20s we now have the capability to competitively meet the needs of the changing marketplace,' says Meir.

Despite being the first company in the world to purchase the new Deco 20s, WML has no doubts regarding the capability of the machine.

'I have full confidence in the machine; it has the same barfeed technology and interface, wireless program transfer technology and TB-Deco technology as the current Tornos A-line machines.

The axes of machining are similar but slightly less, so I have full confidence in my purchase.

We went through our requirements with Tornos engineers and the machine has been configured to suit the market we plan to attack.

The S-line is so modular that we can add bolt-on after bolt-on if we require - but we have the 'creme de la creme' A-line machines for the purpose of highly complex work,' concludes Meir.

With a total tool capacity for 80 tools of which 20 can be driven by 0.75kW motors, the latest third generation of CNC sliding headstock turn/mill centres can simultaneously engage three tools.

With a total tool capacity for 80 tools of which 20 can be driven by 0.75kW motors, the latest third generation of Citizen M16-V CNC sliding headstock turn/mill centres with subspindle, now available through NC Engineering of Watford, UK, can independently engage three tools with a component at the same time. This capability to simultaneously machine with three tools comes from the 10 station, all-driven turret, a nine station gang tool slide and a separate triple tool fixed unit. These tooling stations enable floor to floor times to be dramatically reduced and accommodate users that want to carry part set or common tooling on the machine to speed changeover and increase machine utilisation.

This latest development from the top of the Citizen range M-Series CNC sliding head machine stable has the distinct advantage of being able to initiate a Y-axis crossfeed to the all-driven 10 station tool turret, now able to carry up to eight tools per position through new tool holder developments by Citizen for both front and back machining.

And with the separate Y-axis feed to the nine tool station gang tool slide, this is able to present four driven tools and five turning tools for front machining.

This tooling arrangement of the two Y-axis driven slides provides maximum flexibility for high orders of milling and off-centre drilling and tapping performance.

In addition, the triple tool unit, with the option to provide three stationary or one stationary and two driven tools provides further opportunities to perform back machining operations.

Central to optimising the benefits of the new control system is the considerably faster data processing and software that accelerates the use of the control's macro programs enabling simultaneous control of up to eight axes.

This capability also enables idle times to be cut by up to a quarter.

Here, the rigid cast iron slant bed structure of the M-16 machine frame enables tooling performance to be optimised and high orders of accuracy and surface finish to be achieved at the main 2.2kW, 10,000 rev/min spindle and the 0.75kW, 10,000 rev/min subspindle.

A major advantage of the M16-V with its Y-axis feed and ability to carry multiple tools at each tool position of the turret is that idle time can be further reduced because the adjacent tool can be engaged without the turret having to be indexed.

The Y-axis also enables tool centre height to be quickly adjusted and set using compensation at the control and this feature also creates additional flexibility when using milling cycles.

Among the application capabilities available on the machine are rigid tapping on main, subspindle and rotary tool positions, constant surface speed and continuous threading cycles for both main and subspindles, polygonal special machining, thread whirling and gear cutting.

Functions such as thread lengthening at high speed, synchronous threading by fast tap retraction and a fast program check routine that will provide cycle time calculations without any need for mechanical movement, further help establish benefits of advanced M-Series Citizen technology.

A programmable gripper-based off-load device is available that minimises unloading times and protects delicate components from damage and a long part adapter is available to accept parts longer than the maximum 200mm stroke enabling parts up to 400mm to be effectively machined.

Also the well-proven Cool Blaster high pressure 2,000 lb/in2 coolant system that improves tool life, surface finish and metal removal rates can be specified as an NC Engineering fitted option.

Swiss sliding head turning centre specialist will show the world's first 10mm capacity single-spindle CNC sliding head lathe without guidebush, offering excellent 'price-to-performance' ratio.

MACH 2006 will be the first opportunity for Tornos to present two exceptional new machines to the UK. On stand 5076 the Swiss sliding head turning centre specialist will present the new Tornos Deco 8sp and the Deco 20s - the first machines of the new S-line range. Tornos will also exhibit the Deco 26a 10 axis turning centre.

The first machine launched in the new S-Line range is the Deco 8sp.

The 8sp is world's first 10mm capacity single-spindle CNC sliding head lathe without guidebush.

With five linear axes, the Deco 8sp provides an excellent 'price-to-performance' ratio whilst the kinematics have been adapted to execute reasonably complex parts.

It is a technological solution that allows Tornos to offer an automatic lathe that guarantees a degree of precision of +/-1 micron (0.001mm) never seen before.

The Tornos 8sp addresses new markets such as the electronics and especially the hard mini-disk sector for mobile IT applications The second machine launch of the new S-Line range, the Deco 20s is designed to execute relatively complex parts up to 25.4mm diameter.

The programming and kinematics of the Deco 20s are geared towards simplicity, which is coupled with strong mechanical elements to guarantee high precision.

With six linear axes, the 20s has been designed for producing reasonably complex parts with an excellent price-to-potential ratio.

Numerous market studies were conducted and the Deco 20s is the resulting machine that is well suited for the automotive, medical, electronics and connector and general manufacturing sectors.

The considerable strength and power provide the lathe with a very large machining capacity.

Another important aspect is its versatility - the machine has 22 tool positions and a high level of interchangeability to give the Deco 20s exceptional flexibility.

These two new machines are undoubtedly set to make a huge impact at the show.

* Tornos Technologies at MACH 2006, NEC, Birmingham, UK, May 15-19, Hall 5, Stand 5076.

CNC sliding head automatic lathes can perform thread whirling to produce deep and course thread pitches, taper threads and special forms with often burr-free sharp edges on short and long parts.

The ability of the thread whirling process to generate very difficult to machine deep and course thread pitches, taper threads, special forms with often burr-free sharp edges has found a new lease of life in the application of the process through CNC sliding head autos and particularly in the production of medical components. This has largely come about from the rapid rise in the demands of the medical sector for implants such as bone screws and bridges with their high surface finish and tolerance requirements in difficult materials such as titanium and high grade stainless steels. As a result application development on threads as small as 1.2mm diameter has taken advantage of the construction and configuration of the sliding head automatic lathe that provides an ideal platform for medical type components by combining a multitude of processes into a high precision, single 'one-hit', cost effective turn/mill cycle.

And, following an increase in awareness of the process, new applications are spinning-off almost daily for thread whirling with the same advantages being applied to non-medical parts such as multi-start worms, scrolls and course pitch spirals across a wide range of different sector applications.

The thread whirling head such as those supplied by Floyd Automatic Tooling of Baldock in Hertfordshire, UK, can also be retrofitted to any CNC sliding head machine providing there is space to mount the unit and a drive to the tool head is available.

This capability also further improves the adoption of the process.

In order to whirl a thread, a multi-tooth cutter is rotated around the outside diameter of a part to be threaded to generate the thread form in a single pass, which is considerably quicker than other methods of creating threads.

And here the advantage of the sliding head auto is outlined by Citizen's UK agent NC Engineering of Watford that the complete cutting action is performed very close to the guide bush of the machine creating maximum bearing support adjacent to the cutting tool insert and thus providing an extremely rigid set up.

Says managing director Geoff Bryant: 'This machining scenario, similar to a steady used on fixed head lathes, enables the thread whirling process to be exploited providing precise control of the thread size and surface finish on the flanks of the thread while maximising the material removal with better than average tool life.

Also, with this configuration, long lengths of consistently high accuracy thread, up to the capacity of the machine can be produced in a single pass.' The attachment to create the thread whirling process comprises a tool holder body, that in the case of a Citizen machine, can be mounted on the turret or a tool slide using the normal rotating tool drive which is run at around 3,000 rev/min.

The toolholder can contain either three or six indexable carbide inserts mounted radially in the holder that are ground to the full form of the thread.

The holder is then inclined and set at the required helix angle of the thread.

The bar material used to produce the part is rotated in the spindle at around 60 rev/min in the same direction as the whirling head which helps maintain roundness and concentricity.

At the start of the cut, the whirling head is fed direct to finish depth using the programmable X-axis enabling the complete thread form to be generated in a single cut.

Within each revolution of the spindle, each insert is in contact with the material with the Z-axis feed of the machine programmed to create the pitch of the thread.

When the required length of thread is machined, the whirling head is retracted radially then axially to clear the workpiece.

The application team at NC Engineering has carried out considerable development work in conjunction with Floyd Automatic Tooling where director Eric Chamberlain maintains threads as small as 1.2mm in diameter, developed for the dental industry can now be whirled with the maximum diameter and the length of thread or part governed by the capacity of the machine.

This length for the Citizen sliding head machine is 32mm diameter by 320mm long.

Explains Chamberlain, compared to a conventional fixed head lathe, which requires a tailstock or steady to support the material when producing longer threads, problems mount when difficult materials are involved.

'There is absolutely no comparison between the two machine processes when a CNC sliding head machine is used,' he insists.

However, Bryant maintains, specifying the process with the latest sliding head machine developments takes advantage of easier programming, and the generation of even higher productivity gains with the added reduction in non-cutting or idle times and faster data processing at the control.

In addition, the recent addition of a programmable unloading device from Citizen eliminates possible damage to a finished component by controlling its transport out of the working area of the machine.

A CNC function is to be introduced to Tornos CNC automatics that pre-heats the machines before commencing the machining of high accuracy components.

A new CNC function will be appearing on Tornos turning centres from April 2006 that will automatically activate a machine preheating mode at a predefined time. This new option will make it possible to preheat the Deco 13b and all Deco A-line machine tools before operators arrive to start work and following planned machine shut-downs such as overnight, weekends and during holiday periods. The automatic machine pre-heating mode will help to achieve substantial reductions in the time required to start producing high-precision components.

This new feature will prove invaluable to companies machining components that require the machine to be operating at a stable and constant temperature.

* Operation - the operator will be able to program a number of components for the machine to produce overnight or at weekends.

Once the machine has completed its production run, it switches into standby mode.

At a programmed time or at a pre-determined date and time, the machine will automatically activate its preheating mode.

At the start of this preheating phase, the machine retracts the bar into the tube to prevent collisions with tools.

The Tornos DECO unit then runs its last component program but cancels the movement of axis Z1 to prevent any machining from taking place.

To avoid any problems of overheating, the spindle override function can be reduced right down to 25%.

In the morning when the operator wishes to recommence production, the first step is to manually cancel the preheating mode.

Furthermore, the operator will not be able to start manufacturing parts until the bar has been manually moved so it is contact with the cutting tool.

This is a safety measure intended to prevent any risk of tool breakage when the first component is loaded on to the machine.

No change to the component program is required on the TB-DECO software in order to use the preheat function.

Latest generation sliding head CNC automatic lathe will be a subcontractor's first step to expand its fast response high precision production service into the small part turn/mill sector.

The decision by specialist contract machinist High-Tech Engineering to purchase the latest generation Citizen L20-VIII from NC Engineering of Watford will be the company's first step to expand its fast response high precision production service into the small part turn/mill sector. Says Steve Tickner, managing director of the Dunstable-based company: 'We have built up an excellent reputation in the autosport, electronics, aerospace and defence sectors for high speed machining and up to five-axis milling which is 90 per cent of our turnover'. 'However, we have a new aerospace contract which is ideal for sliding head autos and we can now foresee good opportunities to provide the same level of service in automated turn/milling of parts up to 20mm diameter.' The family owned business formed in 1985 employs 20 people which include Tickner's two sons and has been progressively developing processes towards single operation and 'lights-out' machining by adopting automation as far as possible to improve competitiveness.

The company runs around the clock to maximise machine utilisation at the purpose-built premises at Houghton Regis which portrays the high technology image that has proven to be so successful in its sectors of operation.

The Citizen L20, with subspindle, up to 21 tools of which nine are driven, was launched in the summer of 2005 and drew immediate acclaim for its high speed processing and substantially reduced idle and non-cutting time.

This development created cycle time savings of up to 30% on the previous generation of machine and this capability drew Tickner to make the decision to purchase helped by the quick and positive response of NC Engineering to take on board what was required and provide advice, help and time studies.

The machine was also ordered with a long parts adapter enabling components up to 400mm long to be machined, an outfeed work conveyor and barfeed package to enable unattended running and provide fully automated single-cycle machining processes on materials as diverse as stainless steel, brass, phosphor bronze and titanium alloys.

Tickner maintains: 'Our business has grown on our ability to respond to customers and if we do not deliver we will get very little repeat contracts'.

'This machine will extend our capability into smaller components and increase our earnings potential'.

Developed to produce very complex multiple mill/turn features on components up to 42mm diameter in a single 'one-hit' cycle, a seven-axis fixed-head CNC automatic now incorporates a Y-axis cross-feed.

Developed to produce very complex multiple mill/turn features on components up to 42mm diameter, combining high orders of accuracy for geometrical positioning and size in a single 'one-hit' cycle, the latest seven-axis fixed-head Boley BE42-Y now incorporates a Y-axis cross-feed to one of its two 12-station all-driven turrets. The machine, now available from NC Engineering of Watford, UK, has the added capability to perform cycles such as eccentric cross-milling and machining requiring three-axis helical interpolation on components out of a maximum bar size of up to 42mm bar or on chucking applications up to 140mm diameter. It also incorporates the ability to machine with three tools at the same time to lower cycle times and improve efficiency.

The high precision Boley BE42-Y is able to transfer parts between its two spindles which have full C-axis capability for mill/turn machining sequences.

These spindles are serviced by two identical 12-station turrets which have one second indexing and a 1kW, 4,500 rev/min drive to each tool position.

Besides the capability to use driven tools on all stations, both turrets have additional index positions set between each station which means 48 tool holders can be carried, with up to 24 on each turret.

When this tool carrying capability is combined with the addition of the + 40mm either side of centre line Y-axis cross-feed to the top turret, the versatility of the machine increases further due to the freedom of turret axis movements to both main and secondary spindles.

A high precision and surface finish capability is enhanced by ceramic bearing technology used in the main spindle which also has liquid cooling.

The spindle is powered by an 11kW, AC built-in motor giving between 80 and 8,000 rev/min.

The collet is hydraulically operated for bar machining and to create a higher gripping force when using the optional 140mm capacity chuck.

The secondary spindle is powered by a 3.7kW 6,000 rev/min drive.

In its chucking lathe guise, the Boley BE42-Y has the facility to carry a collet in the secondary spindle and is able to pick-up the component from the main spindle by locating from a previously turned diameter.

It is then transferred at a traverse rate of 24m/min ready to position for second operational machining.

In addition, the secondary spindle also incorporates an 110mm X-2 cross-feed axis derived from the Boley BC42-X2 to enable component features that are dimensioned off the centre line to be accurately machined.

The Boley BE42-Y has a 30 deg slant bed and adopts many of the proven features of the existing Boley fixed spindle and citizen cnc sliding head range including a common CNC control system with high speed processing capability.

The machine is compact with a floor area of 2350mm by 1560mm.

Options available include chute-type workpiece outfeed or conveyor, a back-spindle thread chasing device, automatic part-off, tooling monitoring and breakage detection and an automatic component loading system for chucking work.

Using the counter spindle and back operation functionality of 13-axis CNC sliding head automatic lathe has represented a halving of many cycle times for a subcontractor.

As a fifth generation family business and BTMA member, Herve Engineering can boast a distinguished history of supplying high quality turned components to customers the world over. Today, one way the ISO9001 registered and accredited company competes successfully in the face of low cost global competition is to deploy 13-axis CNC sliding head auto technology from Tornos. Founded in 1850, the current managing director of Herve Engineering, Ken Herve is undertaking the guardianship of this respected sub-contract manufacturer.

Based in Shoeburyness, Essex, Herve Engineering is currently enjoying a period of growth and stability and in 2004 the company witnessed growth in the region of 17%: turnover currently stands at GBP 1.2 million.

Part of the reason can be attributed to the company's planned programme of investment in recent years, which has included the acquisition of two NC automatic, single spindle sliding headstock lathes with counter spindles from Tornos, a Deco 26 and Deco 20.

'Before we bought the Deco machines we assessed the marketplace and decided that they were the fastest machines available for the type of work we wanted to do.

We looked at other models but Tornos appeared to be the pioneers of rapid movement.

At Herve we have always believed in trying to be the leader rather than the follower and it was apparent that Tornos had the same philosophy,' explains Herve Buying two different size capacity Deco machines reflects Herve Engineering's ambition to offer the marketplace as much flexibility as possible'.

''One of our strengths is that we have never concentrated on one particular 'envelope' of component size,' continues Herve.

'It is a policy that has put us in a very strong market position and maximises our opportunity to capture and maintain new customers.

After all, while we always welcome new orders, it is the customer's second and subsequent orders that we really want.' Today the two Deco machines fed by Tornos Robobar bar feeders are kept busy producing turned parts in batches of 1500 and above to industries such as electrical/electronic, automotive, domestic appliance and gas.

Typical materials include a selection of mild steels and non-ferrous metals as well as some stainless steels.

Tolerances are tight in keeping with the precision nature of the components being manufactured, 0.01mm in some instances depending on material.

Although the machines run 24 hours a day whenever possible, the biggest benefit offered to Herve Engineering is the completion of turned parts in a single operation.

'While we could manufacture these parts before we had the Tornos machines, lead-times were longer because of the multiple set-ups required,' he says.

'Using the counter spindle and back operation functionality of the Deco machines has represented a halving of many cycle times at Herve.

For instance, one particular stainless steel shaft we make features two tapped holes passing through a milled flat.

Today this part takes 60 seconds to complete on the Deco 20 whereas before it was a two or three operation job.

The machines have also allowed us to pursue more complex work.' Herve Engineering is a good example of UK manufacturing fighting back.

'Despite all the obstacles put in front of us, such as the minimum wage, rising energy costs, rising raw material costs and endless legislation and red tape, we are still competing, we are still investing and we are as busy as ever.

I can not emphasise enough the importance of investment.

Our Tornos Deco machines particularly, have ensured that we can compete on a productivity level with anyone in the world,' concludes Herve.

Where Citizen lathes score, says a subcontractor, is that through our retained skills we can quickly move to cam or multi-autos and special purpose, a resource that is seriously lacking today.

Based in Merton, very close to Wimbledon, in South West London, Tenable Screw Co is no stranger to the public eye for its small part precision machining business. Just next door are the studios where police soap drama 'The Bill' is filmed and quite often the villains of the plot can be seen on camera attempting their escape through the high technology machine shop dodging down the gangways between 28 CNC machine tools with the stars of the show in hot pursuit. Of the 28 machines, 24 are citizen cnc sliding head autos of which four now stand out in the new silver livery of the K-series and Tenable Screw's machines were the first to be installed in the UK.

Far from being a film set, although the 66,000ft2 machine shop is Tardis-like once inside, the GBP 6 million turnover company has set its stall out to mix both old and new technology equipment and machining methods.

Described by brothers, managing director Simon and co-director Nigel Schlaefli, as having a very prized capability with a workforce of 110 people, they reckon to have a solution for all customer demands through the still originally owned family business.

Indeed, a testament to their skill-based activities reside in the foyer showcase in Deer Park Road where a Hornby 'Golden Arrow' model train takes centre stage.

Although a saddened Nigel Schlaefli reflects it has all gone to China now, Tenable Screw made some 60 different parts for over 35 years such as lamps, wheels, Pullman tables, buffers, screws and fittings for Hornby.

While the Merton subcontract machine shop covers some 66,000ft2 Tenable Screw also has a production site in Coventry for second operation machining with 12 people serving the Midlands and North of England and another in Marlborough for high volume CNC, cam machine and special purpose machine production.

Each of these sites cover 50,000ft2 and house a massive plant list boasting some 254 individual machine tools.

In addition to the 28 CNC machines 40 are single spindle cam types, 27 are multi-spindle autos, 65 Escomatics and, unbelievable for a subcontract machining operation, 91 are rotary transfer and special purpose machines from the likes of Hyrdromat, Wurth and Gruffat and a number of Variomatics.

Commenting on the menagerie of machines, Nigel Schlaefli smiles.

He then quickly points out, with the availability of floor space and machines all bought and paid for, they have developed a leave it set policy for the annual repetitive contracts.

Many of these machines are treated as if they were jigs and fixtures and simply disconnected after the production run and mothballed as a fully tooled set up for the next order.

'We can still install a cam machine or a special purpose machine faster than we could ever reset it - let alone track down the tooling.

We just press the button, perform a first-off and away it goes,' he says.

According Simon Schlaefli: 'With the Tenable Screw policy of having one foot in the CNC camp and another in more conventional machine tools, we can easily provide a complete product life service to customers.

This is something of a niche operation generally no longer available in the UK - offering prototype, pre-production, ramp-up and ramp-down production operations using the flexibility of CNC.

This is where the Citizens come into their own and through our retained skills we can quickly move to cam or multi-autos and special purpose, a resource that is seriously lacking in the competitive area of the subcontract sector today.' He maintains that this capability means they can go head to head against Chinese and Eastern European companies.

'Our lead times are far shorter than the boat on the water and as our materials are all European sourced, we are always able to adhere to the customer specification.

Our turnover and profitability reflect the confidence customers have in us to deliver.' Tenable Screw started its association with Citizen CNC sliding head autos some 15 years ago with a pre-owned machine.

The company ordered its first new B12 in 1998 and has progressively installed three Citizens a year right up to this year, only breaking the programme by ordering three K12 and one K16 machine.

Simon Schlaefli is quick to point out the reason for such a concentration on one machine builder for sliding head lathes as being back up and support.

And he admits the constant development of the range means there is always a justification to buy more.

As he cites: 'Compare the B12 to the new K-Series.

The new machine has faster servo reactions, the control is more advanced, you can drill, turn, mill, hexagon broach and thread with two tools engaged at the same time.

We are one of the very few UK based companies that produce high volume electrical connector block geared up to produce at very competitive prices against overseas competition.' He then follows on to describe a prime example.

'With the new K12 we have reduced cycle times on one part from 55 secs to 36 secs which is a dramatic cost saving and more important, reduces lead times.

We have further advantages with improved access for setting, consistency of production is first class which helps on SPC analysis and we can run out of normal working hours giving higher machine utilisation.

We regularly hold +/- 0.03mm tolerances on a whole range of parts between 2mm and 13mm diameter.' Simon carries on that: 'Single cycle machining is a big advantage and the speeds and feeds available with the inherent build quality of machine means we can work on a wide range of materials and constantly reduce cycle times or tailor the process to give ourselves uninterrupted shift working which becomes more critical as volumes mount.

And we have found with all citizen machines the residual value is excellent because they are always in demand which makes it a very cost-effective machine to own and run.' Formed in 1940 by father and now chairman, George Schlaefli to make rivets for Wellington bombers and parts for electricity meters, the company now produces an amazing range of components covering connectors, consumer and automotive electronics to Tier 2 and 3 suppliers, wiring harnesses, armature and solenoid parts, aerospace connectors, inserts for moulding and even musical instrument components.

Today, some 20% of production is exported with parts going to America, and surprisingly to Malaysia and the Czech Republic, which clearly defines the competitive working of the business.

Simon Schlaefli is adamant the skill of his people is the mainstay of the business.

He says: 'We can develop methods which may be traditional cam or multi-spindle techniques but when you apply the concept to a modern CNC sliding head machine you will be amazed at what can be done.' He is adamant: 'You will not get these solutions out of the Far East and how many subcontractors in the world today can go from producing a few very complicated prototype parts using a Citizen as a flexible CNC machining centre that may take a week to develop the process, then run them through pre-production then ramp-up for higher volumes.

That is what many of our customers rely on - our total flexibility, from a single source and we have continuously invested to achieve that,' he concludes.

A turned parts subcontractor has streamlined production with the addition of two multi-axis mill-turn centres for machining complex, high added value work.

Turned parts subcontractor, Qualiturn Products, has streamlined production with the addition of two Star SR-20RII multi-axis mill-turn centres. Its Hertford, UK, facility now boasts 15 Star sliding-headstock lathes, all of which are less than eight years old and of top specification in terms of the number of CNC axes, driven tools and traverse speeds. Owner Bernard Groom commented, 'In 2004 we lost three contracts for fairly simple components - none requiring reverse-end work - to subcontractors in China, India and Korea, but none in 2005.

We make sure that our plant is as modern as possible, allowing us to produce complex parts unmanned in short cycle times.

It means that we do not have to increase our labour costs, allowing us to stave off competition from low-wage economies.' He went on to explain that the latest Star machines are equipped with attachments for sub spindle slotting and for angle milling, drilling and tapping.

When installing a new lathe, he opts to buy most of the optional add-ons to provide maximum versatility and productivity when competing for complex, high added value work.

Qualiturn's policies are certainly paying off.

Since moving to its new, larger unit in February 2004, the company has seen a 20% increase in turnover, derived from a wide spread of 180 customers.

The aim is to produce all parts in one visit to a machine, otherwise it is difficult to make money in today's competitive environment.

Completion in one hit of what would have traditionally been second operations, such as cross drilling and reverse-end machining, is key to profitability.

Mr Groom pointed out that judicious use of backworking is particularly important, as it can be used to reduce overall cycle time for components that could be machined in the main spindle alone.

By allocating some operations to the sub spindle, the main spindle is relieved to start producing the next part earlier, thereby minimising the cycle time.

An advantage that UK subcontractors have over foreign competitors is the trend towards ever smaller batches, whereas having parts made in India or China requires large runs for them to be economical.

While Qualiturn typically produces batches in the region of 15,000-off, orders for 50-off are not infrequent - quantities that are far too small to have machined overseas.

Other work that is relatively safe is the production of components to tight tolerances; for example, a recent order for 5,000-off components stipulated that +6/-0 microns, be held on a 5mm turned diameter.

Continued Groom, 'Qualiturn is bucking the trend by growing in a contracting industry, partly because turned parts subcontractors around the country are going into receivership or simply closing their doors because they cannot make a reasonable living.

In either case, the reason is likely to be that they have not invested in modern CNC machines like Star sliders.

The other factor in our favour is that we make a point of training our own setter / operators in-house, whereas all too often, manufacturing industry in the UK neglects this and tries to recruit from a diminishing pool of qualified engineers.

However, a little investment in training results in people wanting to join your company, and in their being productive very quickly because they are familiar with your machines and procedures.' His view of British subcontracting is that the prospects are bright provided that firms do not try to compete for orders involving large batches of simple parts, such as those traditionally made on cam auto's or conventional multis.

Keller Engineering, a 31 person Torrance, CA Job Shop, recently looked to Emuge to solve a demanding cutting problem.

"Actually it was a technical problem," said founder Albert Keller. "We had a 5/16ths internal thread to be cut inside a titanium rod that is inserted into a broken tibia (leg bone, Ed) to add strength until it heals. When we started we produced the part on a Star Lathe, but the problem was we just couldn't go as deep as the customer wanted. So, we found ourselves finishing the threads by doing manual sinking and tapping, which was slow and expensive. We had 4,000 parts to make, so we went to Westec 2002 in search of a better, faster way to do it."

At Westec Keller visited the Emuge booth and talked to their technicians about the possibility of thread milling.

"I knew about thread milling," Keller says, "but I didn't think it could be done on such small diameters. The Emuge people guaranteed us their cutting tool could do the job, so we decided to give it a try."

According to Keller, the Emuge people visited his plant and supplied him with the CNC g-code needed to do the job perfectly.

"Once we decided to buy their cutting tools, they gave us the software which specified feed, speed and coolant for the operation. They made it really easy for us, gave us really good service. They also told us that we could make at least 2,000 threads with one tool without problem and they were right. I don't have the figures handy, but that switch saved us a lot of money and certainly boosted our profits on the job. We use a lot of different kinds of cutting tools here, including Emuge. We always try to find the right tool for the job."

Many shops today have begun evaluating the purchase of multi-function turn/ mill machines, weighing factors such as cost, capability and productivity gains. These shops must consider what type of turn/mill machine tool best fits their individual needs and the parts they produce. Within the turn/mill machine category is the B-axis machine, a turning machine that includes five-axis milling capabilities. The acquisition of a B-axis machine requires a significant investment in both money and time. B-axis machines are approximately 20 percent higher in price compared to turn/ mill machines of similar capacity without B-axis features. However, for shops that produce parts that would benefit from B-axis machining, the productivity gains achieved by B-axis machines more man justify these expenditures.

Shops evaluating the purchase of a B-axis machine should ask these key questions: What does B-axis capability add to a turn/mill machine tool, and what kind of CAM system is needed to take advantage of this capability success fully? The answers are found by analyzing the physical characteristics of B-axis machines, evaluating machine configuration and setup time, and assessing the level of integration of the programming environment.

B-Axis Fundamentals

Methods Machine Tools Inc. (Sudbury, Massachusetts), a machine tool importer and the exclusive distributor of Nakamura-Tome machine tools in the United States, frequently discusses the fundamentals of a B-axis machine with prospective buyers to be sure they fully understand its capabilities.

Methods provides this standard definition to potential customers: The B-axis machine tool combines the turning capabilities of a horizontal/vertical turning machine with the milling and machining capabilities of a five-axis machining center.

Like traditional turn/mill machines, B-axis machine tools provide control over the Z-X (turning) and C (rotary milling) axes. The B-axis head is used as a milling spindle or a turning/boring toolholder, thus enabling the machine to complete all milling and turning with one setup. These machine tools also give users control over the Y-axis for off-center milling operations. However, it is B-axis capability that sets these machines apart. The B axis is defined as rotation about the Y axis, and and this fifth axis positioning makes cuts with compound angles possible. B-axis capability gives a machine full support for five-axis index milling and 3D / five-axis simultaneous freeform milling. The B-axis machine is literally one machine doing the work of two because it supports the entire range of milling and turning operations possible, with the advantage of doing it in one setup.

Whole Part, One Setup

B-axis machines increase part accuracy because they hold tighter tolerances between turned and milled features. For example, when a cutting tool body is machined on a B-axis machine, it is significantly easier to maintain geometric tolerances between milling and turning operations. As with traditional turn/mill machines, using one workholding setup eliminates errors that may be introduced by switching a part from a turning to a milling machine. For parts that require the turning and multi-axis milling operations that only B-axis machines are equipped to handle, keeping tight tolerances across multiple datums is especially important for maintaining geometric tolerances between features.

When outfitted with dual spindles, the extended machining range of a B-axis machine enables it to perform both milling and turning operations, on both the front and back of the workpiece. Each spindle (main and sub) acts as a workpiece holder, allowing simultaneous five-axis cutting on either the front or back of the part, thereby completing the entire part in one setup. A job that previously required four setups (front-turn, back-turn, front-mill, back-mill) can be reduced to one setup on a machine with B-axis capability.

A multi-spindle B-axis machine outfitted with a lower turret further increases capacity for producing parts in a single setup. See Figure 1. In this configuration, the B-axis head operates at the same time other turret-based cutting tools are being used on the opposite spindle, enabling synchronized simultaneous machining. In other words, cutting occurs on both the front and back of the part at the same time.