Six-machine order for subcontractor

Citation

(2007), "Six-machine order for subcontractor", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2007.12779dab.008

Six-machine order for subcontractor

Six-machine order for subcontractor

Burgess Hill-based subcontractor Treworrick Engineering has placed an order for six new machine tools from C. Dugard of Hove that will complete the rejuvenation of the company's machine shop to make it one of the enviable manufacturing facilities in southern England.

The machines – three Dugard Eagle 1000 vertical machining centres with Fanuc controls and including fourth axis options and three Hyundai Kia SKT15LM, SKT21 and SKT21LM CNC lathes have been ordered to improve efficiency and machine availability. Apart from the machines being replaced becoming out of date, cost for maintenance and repairs were rising and the company was seeking to maintain high levels of quality in the parts they produce.

Explains Co-Director Richard Avery: “We've bought CMC machine tools from C. Dugard and several other leading suppliers in the past and so they were all approached to provide the best solution to help us upgrade our machine shop. However, after careful consideration, the overall package offered by Dugard provided the ideal specification and were very competitively priced.” C. Dugard was also able to take six machines in part exchange and provided a crew to help re-arrange the factory as part of the package.

He follows on to explain the company's purchase decision saying: “A major area that influenced our choice of supplier was back-up and service support, especially from our support experiences with some of the ageing machines we were planning to replace. Here, in particular C. Dugard had a proven track record” he said.

Further influencing factors were that machines previously acquired from C. Dugard had been very reliable over the years even though they were run around-the-clock over seven days a week. Continues Richard Avery: “On the odd occasion we have required assistance the response has always been positive and I'm really pleased to continue the relationship with these latest machines.”

Treworrick Engineering has been established since 1980, providing complete manufacturing and machine shop services to a range of high profile UK customers many of whom are in the aerospace industry. Today the BS9001:2000 accredited company boasts 31 employees, 20 machine tools and a turnover in excess of £2 million.

The Eagle 1000 VMCs have a 1,200mm by 510mm table and XYZ-axis travels of 1,020£530£510mm and 20 tool magazine developed specifically to C. Dugard specification for production machining. The Hyundai Kia SKT 15 and 21 Series CMC lathes have, respectively, a maximum turning diameter of 255 and 350mm, 11 and 15kW spindles and 12-station driven tool turrets. Turret indexing is quick at 0.2 sees and rapid traverse rates are 36m/min.

Details available from: C. Dugard Machine Tools. Tel: +44 (0)1273 732286; web site: www.dugard.com. Treworrick Engineering. Tel: +44 (0)1444 232513.