The Ultimate CNC Milling machine, The Ultra high speed Mikron XSM 600U with integrated pallet changer has been placed on order by Hemlock Engineering.

The machine is planned to be used as to take the company into round-the-clock unmanned production milling of complex printer and autosport components. Sister company HPC Services has already proven these methods to be highly cost-effective with its Citizen CNC sliding head autos and Nakamura mill/turn centre.

Says managing director Paul Cobb: "We need to reduce even further our lead times by going to one piece flow or eliminate separate operations into one or two efficient cycles which will also improve the maintenance of geometric relationship tolerances of component features. By combining multi operational machining sequences it will also simplify workholding, and through new thought processes being developed for programming, give us much greater opportunity to improve efficiency and machine utilisation. Also it will enable us to machine components in vastly reduced cycle times and with reduced manning. The costdown implications are obvious. Also the additional five-axis capability enables us to offer an additional service to our customers and hopefully tempt potentially new hi-tech clients to give us consideration as a subcontractor."

 

A specialist contract machining service, established by Hemlock Manufacturing of Sandiacre, Nottingham where base plates and face plates are machined using high speed technology, is now processing some three tonnes of aluminium a month on its five Haas VF vertical machining centres and a twin-pallet, 100-tool Kitamura H400 horizontal machining centre.

The components, up to 300 mm square, are produced out of Honsel HE30 and Alplan proprietary aluminium blanks which have high degrees of flatness and parallelism.  Once machined by Hemlock they are used in a wide range of products such as mould plates and printer frames, face plates and fascias. These are then assembled into printers, packaging machinery and electronic equipment.  The company also supplies black anodised finish machined fascias for use in upmarket hi-fi systems.

By using its up to four-axis and 12,000 revs/min spindle machining capability, batch quantities range from around 25 parts to continuous 24 hour production.  Some parts are highly complex with up to 200 holes, slots and special profiles having tolerances as tight as 10 micron and 0.05 mm on feature positions. Inspection is carried out on a Brown & Sharpe DEA co-ordinate measuring machine.

Explains managing director Paul Cobb: "We are set up to supply a complete service from raw material through to surface treatments such as anodising and bead blasting.  We also provide a stockholding service for customers where we hold finished parts that are individually wrapped and protected for immediate call-off and delivery direct to assembly lines. This service has particularly proven to be a key attraction for customers."

Issued on behalf of:

Hemlock  Manufacturing, Unit 8 Ascot Park Estate, Lenton Street, Sandiacre, Nottingham     NG10 5DJ

Tel: 0115 9397951
Contact:  Ian Sinclair or Paul Cobb

 

In just two years, sales of sub-contract machined components to the UK motor sport industry has grown from zero to over £100,000 for Stapleford, Nottingham-based Hemlock Engineering. While many of the contracts involve highly precise machined components produced on the company’s Citizen CNC sliding head automatic lathes, Haas vertical and Kitamura horizontal machining centres, more often than not today, maintains managing director Paul Cobb: “We get very involved with development projects. These include design for manufacture consultancy and prototype assemblies which then lead to small batch production and even fully tested sub assemblies.”

Prime examples include a paddle gear change system conversion, including the steering wheel frame, a special reverse gear mechanism to meet race car scruitineering, water pump systems and special air box and filter arrangements.

Hemlock has also been heavily involved in producing sub assemblies and parts for a new road-going sports car fitted with a high performance motorcycle engine.

Utilising its milling capability, Hemlock produces special baffled low-profile sumps that are just 45 mm high for the Honda Fireblade motorcycle, which is able to retain its original design specification for oil capacity. Produced out of solid aluminium blocks, these highly profiled components include machined-in baffles to prevent oil surge and all relevant machining for direct fitment to the engine.

Other special sumps are produced for racing motorcycle and sidecars with ultra-low profiles in order to minimise ground clearance as well as special small capacity aluminium sump cases for race cars.

The Citizen M32 is used for a wide range of small fittings, bolts and gearbox components required to high orders of surface finish and tight tolerances out of a wide range of materials.

As Paul Cobb maintains: “Many of these parts are small but very intricate, need a lot of tools and are required in frequent small batches. To produce these conventionally would be a total nightmare but with ‘one-hit’ mill/turning techniques we know the strict geometric relationships of the various features will be correct.”

He follows on to explain that because of the ability of the Citizen to make almost any configuration of milled and turned features up to its 32 mm capacity, it gives the component designer the freedom to concentrate on fitness for purpose rather than worrying about pricing the part out of court because it is so difficult and complex to produce.