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KM free up 4 machines by investing in 1

​KM Engineering are a sub-contract CNC machine shop. They have been in business for 35 years and are based in Bristol. In the summer of 2018 additional factory space was made to improve milling, turning and spark erosion capacity. Specialist capabilities include machining exotic materials for the oil and gas industries, including Inconel, Super-Duplex and Hastelloys.

Their recent investment in a 5 axis Hurco VC500i​ CNC machining centre has freed up other machines in the workshop.

Kevin Nicolson of KM Engineering lists 2 major benefits realized as soon as the machine went into production. The first was that jobs that were requiring 4 or 5 operations on their 3 axis machines were now being completed in a single handling. This freed capacity to the other work. The other major benefit is that KM Engineering are now able to quote for work for which they previously were not competitive.

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In the past the operators at KM had only used Fanuc controls but were quickly able to learn the conversational programming on the Max 5 control. In addition to being able to program the next job, directly at the control, whilst another job is running, KM invested in WinMax mill, offline programming software that exactly duplicates the software on the Max 5 control. This allows them to prepare jobs in advance away from the machine. All jobs on the VC500i are currently programmed conversationally.

Kevin really appreciates the design of the VC500i, highlighting the wide-opening doors allowing easy access to the trunnion. Another benefit is the fact that the B axis of the trunnion moves plus or minus 110°, meaning that they are able to produce undercuts and angled holes without having to reposition the billet.

The combination of capacity, accuracy and versatility offered by the VC500i appears to be a winning formula for KM Engineering.

One job might require the full 12,000 RPM offered by the in-line spindle to remove volumes of aluminum quickly and efficiency. The next job could require a 120mm U drill to cut through Inconel at 700 RPM.

KM Engineering have a smart, efficiently arranged workshop. They can also boast ISO 9001 accreditation. The combination of skilled workforce and a variety of quality machine tools on site mean that they can offer a first-class service for all batch sizes, from one-offs to production runs.

Km-engineering.co.uk 

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