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Three 5 Axis Machining Centres in Cam-Tech Engineering

Story added 11 October 2011.

Coventry subcontractor, Cam-Tech Engineering, has increased turnover every year for the past decade. Since 2008, that growth has accelerated due to the installation of three 5-axis machining centres from DMG. They are used extensively to produce brake and clutch components for luxury, high performance and specialised cars.

Founded in Shannon by John Bolger in 1998, the company originally specialised in aircraft component machining, notably for Boeing and Gardner Aerospace. It moved from Ireland to Coventry one year later. Shortly afterwards, the aerospace industry contracted so Mr Bolger, mindful that it accounted for 80 per cent of turnover at the time, moved into producing parts for sports cars and other top-end road vehicles.

Around 4,000 brake calipers per month are currently produced by ISO9001:2008-accredited Cam-Tech on the DMG machines, mainly from free-issue aluminium castings but also from solid billets in the case of prototypes and smaller batch quantities.

About a dozen varieties of caliper of various sizes find their way into anything from an armour-plated limousine to a small electric hybrid car. Many high-end marques have been supplied, including Porsche, Subaru, McLaren, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford RS Cosworth, Bentley, Bugatti and Lotus.

The first 5-axis machine, a DMU50, was bought in 2008 after one of Mr Bolger's customers agreed to transfer caliper work from another subcontract machinist. At a stroke, it increased Cam-Tech's turnover by 20 per cent.

A 3+2-axis machine was the optimum choice for prismatic machining of the calipers, but most machining centres on the market of this configuration were 3-axis models with a bolt-on trunnion / table. In fact, the DMG machine was the only one Mr Bolger could identify as being a purpose-built 3+2 axis type with the rotary axes built in.

He commented, "We saw a similar DMU50 in action at Red Bull's manufacturing centre in Milton Keynes and felt that it offered the best rigidity for high accuracy machining, day in day out over two shifts. We have just finished paying for the machine and it continues to be an excellent production centre.

"The other advantage with built-in rotary axes is that the Z-axis travel is not compromised, whereas it is curtailed if a compound rotary table is added to the fixed bed of a 3-axis machining centre."

The installation was so successful that Mr Bolger had no hesitation returning to DMG in 2010 for his next 5-axis machine as caliper volumes continued to grow. This time he opted for a full 5-axis model, a DMU50 eVo Linear, which although a little more expensive came with two advantages for the subcontractor.

First, it allows fully interpolative 5-axis machining, a function that is not currently used but will be in the future when the right work comes along. Second, it has a higher specification including 18,000 rpm spindle speed, high pressure through-tool coolant, faster cutting feed rates and rapids, and a 60-position tool magazine. Used in 3+2 mode for machining calipers, it is one third more productive than the original DMU50, according to Mr Bolger.

In early 2011, a third DMG machining centre was added, similar to the first 3+2-axis DMU50, to cope with a further increase in caliper demand. It has resulted in the automotive sector accounting for 90 per cent of the subcontractor's business.

Consequently, to establish a more balanced business model across a range of industries, Mr Bolger is actively seeking more work in aerospace and is also looking to break into the medical and other sectors where his full 5-axis machining capability, supported by AlphaCam programming, can be better exploited.


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