The simplicity of CNC programming on three VMCs allows jobs to be turned around faster, resulting in improved profitability coupled with a short learning curve for new operator-programmers.

Around 70% of components produced on the three Hurco vertical machining centres (VMCs) at Milltech toolmaking Services are programmed on the shop floor by manual data input at the computer controls. According to owner, John Hickey, the simplicity of Hurco's Ultimax programming allows jobs to be turned around faster, resulting in improved profitability coupled with a short learning curve for new operator-programmers. Milltech started trading in June 2000 with a couple of 2.1/2-axis mills, a manual lathe and a surface grinder, moving to its present premises on City North Business Park, Cork, Ireland, at the start of 2006.

The company specialises in producing fixtures for a multiplicity of applications and also produces plastic injection moulds and press tools.

A particular strength is in providing customers with computer-aided design input in about half of the contracts it takes on, using AutoCad and SolidWorks.

The initial entry into full CNC took place in 2001 with the purchase of a lathe, followed a year later by the installation of the first Hurco VMC, supplied through local Irish agent, Michael Gannon.

Designated VM1, the machine is controlled by the manufacturer's own Max CNC system.

'In terms of user friendliness, it is similar to the 2.5D control on our mills, but much more capable,' confirmed Hickey.

'It helps us to program components, machine them and get them out of the door much faster than before; and accuracy is better too.' He said: 'We were so impressed that we invested in a second, identical VM1 just six months later.

The machines give us a competitive edge, as we are able to keep wage costs down by avoiding having an operator changing tools and supervising a machine continuously.' To illustrate how much faster his company is now able to turn around an order, he cited a stainless steel base plate for a cropping tool used in the medical industry, a sector that accounts for 60% of Milltech's turnover.

The plate was machined in 4h on a Hurco VM1, whereas it would have taken an operator between two and three 8h shifts to produce the part on one of the manual-toolchange mills.

Prototypes and small batches of up to 10-off were Milltech's core business until recently, with contracts regularly received from the electronic and automotive sectors as well as from medical OEMs.

However, new work producing automated assembly machine parts for a cosmetics company has raised some batch sizes considerably to between 300- and 500-off.

Another recent contract involved the production of 100-off aluminium brackets for an electronics customer.

These jobs created a problem for Milltech, as components machined from aluminium generate a lot of swarf, as do parts from acetyl, which is regularly used by the Cork subcontractor.

So in January this year, Hickey decided to buy a machining centre with integral swarf conveyor, turning again to Hurco for one of its VMX 24 models, opting for the high-speed model with 15,000 rev/min spindle.

Continued Hickey, 'We recently saved one man-day in the production of a batch of acetyl parts, as without the swarf conveyor we used to have to stop the cycle every 20 minutes to clear chips from the machining area.' He added: 'Moreover, higher spindle speeds allow us to achieve greater productivity using small cutters, for example when we drill 0.15mm holes through sheet material.' The machine has higher spindle torque for tackling difficult materials and faster rapid traverses for shorter idle times.

Control system is the higher-specification, twin-screen Ultimax CNC, which offers additional functionality including the ability to see, displayed on the second screen, a graphic of the part being programmed.

Hickey went on to describe a job completed in the first quarter of 2006 that Milltech would have had to turn away when it operated only manual-toolchange milling machines.

The work would have been too time-consuming for a competitive quote to be tendered and in any case, tolerance would have been almost impossible to hold on a bed or knee mill.

The job involved interpolating 80 holes of 5 mm diameter through three stainless steel plates using a 4mm carbide cutter.

Bore accuracy had to be within -0/+15 microns and required positional tolerance of hole centres was +/-0.01 mm.

Each plate was completed in a cycle time of less than 1.5h.

As to the future, Milltech will be phasing out its basic milling machines now that it is apparent how much more money full CNC machines from Hurco with fast, swing-arm automatic toolchange and 30m/min rapids can generate, especially as unattended 'ghost shifts' can be run well into the night.

Fast set-up is imperative, as is confidence that the part will come off correct first time, otherwise profitability is compromised.

So it is likely that further investment will be made in Hurco machines with their proprietary Max or Ultimax control.