Because a turning centre has its barfeed totally integrated with its CNC system, from which it is programmed, the result is optimised job changeover routines and reduced set-up times.

When Paul Brooke formed PZ Engineering in 2003, he immediately considered lights-out unmanned machining as essential - but more critical was any purchase had to reflect value-for-money, and be of good quality backed by local, responsive support. Here, Tornado lathes from Colchester Sales, and the manufacturing plant of Colchester Lathes being nearby at Heckmondwike, he felt, he had everything he required - and, in the event, more than expected, because he also took advantage of the very competitive machine finance packages available from 600 Finance - another very competitive operation of the 600 Group business. He outlines his position as a one-man start-up company working from a small industrial unit: 'I obviously had to be assured that the machines I was about to invest in initially, a single Colchester Tornado 220M with driven tools - not only met my budget but was reliable and, of course, also perfectly capable of doing any job I had to produce.' He follows on to explain : 'I had to be sure that if I needed it, service support would be immediate - my livelihood depended on the machine, it was as simple as that.' But two years later, and now with three employees at the Birstall (West Yorks) company, as well as four additional CNC machines all sourced via Colchestersales, Brooke definitely has made an impression on customers and has never looked back.

Supplying valve industry components of various materials to a mainly local customer base in batch quantities varying from four to 18,000, PZ depends heavily on its trio of Tornados; two 220M three-axis slant bed CNC lathes and the latest acquisition, a Colchester five-axis T6MS mill/turn chucking centre with sub spindle.

Two of the machines feature Tornado MBF integrated 1000 bar feeds, which Brooke considers essential in today's highly competitive marketplace.

He explains that like most people who run small engineering companies, he is not alone in spending a lot of time dealing with business issues and company administration.

Brookee says: 'Having two bar-fed lathes running regularly through the night with no one around is essential if I have any hope of cost-effectively producing large batches.' Brooke sets all the machines himself performing the programming on the shopfloor and, says: 'When I return in the morning the components are, where appropriate, ready to be loaded straight onto the vertical machining centres for finish/second operation machining.' It was, however, the introduction last year of the five-axis Colchester T6MS turning centre with its sub spindle and 'one-hit' milling and turning capability that Brooke describes as 'a revelation' in enabling him to drastically reduce cycle and lead times in the production of finished parts directly from the machine.

In one case - a typical valve industry part - the 40mm long component is produced on the T6MS 'in a fraction of the time it used to take' involving a sequence of main spindle rough turning, centre drilling, finish turning, boring, threading, tapping and parting-off.

Then through the 'kissing spindle' exchange, the part is transferred to the sub spindle where rough turning, grooving and finish turning is performed.

The Colchester 'Lights-out' package includes barfeed and swarf conveyor, axis tool monitoring and sister tool replacement, production scheduling software and in-process gauging using Renishaw probes giving automatic offset adjustment all supplied as standard.

Available as a 'ready-to-turn' package, the T6MS has 52mm bar capacity and the main spindle is powered by 15kW, 6,000 rev/min motor with 5.5kW, 6,000 rev/min sub spindle.

With a maximum part length capacity of 450mm between spindles, PZ takes full advantage of the machine's capability for in-phase radial C-axis rotation that enables in-cycle synchronised spindle 'kissing' at 30m/min for 'on-the-fly' part exchange.

Here, the 12-station, all-driven 3.7kW, 30 VDI mill/turn turret services both spindles controlled by the Fanuc 18i-TB CNC, and is able to maintain a positional accuracy to +0.005mm and repeatability is within +0.002 mm.

Along with two vertical machining centres, the T6MS complements the existing pair of Tornado 220Ms.

These have larger 65mm bar capacities, swings over the bed of 510mm and maximum turning capacities of 260mm by 540mm long.

One 220M and the T6MS turning centre are fitted with MBF 1000 barfeeds, which Brooke confirms are undoubtedly the key to the machines' extraordinarily high output.

Because the barfeed is totally integrated with the machine's Fanuc CNC system, from which it is programmed, the result is optimised job changeover routines and reduced set-up times.

The number of parts per bar can be programmed directly at the control - a major advantage - and, in addition, the unit's design characteristics of short gap to the spindle and the length of support the material receives in the headstock eliminates any vibration and pick-up on feed liners.

PZ's installation was the first in the UK for the Colchester T6MS.

In fact, Brooke purchased the prototype model and that has led to regrets.

He says: 'I really wish I had waited for the larger capacity model to be launched which would enable me to go after larger work.' Brooke says: 'Most of our jobs are repeated, which illustrates that we must be producing components correctly and at the right price which is entirely down to the capability of the Tornado machines'.

'My dealings with Colchester Sales have been very successful - definitely great machines with good back-up and support from the Northern Technical Centre which confirms my decision that dealing locally has really paid-off for me.'