Dyer Engineering Visits Mills CNC's Stand At MACH 2018 And Orders Five New Doosan Machines – There And Then

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied Dyer Engineering, a leading precision manufacturer located in the North East of England, with five new Doosan machine tools.

The machines – three Doosan DNM 4500 vertical machining centres, one Doosan DNM 6700 (large-capacity) vertical machining centre and one Lynx 2100LMB lathe equipped with driven tooling and supplied with a bar-feeder – were delivered and installed at Dyer Engineering’s extensive 100,000 square foot split-site manufacturing facility in Stanley, County Durham between April and August 2018.

All five machines were purchased by Dyer Engineering following a visit by company representatives to MACH 2018. Their express purpose was to check out the technology on view, talk to selected machine tool suppliers, secure the best deals and place orders for five machines.

Dyer Engineering and the Doosans
Dyer Engineering specialises in the machining and fabrication of complex components for a range of sectors and industries.

Four of the new Doosan machines have been installed in the company’s BatchLine Division which manufactures and supplies complex, high-precision fabricated and machined metal components in small to medium batches UK and international automotive, rail, defence, marine and energy customers.

One of the DNM 4500 vertical machining centres has been installed in the company’s TechProjects Division which manufacturers and supplies large and often complex fabricated structures and assemblies (with machined features and details) to customers operating in the oil and gas, energy, rail and renewables sectors.

All five Doosan machines were selected by Dyer Engineering for their reliability, high-productivity, excellent cutting performance, competitive price, ready availability and the service and after-sales support provided by Mills CNC.

Decision time
The decision to make such a significant investment in new capital equipment followed an internal audit undertaken by Dyer Engineering in early 2018 into its existing CNC machining capabilities and capacity.

It was intended that the audit would identify any weaknesses or potential production ‘pinch points’ that could affect the company’s ability to meet its future growth objectives and ambitions.

Says Leigh Foulger, BatchLine Division Lead:
“We are committed to continuous improvement and, as such, continually monitor and benchmark all aspects of our performance.

“The audit results revealed that some of our existing CNC machine tools, whilst still performing adequately were, owing to their age, becoming less reliable and more prone to breakdown.

“We knew that the situation, if not addressed, would only become more acute over time and, in line with our corporate SMARTER-STRONGER-TOGETHER ethos and philosophy, we decided to ‘grasp the nettle’ and make the significant investment required to address our weaknesses and improve our machining capabilities in one fell swoop.”

Mills CNC
Dyer Engineering has invested in a number of CNC machines tools from a range of different machine tool builders.

Back in 2013 the company acquired a second hand (large-capacity) Doosan HP 5100 horizontal machining centre and, more recently, purchased two large Doosan vertical machining centres (Doosan DNM 750L II models) through Mills CNC’s popular SMART Options (Machine Tool) Rental Scheme.

Continues Leigh Foulger:
“These three Doosan machining centres have always performed well and, since acquiring our first Doosan machine six years ago, we have developed and maintained good relationships with Mills CNC.

“As a consequence, when we decided to upgrade our machining capabilities back in early 2018 it was logical and natural that we would approach Mills CNC as a potential supplier of one, some or all of the machines we required.”

MACH 2018
As it transpired the MACH 2018 Exhibition in April proved timely and provided Dyer Engineering with the ideal opportunity to visit a number of machine tool providers (including Mills CNC) and to assess their relative strengths and merits.

Explains Leigh Foulger:
“Prior to the MACH Show we drew up a list of our machine tool requirements which included outline technical specifications, capacity and capabilities.

“We had decided that we needed four reliable and accurate vertical machines equipped with the latest Fanuc controls. We also decided that we needed a Fanuc controlled multi-tasking lathe with driven tooling and a bar feeder.”

Although Dyer Engineering does not necessarily push its machines to deliver exacting part accuracies (typically the accuracies required are +/- 0.2mm), they can be in operation around the clock and, as such, have to be reliable performers in order to meet OTIF arrangements made with customers.

Having met with Mills representatives at MACH and seen a number of the Doosan machines being demonstrated on Mills’ stand – the serious business of agreeing deals and placing orders began.

Comments Leigh Foulger:
“We placed the total order with Mills because they had the technology (machine tools and ancillary technology) that most closely matched that on our ‘hit’ list.

“Our previous (positive) experience of working with Doosan machines and with Mills CNC combined with an attractive purchase deal and delivery schedule made it an easy decision to make.”

The Doosan machines
The Doosan vertical machining centres purchased by Dyer Engineering comprise three DNM 4500’s and one DNM 6700.

All four machines are equipped with powerful, directly-coupled spindles, roller LM guideways and feature sophisticated thermal compensation systems that helps maintain accuracy and ensure process optimisation. The machines’ quick change automatic tool changers also improve productivity and help reduce part cycle times.

The Doosan multi-tasking lathe acquired by Dyer Engineering was the 8” chuck/ 65mm bar diameter capacity Lynx 2100LMB model which is equipped with a high-torque spindle (15kW/4500rpm) and features 3.7kW/6000rpm driven tooling capability.

The Lynx lathe’s performance is further enhanced by its fast servo-driven turret indexing, impressive rapid rates and high-rigidity LM roller guides.

Concludes Leigh Foulger:
“The machines were delivered and installed between April and August 2018, and we’re delighted with the performance of all five of them – they haven’t missed a beat.

“This, plus the knowledge that the machines are backed by Mills’ technical and service support, means that we are confident moving forwards and in achieving our growth targets.”