Having doubled the size of its premises in 2016 and the same year purchased its first 5-axis machining centre, a Hurco VMX42SRTi with swivelling B-axis spindle, subcontractor Almond Engineering (www.almond.co.uk) has now installed a second, similar model. Managing director Chris Smith favours this style of 5-axis machining centre over the trunnion-mounted rotary table arrangement due to its versatility for tackling a greater variety of work, including 4-axis machining of large components.
One of the pair of Hurco VMX42SRTi 5-axis machining centres installed at the Livingston factory of Almond Engineering.
Last year saw the arrival of a Hurco VMX30i, purchased with a 4th axis rotary table to speed set-ups, increase production efficiency and reduce delivery times, plus a larger 3-axis VMX60i with 1,525 by 660 by 610 mm working volume that significantly extends the size of component that can be machined on the Livingston site.
The WinMAX twin-screen control of the VMX30i.
Overall spend in 2018 exceeded £400,000 and half that figure is due to be spent again this year, including on new software. Driving this level of investment was 25 per cent growth in 2016/17, a further increase in turnover the following year and a predicted 19 per cent rise this financial year. It is a pace that Mr Smith describes as “almost too fast” in view of the perennial difficulty in hiring skilled staff.
Much of the growth has come from winning new business from the medical sector in Scotland, such as the assembly of lines for producing contact lenses and the machining of parts for operating theatre equipment. The industry now accounts for eight per cent of the company’s revenue by value.
Working area of the Hurco VMX42SRTi 5-axis machine showing the B-axis spindle and C-axis flush rotary table.
Semiconductor firms across the central belt of Scotland are the other main sector serviced, while contracts are also received from the ever resilient aerospace and defence industries. A hallmark of the subcontractor’s service is significant design input into the mechanical engineering aspects of the contracts it undertakes.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its inauguration this year, Almond Engineering now operates eight Hurco machine tools, a TM8 CNC lathe with 8-inch chuck and seven machining centres. The latter form the vast majority of prismatic metalcutting capacity on site, the only other machining centre being a Bohner & Koehle bought in the 1970s.
As to the subcontractor’s continued purchase of the Hurco brand, Mr Smith commented, “Ours is a prototype and small batch production environment, so efficient shop floor programming is important to us. We rely on it 90 per cent of the time.
A 6082 aluminium test base plate for a military aircraft being machined on the VMX30i.
“Back in 2004, we had a number of manual tool change mills and one vertical machining centre, but spent more time programming them than actually cutting metal.
“To take over from them, in 2004 we bought our first VMX42 with a one-metre X-axis. The Hurco control was clearly ahead at the time in terms of the speed and capability of its conversational programming and has continued to lead the market ever since.
“Additionally, the machines themselves are cost effective to buy as well as being robust, reliable and accurate. We regularly hold ± 0.01 mm when cutting virtually any material, from Inconel and Hastelloy through steels and aluminium to plastics.”
The Hurco VMX60i machining centre in action on the shop floor at Almond Engineering.
He pointed also to the user friendliness of Hurco machines, with staff able to move seamlessly between the twin-screen WinMAX controls powering the larger machining centres and the single-screen MAX controls on the smaller VM1 machining centre and TM8 lathe. The subcontractor’s hyperMILL offline CAM system is used mostly for programming more complex 3+2 axis cycles to reduce set-ups and improve accuracy on the 5-axis machines and to create some fully interpolative cycles as well.
Organic growth at the Livingston company has resulted in the number of employees rising from 24 in 2011 to 37 currently, including three apprentices taken on recently. Much effort is put into training the existing workforce and cooperating with local schools to promote engineering and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects with an eye to future recruitment of employees.
Close-up of an aluminium top cover being machined on the VMX60i.
Most recently, in June 2019, Almond Engineering completed its first company takeover by acquiring the trade and assets of another Livingston company, Multex, which will see turnover increase by a further 16 per cent. Established in 1991, the firm designs and manufactures test equipment for electronic circuit boards and has a number of customers that are common to those of Almond Engineering.
A further benefit is the additional CNC and manual machining facilities that are available at the Multex site, giving both businesses increased capacity, flexibility and factory floor space. No jobs were lost as a result of the acquisition and an additional, skilled appointment has already been made, with more anticipated.
