Macrotec Machine Tools Ltd

The IBARMIA Heavy Duty Travelling Column Vertical Machining Centre is now ready for shipment to England.

Our Mr Stuart Moss and Richard Flounders from TC Industries Of Europe Ltd visited the IBARMIA factory last week to do the final inspection of their IBARMIA ZV-50 L4000 Travelling Column Vertical Machining Centre.  After a very pleasant visit to the factory Richard made the following comments :

We were extremely impressed with the machine you have produced for TC Industries and those you have in production for other customers. Ibarmia’s full order book is a credit to the company, its quality product and the professionalism of its workforce.

Photos can be seen below of TC Industries machine as well as other machines in the assembly line.

1. Make sure it is the right machine for the job. Weight is a good indicator of the rigidity of the machine. For heavy cutting, check the power in the spindle is adequate. For drilling, check the axes drives, particularly the x axis drives. If you plan to do mold and die work, check the speed of transmission, a powerful processor is required to achieve high cutting speeds.

2. The age of the machine is not as important as the number of cutting hours. For a normal 5 day a week 10 hour shift, a machine would register approximately 2600 cutting hours per year. Check the waste bin to determine the type of materials the machine has been used for. The general machine appearance, the paintwork and the condition of the guards are a good indication of the value of the machine

3. Check the dimensions of the machine carefully. Will it fit in your workshop? Is it too high to go through the door? Is it too heavy for the floor?

4. Is the machine tool manufacturer still in business to ensure spares are still available? A well known make will hold its value longer.

5. Check the electrical parts are all from the same supplier e.g. Fanuc, for easier maintenance and sourcing spares.

6. Check the Health and Safety issues. Make sure the guarding is intact and the door interlocking mechanism is working.

7. Remove the guards and check the slide ways are in good condition, clean and smooth and well lubricated to guarantee accuracy.

8. 8. Read the maintenance history. Check that the maintenance regime has been regular and well monitored, particularly with regard to lubricants. Watch out for any recurring problems and make sure they have been properly resolved. Take a look at the original manuals. A good indication of the service history is the state of the manuals. Are they clean and in good condition or well thumbed and covered in oil? Another good indicator of previous trouble with the machine is the interface cabinet. Is the wiring still neatly in place or is it hanging out all over the place as evidence that someone has had to open the wiring looms to trace a fault? Check for evidence of oil leaks on the floor or in the coolant and pockets of oil in the machine.

9. Look for evidence of damage that could be caused by a crash. In the case of a CNC lathe look for damage to the chuck or turret. In the case of a CNC machining centre, check the table and the spindle nose.

10. If possible talk to the operator of the machine to find out how easy it is to use it.

Around 500 Students at colleges around the UK will be involved in a trial project to improve their awareness of careers in engineering. Concerns that students studying engineering have little idea of the of career possibilities, wider fields of engineering, prospects for advancement and professional qualifications have been expressed by OFSTED.

The National Forum of Engineering Centres (NFEC) has been funded by The Engineering Technology Board (ETB) to undertake a pilot project to trial learning support materials and dedicated local support to address this need. The project has the full support of the Engineering Council UK and support and advice will be available from professional engineering institutions as well as from NFEC.

The main outcomes include:

• Ensuring learners are better informed regarding their engineering career
• Supporting learner development through the use of interactive assignments/tutorials from highly respected organisations within the engineering sector
• Promoting and supporting leaner individual learning plans
• Promoting the value of professional development and provide support
• Ensuring best practice and relevance of wider learning skills

The initial activities, and tutor support resource, cover the following topic areas:

• What engineering is and how it impacts on all aspects of our daily lives.
• The many different types of engineer, and what engineers do.
• What pathways to professional recognition are available.
• Career prospects within the engineering sectors.
• Professional engineering institutions and which would be of the most benefit to you.
• How to apply for membership of an institution.
• What registration as a professional engineer or engineering technician is about.
• Professional Development mapping.

All materials, along with resources and links provided by participating ECUK- licensed institutions, are posted on the web and available for use by anyone, not just those within the pilot centres.

Continuing with its programme of investing in both people and technology to serve the market and its customer base with increased efficiency, H&F has just taken delivery of a massive new heavy duty oil country CNC lathe to it premises in Scotland.

The lathe has been sold by Macrotec Machine Tools Ltd of Congleton Cheshire and is one of their PROKING range of CNC lathes from Taiwan.

The PROKING SS-35 heavy duty oil country CNC lathe is capable of handling tube up to 302mm in diameter and weighed in at a very healthy 18 Tonnes.

The installation ran smoothly and the lathe was up and running in no time.

Following on from a weeks CNC programming training course and machine maintenance course, H&F went straight into production.

Macrotec Machine Tools Ltd sell the whole range of PROKING heavy duty CNC oil country lathes ranging from 700 - 20,000 mm distance between centres and 500 - 2,000 mm swing and manufactured with a flat bed or slant bed.