Machining Flies High

The Tritech Group (Wrexham, UK) has been using machine tools from DMG MORI UK (Coventry, England) for almost 20 years. The company has three sites in Wrexham, two in Barnstaple and a further manufacturing site in India that specialize in the aerospace, defense, automotive and green energy markets. Initially Tritech offered high quality casting services but quickly developed its offering to include machining, surface treatment and assembly to meet the changing demands of its customers. Now, machining is the fastest growing part of its business. Overall sales have almost doubled in just four years, from $24.4 million to over $45.8 million.

Primes in the aerospace market, which is around 80 percent of the company’s business, need to work with partners that can deliver a complete solution and take responsibility for every aspect of a project. Jonathan Hunt, the group sales and marketing manager of Tritech, explains, “We have a business model which pays particular attention to new part introduction. We get involved with the Prime at the bid stage before the drawings are sealed. We can then advise on the most appropriate manufacturing methods and suggest design changes which will facilitate economic production. That way we can deliver a complete project which only requires assembly with full quality approvals.”

Tritech works with the customer to perfect the manufacturing process with casting and machining trials to ensure it can meet quality, dimensional and functional goals. Low volume parts or weight sensitive parts may be machined from solid, while high volume parts may take the casting and machining route. The whole process can take between three and five years to complete, but the long-term partnership working ensures that Tritech can win the majority of projects it is involved in. “We have adopted this model for all our clients,” notes Hunt. “We are currently working in the same way with a number of new customers and markets, offering a total manufacturing solution of casting, machining and treatment.”

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The company still has some of its original Hitachi Seiki machines, which were purchased as they had the power to be able to mill and turn castings in a single operation. But they are being replaced with an NTX2000 9-axis turn and mill center from DMG MORI that uses a full-4th axis rotary table with Direct Drive Motor (DDM) technology and an optional minimum table indexing range 0.001 deg, ORC (Octagonal Ram Construction) and BMT (Built-in Motor Turret) systems and a symmetrical design to eliminate thermal distortion. The NTX2000 has a MAPPS IV control with a 19 in TFT display for easy and flexible complex programming of 3D shapes and other added-value parts. The software also monitors the collision of spindles, workpieces, soft jaws, tools, holders and turrets — and stops the machine tool in the event of interference.

Production Manager Nick Stephens says, “We aim to streamline on our machining times with the NTX2000, which is more focused to the needs of our products. We anticipate that we will soon have a new package of work which will fully utilize this machine, in which case we will be looking to invest in further machines. Our policy is to add extra capacity when we reach 80 percent machine utilization.” The long lifecycle of parts in the aerospace industry encourages investment, as development projects may last four years and then have a further 20-plus years of production requirement.

The company also uses three NH4000 DCG machines with twin pallets that were purchased to reduce idle time between jobs so that parts could be loaded, unloaded and reset while machining continues. Along with the MAPPS IV control and DDM technology, these machines also use the unique Driven at the Center of Gravity (DCG) technology for positioning to virtually elimination vibration. DCG controls the rotational vibration that appears at every acceleration start point and is proportional to the distance between the drive point and the center of gravity. This prevents deterioration of the quality of the machined surface.

To establish exactly how machining processes can be optimized, the company videos the production process for each job. This is the responsibility of its continuous improvement team. “We have around 2,000 parts going through the workshop at any one time,” states Stephens. “We always examine the machining process and use of manpower in great detail to arrive at the shortest possible cycle time and, as far as possible, eliminate manual tasks. The twin pallet NH4000 DCG machines have enabled us to cut out idle time very effectively and meet our customer’s capacity requirements.” The company also uses standard sets of tools. This reduces the need for changes to the tool magazine and consolidates the range of tools purchased.

Sticking with DMG MORI machines was an easy decision for Tritech as the machines meet its needs to achieve micron tolerances and consistent positional accuracy, providing its customers with on time, defect free deliveries. Jonathan Hunt adds, “We carry out a regular maintenance program and the machines just don’t breakdown. Where we have required spare parts these have been delivered within 48 hours – the service is excellent. In addition, the controls are compatible so we can move parts between machines very easily giving us the flexibility to accommodate a rush job.”

Tritech Group, Bridge Road North, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Wrexham, UK, LL13 9PS, +44 (0) 1978 661 111, Fax: +44 (0) 1978 661 392, sales@tritechgroup.co.uk, www.tritechgroup.co.uk.

DMG MORI UK, 4030 Siskin Parkway East, Middlemarch Business Park, Coventry CV4 4PE, England, +44 2476 516137, Fax: +44 2476 516136, info@dmgmori.com, www.dmgmori.com.

DMG MORI USA, 2400 Huntington Boulevard, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, 847-593-5400, Fax: 847-593-5433, us.dmgmori.com.