CNC Machinery Online Information

hears of troubled mould and die makers diversifying into subcontracting, but not so often does a successful subcontractor add on a 5-axis machining centre to do mould and die work

A subcontractor, Norjon Engineers, added on over GBP 1 million to its turnover, following the acquisition of the order book of a defunct mould and die maker specialising in thermoforming moulds for the food industry. Owner and managing director, Kevin Fox, decided to invest in new machine tools to produce the aluminium moulds.

He wanted to improve their quality and deliver them faster to manufacturers of thermoformed plastics packaging such as yoghurt pots, trays and disposable cups.

As well as acquiring a 10-in chuck lathe to make rotational parts, Norjon needed a 5-axis machining centre and CAD/CAM software.

From a shortlist of three machining centres, the decision was taken to invest in a Hermle C 20 U from UK agent, Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools.

‘We have been blown away with the quality,’ enthused Fox about the Hermle machining centre.

‘Surface finish is important on our moulds, as good cosmetic appearance is a prerequisite for plastic packaging in the consumer industry.

The finish off the Hermle is of such high quality that we do not have to hand-polish moulds after machining’.

To maintain continuity of mould supply to established customers, Norjon needed to re-equip quickly.

The C 20 U was delivered on a Monday morning towards the end of April 2007 and was commissioned and cutting metal by the next afternoon.

As a temporary measure between February and April, Fox was able to produce moulds using a similar Hermle machine in Geo Kingsbury’s showroom, also located in Gosport.

Paul Dodman, who has 20 years’ experience in the thermoforming industry, was recruited by Norjon from the defunct mouldmaking firm.

He said that there is no comparison with the old plant he used before.

He is particularly impressed with the compactness of the Hermle and its build quality, from the stainless steel-lined working area down to cabinet for the cooling unit.

Rapid feeds of 54m/min and a 16,000 rev/min spindle make for fast cycle times.

The C 20 U’s robust rotary table and trunnion arrangement have its bearings set directly into the mineral casting that forms the bed.

This arrangement ensures that +/-20 micron tolerance can be easily held during full 5-axis machining of deep features with steep draught angles.

Even though the factory is on single-shift working, there is spare capacity on the C 20 U to manufacture components other than moulds.

Norjon has already moved some prismatic machining across from its 3-axis equipment to take advantage of more efficient production.

The C 20 U allows fewer set-ups using automatically positioning and clamping in the extra two axes.

The company is looking to take on additional work that is suited to the machine’s capabilities, including other types of moulds and tools except plastics injection moulds.

With the aid of its Delcam software, it is able to import customers’ data in most formats, provide a design service where required and program complex, 3-, 4- and 5-axis cutting cycles.

* About Norjon - founded in 1984 by Norman Goff and John Aslett with a manual lathe and mill in a Fareham garage, the company was bought by Kevin Fox in 2002, financed by remortgaging his house and a five-year bank loan.

At that time the machine shop was still full of manually operated lathes, mills and grinders.

Since then, Fox has invested in modern CNC plant and inspection equipment, purchased the mouldmaking concern and moved twice to progressively larger premises, all at a cost of more than GBP 500,000.

The company is now located in a 6,000ft2 unit on the Brockhurst Industrial Estate in Gosport, employs 12 staff and works regularly for a dozen customers, none of which accounts for more than 20% of turnover.

In addition to mouldmaking, the main industries served are the marine and power generation sectors.

Regular work is also received from Geo Kingsbury, whose automotive test rig factory is located next to its machine tool showroom at the firm’s Gosport headquarters.

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