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fixturing continues to grow. There are no plans for the XYZ 750 LR at Rega to be used for production work, but it is filling a need for re-working existing stock component that may need rectifying or adjusting. A recent example was a batch of plinths that were found to be out of concentricity tolerance on two bores. “The obvious solution was to return the entire batch to our supplier, but that isn’t the Rega way of doing things,” says Ky Gandy. “We respect our suppliers and accept that occasionally errors arise, so we took the decision to rectify the parts ourselves. We used the XYZ 750 LR to manufacture a fixture, which it was then able to use to rework the parts to within microns. Something that saved time and money thanks to the efficiency of the machine and the input from Dan Ware, who joined us specifically to run the XYZ machine.” For the past 50 years Rega Research has stuck to its belief that to apply the best engineering processes you can create value for money, but also the highest quality of sound. “There is an assumption that to be high-end, and made in the UK, it has to be expensive, but through application of engineering disciplines we are able to deliver what our customers want, that is a product that generates high quality music in a cost-effective and an aesthetically pleasing way. This isn’t always easy, as developing parts to meet our founder’s guiding principles can sometimes take two years, and they may not be the easiest components to manufacture. One example is our one-piece tonearms, which require detailed tooling for diecasting, but the result gives high stiffness but reduces their weight down to 34 grams, enhancing their performance! Working with our suppliers there is always an engineering solution to be found,” says Ky Gandy, Supplier
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quotation process they didn’t try to upsell to us, we indicated an interest in their HD machines, but they did the right thing and sold us the machine we needed, not what we thought we wanted.” The after sales service was immediately put to the test for the delivery of the machine, which due to limited access had to be stripped back to its carcass then re-assembled in-situ, a process that took just four days from unloading to powering up and running. Throughout the pandemic focus was on delivering products to meet demand, so product releases were put on hold. Now, with a degree of normality returning, new products are on the horizon with new turntables and amplifiers due to be launched in 2022. This will see an increased workload for the XYZ 750 LR in terms of machining development parts and the testing fixtures that will also be needed. Having the machine will enable Rega to respond quickly to change, and to meet the increased demand from its assembly department, where demand for
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Our Devon HQ, sized at 100,000 sq ft, houses stock of over 350 machine tools ready for delivery and installation.
Co-ordinator, Rega Research. n www.xyzmachinetools.com
SHOWROOMS AT: DEVON, NUNEATON, SHEFFIELD, LONDON & LIVINGSTON (HUDDERSFIELD OPENING SOON). 01823 674200 | sales @ xyzmachinetools.com | www.xyzmachinetools.com
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Machinery & Manufacturing
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