Tooling Technology
of a turning centre and machining centre from XYZ Machine Tools. “We looked at the numbers and also the reluctance of other sub-contractors to take on our work and having machining in-house was the logical conclusion,” says Paul Hollingworth, Director, Hollingworth Design. Seeing further growth opportunities by having this machining capacity it wasn’t too long before further investment was made and the move into providing sub-contract machining services blossomed and a move to its present location, a brand new 12,000ft2 facility in Stockport. Now at the heart of Hollingworth Design’s sub-contract capability are two Index bar-fed mill-turning centres, a G200-2 and a C100 machine, The capability of these machines, especially the G200-2 with its powerful B-axis and capability of simultaneous cutting with up to four tools opened up many possibilities. “Any job that can be machined from bar is classed as a turning job, and goes on these machines, even if there is no actual turning involved,” says Paul Hollingworth. Applying this philosophy allows cycle times to be drastically reduced, with help from cutting tool supplier Ceratizit UK & Ireland. One particular component destined for use on superyachts in particular benefitted from Ceratizit’s input. Initially a four-flute 6 mm diameter milling cutter was being used on these 303 stainless steel components (see image below), with a recommendation from Ceratizit Technical Sales Engineer Matt Darbyshire this was changed to a five flute Silverline solid carbide high-performance cutter from Ceratizit’s standard range. Running this cutter at 6250 revs/min (120m/min) and 0.1 mm/rev feed rate with a 1.5 mm step down every rev, this cutter completed the entire batch of 4000 components without being changed. “The performance of this cutter simply
Expansion for subcontractor thanks to tooling tech
“4000-off components machined with just one Ceratizit
vacuum systems, as well as expanding into sub-contract machining.
Leaving regular employment in 2005 to start Hollingworth Design was a life affirming moment for Paul Hollingworth, who had just recovered from cancer at the time. Working from home offering his extensive engineering design knowledge on a consultancy basis has now evolved into a multi-million Pound business that continues to offer design consultancy, has also developed its own range of industrial compressed gas and
Silverline solid carbide milling cutter”
Initially working from home Paul gained a strong reputation for his design work and along with that came a demand for machining of prototype parts. This meant a move into machining, initially with two small machines housed in his shed! However, as demand grew the need for a more formal set-up became too much to ignore, so a move to a 4000ft2 facility in Denton marked the next stage of development, along with the arrival
Machinery & Manufacturing 33
Machinery & Manufacturing 32
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