knew we had found our solution. Even more so when the machine's excellent value for money high-specification and support were added to the equation.’ This latter is a point that Beer is keen to elaborate. ’Ward CNC has been first class. The machine was delivered and installed on time, and commissioning and training went without hitch.

I have to say that since then (August 2004) the Kia has been very reliable.’ Also significant is the fact that the machine is arranged in a production flowline, supplying parts to machining centres across a six-day, double shift work pattern.

’It means that reliability and speed of manufacture are key - and the power of the machine in combination with high technology insert grade tooling has enabled us to reduce cycle times by around 12 per cent.’ With a 22/26kW spindle motor producing 3,000 rev/min, the SKT300 has a swing over the bed of 750mm, a maximum turning length of 720mm and a 90mm diameter bar capacity. Feed rates are 20m/min and 24m/min in X and Z axes, respectively. Featuring a 12-tool turret and a two-stepped geared headstock for high torque, heavy cutting - and optional programmable tailstock - the Fanuc-controlled SKT300 is designed to minimise non-cutting time. Its single­piece cast construction boasts a three-layer solid bed and box ways on all axes. The machine is fitted with a Q-Setter for quick tool compensation as standard. ’The Kia has been excellent,’ concludes Beer. ’We have no complaints, and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the machine.’

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Текст №3.

«Machining diversification quadrupled profits».

Within a year of diversifying from prismatic machining into providing a small mill/turned parts capability, a subcontractor is not only doubling turnover, but it is quadrupling profits.

Within just 12 months of diversifying his highly successful prismatic machining company into one providing a small mill/turned parts capability as well, managing director Mick Purton has transformed Crown Precision Engineering.

Now this Milton Keynes based subcontractor is not only doubling turnover, more important it is quadrupling profits and is seeing a host of new customers in the USA, Mexico and throughout most of Europe all through investing in two Citizen M32 CNC sliding head autos from NC Engineering of Watford. And, such are the levels of productivity now being achieved that even more work is being won on the back of being able to reduce machining hourly rates by almost a quarter. Like many time-served apprentices working for someone else, a sense of ‘could do better’ led Mick Purton to set up his own business. Thus was born Crown Precision Engineering.

Early days led him to concentrate on the mould and die sector, producing mould tools for the plastics and rubber industries. However, towards the end of the 1990s he was looking at a business where work in the UK was increasingly disappearing offshore which left him with some hard thinking to do. He explains: ‘We knew we had to source work from new sectors and the only way we could do this was to modernise. Despite the tough economic climate, we replaced our 12 manual mills with six CNC vertical machining centres over the course of two years.’ This adventurous move was not only timely but also important as it paid dividends with the company

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securing contracts from the aerospace, electronics and general commercial sectors.

These new customers then began offering Crown Precision the chance to quote for turning work, which Purton either produced in-house or passed on to outside companies. ’We really felt we were beginning to miss the boat regarding CNC turning,’ he says and follows on to outline: ‘Giving contracts to another company is fine but of course it significantly reduces profit ratios and margins and you are not really in total control of the projects, so we decided it was time to change.’ To get the diversification operation rolling, Crown hired the services of its first ever sales engineer, to source work and feed the business.

Within just six months, the company bought its first Citizen M32, 13-axis CNC sliding head lathe from NC Engineering. Purton explains: ‘Our new salesman had plenty of Citizen experience so I guess they were always going to be the favourite. But we did our homework and had a good look at other machines. We found Citizen were very strong amongst the small turned parts sector, their performance rating was very good and there were no apparent historical problems with either machine, quality or performance. Importantly, NC Engineering was able to provide us with the support we so obviously required.’ The purchase of the M32 was on the back of an export contract to supply large quantities of precision washers.

Required at rates of 25,000 a month, and predicted to last for the next four years, this contract was the decider for Crown to make the plunge. ’The revenue this contract would generate meant we could buy the M32 and draw back some of the work we were subcontracting,’ explains Purton. ’It was also an ideal job to start our CNC turning learning curve. Although tolerances were not over tight at +0.05 mm, the surface finish

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requirements were highly critical, this was why we needed the high surface speed capability of the M32. j

While the part is relatively simple, once set, the machine just runs and runs. As the labour content is minimal this makes it very competitive.’ No sooner had Crown installed its first Citizen M32 when the company won more CNC turning work, this time from the autosport industry producing a specialised collar, as well as a contract for a family of parts for a tier one system and component supplier to the aerospace industry.

So at the recent MACH 2004 exhibition at the NEC, Mick Purton placed his second order for a 13-axis M32, this time including the Cool Blaster programmable 2,000 lb/in2 high pressure coolant unit with vapour extractor. Purton explains his decision to add Cool Blaster, was to improve performance when machining, in particular, the aerospace parts made from SI43, a corrosion resistant alloy steel comprising chromium, nickel, copper and molybdenum.

’S143 doesn’t chip at all well and causes real headaches with ‘bird’s nests’ of swarf,' he maintains. Also key to Crown’s requirements was that the 13-axis M32 machine features main and subspindles able to produce parts using three tools at the same time. This ensured that many of the complex parts it was now making were produced in a single cycle enabling the company to further improve its competitiveness, lead times and ensure high levels of consistency. For instance, while an outside diameter is turned with a gang tool, it is possible to machine internal features from the turret.

For front and back machining, the Citizen M32’s 10- station turret has power-driven tools in every position and with multiple tool holders and half-indexing capabilities, enables the turret to hold up to 80 tools. As a result tools can be left ‘as set’ in the machine which significantly speeds changeovers and the turret can also fulfil functions other than cutting, such as part

10

handling and automatic in-process gauging of tools as well as critical component features, if required.

The two Citizen machines now process eight different components for Crown, plus the family of 16 aerospace parts. All these parts leave the М32s ready for dispatch which also includes some very tricky features such as 45 deg angle holes. One of the aerospace parts produced in relatively small batches is a collar that supports a race of ball bearings. The manufacturing process begins by using a U-drill to hog out the bore, for finish machining.

The outside diameter is then rough turned before the holes required to support the ball bearings are spotted around the circumference of the part. The bore is then completed before a ballnose cutter is used to finish the circumferential holes to a precise depth of +0.02mm in order to ‘seat’ the bearings. The outside diameter is then finished before the part is picked-off and back- end operations performed which include further boring, threading, milling and drilling.

’Since the installation of the Citizen machines we have become really adept at programming and have managed to reduce the cycle time for this part from an initial 15 mins to just 9 mins.’ Reflecting he says: ‘Machining time using manual methods would have taken at least 50 mins. This shows how beneficial the Citizen machines are to our business.’ And, he makes a big point over reliability.

Both machines have chalked up an uptime of 100 per cent since installation. This is leading him to expand on the current working method and produce the original washer unmanned overnight. ’We are planning to go this way for all of our components very shortly which will further improve our competitiveness,’ he maintains.

Purton is also seriously targeting other new markets such as telecommunications and medical in order to initiate further

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growth and the business plan incorporates moving from the present leased premises to its own facility within two years.

By then, the target is to have six sliding head machines installed. By his own admission Purton says 2000-2003 were the hardest years he has ever known in the industry, but investment has meant Crown is in a relatively comfortable position.

’We have expanded our horizons by investing, built our reputation and the reward is that we are extremely busy.’ He concludes: ‘Sitting at the centre of this success are the two Citizen

М3 2 sliding head lathes - truly in my eyes, these are jewels in the crown!’

1. Изучите слова к тексту: quadruple - четырехкратный mould - форма, литье

die - винторезная головка, пресс форма

tough - жесткий, прочный

tolerance - допуск

finishing - чистовая обработка

plunge - погружение

plunger - плуннсер, шток, толкатель

turret - револьверная головка

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12

Т екст №4.

«Lower cost lathe turns IDs within +/-2 micron».

A wealth of ‘high-tech’ features in universal CNC lathes include top-of-the-range Fanuc or Siemens control with graphical user interface and 3D real-time simulation.

The latest NEF universal lathes from DMG provide top performance from a wealth of high-tech features at an unbeatable price.

Successive generations of the NEF brand have brought users excellent value for money and with the new 400 and 600 range, whose prices start at just GBP 31,000, this tradition continues.

No other entry-level lathe in this price bracket can match these new models for their quality, reliability and profit potential. This price includes Fanuc 210i CNC Control with Manual Guide, manual 3 jaw chuck (200mm), 8 station turret and tailstock with life centre. Examples of the features that are atypical in this class of machine include the pivoting DMG SlimLinePanel with 15in TFT screen feature a top-of-the-range Fanuc or Siemens control with graphical user interface and 3D real-time simulation.

Rotational speeds are up to 4,000 rev/min with up to 24kW of drive power and 720Nm torque. Not to be found on any other entry-level lathe is the 30 deg inclined four-track bed designed for optimal chip clearance and excellent accessibility. High flexibility and productivity are assured thanks to a large working area and features such as a traversable steady rest and high-speed, 8-station turret. As a result chucking components up to 55mm and shaft sections up to 1200mm in length can be machined in the shortest time. The digital drive on the main spindle and dynamically stable linear guideways make a significant contribution to the high precision and excellent

13

growth and the business plan incorporates moving from the present leased premises to its own facility within two years.

By then, the target is to have six sliding head machines installed. By his own admission Purton says 2000-2003 were the hardest years he has ever known in the industry, but investment has meant Crown is in a relatively comfortable position.

’We have expanded our horizons by investing, built our reputation and the reward is that we are extremely busy.’ He concludes: ‘Sitting at the centre of this success are the two Citizen

М3 2 sliding head lathes - truly in my eyes, these are jewels in the crown!’

1. Изучите слова к тексту: quadruple - четырехкратный mould - форма, литье

die - винторезная головка, пресс форма

tough - жесткий, прочный

tolerance - допуск

finishing - чистовая обработка

plunge - погружение

plunger - плуннсер, шток, толкатель

turret - револьверная головка

2. Найдите в тексте предложения с причастием, переведите их.

3. Прочитайте весь текст, выпишите все слова, относящиеся к описанию станка.

4. Представьте, что Вы участник выставки и представляете эту фирму. Расскажите о преимуществах вашего станка.

5. Составьте аннотацию и реферат текста.

12

Текст №4.

«Lower cost lathe turns IDs within +1-2 micron».

A wealth of ‘high-tech’ features in universal CNC lathes include top-of-the-range Fanuc or Siemens control with graphical user interface and 3D real-time simulation.

The latest NEF universal lathes from DMG provide top performance from a wealth of high-tech features at an unbeatable price.

Successive generations of the NEF brand have brought users excellent value for money and with the new 400 and 600 range, whose prices start at just GBP 31,000, this tradition continues.

No other entry-level lathe in this price bracket can match these new models for their quality, reliability and profit potential. This price includes Fanuc 210i CNC Control with Manual Guide, manual 3 jaw chuck (200mm), 8 station turret and tailstock with life centre. Examples of the features that are atypical in this class of machine include the pivoting DMG SlimLinePanel with 15in TFT screen feature a top-of-the-range Fanuc or Siemens control with graphical user interface and 3D real-time simulation.

Rotational speeds are up to 4,000 rev/min with up to 24kW of drive power and 720Nm torque. Not to be found on any other entry-level lathe is the 30 deg inclined four-track bed designed for optimal chip clearance and excellent accessibility. High flexibility and productivity are assured thanks to a large working area and features such as a traversable steady rest and high-speed, 8-station turret. As a result chucking components up to 55mm and shaft sections up to 1200mm in length can be machined in the shortest time. The digital drive on the main spindle and dynamically stable linear guideways make a significant contribution to the high precision and excellent

13