AMRC keeps luxury watchmaker’s machine tool ticking over

Watchmaker Loomes & Co has a three-axis CNC machine that had been gathering dust in a corner of its Stamford workshop, partly due to a lack of machining knowledge in the workforce. It was put on pause after a previous operator left the company, leaving only one person capable of running the machine - owner Robert Loomes.

With little spare time to commit to operating the machine, Robert turned to the University of Sheffield AMRC for help bringing the equipment back into service and upskilling a new member of staff with the basics in computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) to allow in-house production of prototypes and parts for the company’s entirely British-made watches.

Emma Parkin, a project engineer at the AMRC Machining Group, stepped in to help. She made several visits to Loomes & Co, undertaking a number of problem-solving exercises to address issues with existing equipment such as on-machine microscopes, CAD/CAM software and machine set up. She also carried out programming and discussed best practices regarding fixturing, tool selection, cutting strategies and general machine health.