Arcot Engineering upgrades with new 5-axis machine investment

Northumberland-based Arcot Engineering has upgraded its capabilities by investing in new cutting-edge machining technology.

The company has invested in a Yamazaki Mazak CV5-500 5-axis machining centre, a machine ideally suited for engineering companies looking to make their first move into 5-axis work.

Kevin Graham, Machine Shop Manager at Arcot Engineering, says that the investment will help the company break into new sectors requiring more complex machining work and also help to make Arcot much more productive.

“The company has a long history of working with vertical machining centres, but we’ve had ambitions to move into more complex and lucrative 5-axis work for some time,” says Kevin.

He continues: “The CV5-500 is priced at a very competitive level for subcontract manufacturers like ourselves but still has the usual Mazak build quality. The machine will help take on more complex work and get more jobs through the machine shop.”

Arcot Engineering was established in 1986 by the Graham and Mason families, who continue to be involved in the business that now employs 13 people at its Cramlington site in Northumberland.

The company has developed a strong reputation manufacturing parts for a variety of industries, with particular strength in oil and gas, torque tension tools and hydraulics.

“Our new 5-axis capabilities mean we can perform multiple tasks on one machine, which in turn reduces setup times,” says Steve Mason, Machine Shop Floor Manager at Arcot Engineering. “We’re now doing three, four or five phases of a job in one setup and also reducing cycle-times by a minimum of 30 per cent thanks to the 12,000 rpm main spindle. This machine is going to make us much more competitive.”

The move into more complex 5-axis work was aided by Mazak, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of machine tools, who provided a full week of off-site training. “The CV5-500 is programmed using Mazak’s own SmoothX control. I’ve never run a Mazak before but I’ve found the programming to be really easy and very user-friendly,” says Steve.

Alan Mucklow, UK Managing Director Sales and Service at Mazak commented: “One of the main reasons for developing the CV5-500 in the UK was the need to help subcontract manufacturers make the move into 5-axis work at an affordable price, whilst retaining the quality of machine that people expect from Mazak. It is a more complex type of machining but Arcot Engineering are showing what is possible when a company has the ambition to try and the will to make it work. I am sure that this investment will help Arcot break into new markets and improve the company’s machine shop productivity.”