Latest News: Qualiturn’s first machining centre is a Doosan.

Posted 12th Nov 2014

Qualimill Leading precision subcontractor invests in Doosan DNM 650 from Mills CNC.

Qualiturn’s first machining centre is a Doosan.

Leading precision subcontractor invests in Doosan DNM 650 from Mills CNC

Hertfordshire-based leading precision subcontract specialist, Qualiturn Products Ltd, isn’t your typical contract manufacturer.

Established in 1974 the family-owned business has grown steadily over recent years and has built its reputation on quality, reliability, speed of delivery and cost-competitiveness.

The company is progressive and forward-thinking and, to improve its productivity and performance makes regular and strategic investments in the latest machine tools and manufacturing technologies, as well as constantly improving its processes and systems (and the skills of its people) to maintain its competitive edge.

The company is, in some respects, light years away from its relatively humble beginnings as a small manufacturer of fasteners but in others, most notably in its values and with its passion for customer service, Qualiturn today has much in common with the Qualiturn of 40 years ago.

In August 2013 the company invested in its first vertical machining centre – a Doosan DNM 650 equipped with a rotary/tilting table from Mills CNC.

The large-capacity machine with its 15kW BT40 12,000 rpm spindle (with coolant-through-spindle capability), 1270mm x 670mm x 625 mm (X-, Y- and Z-axis), 30-position ATC, 1300mm x 670 mm worktable, and equipped with a Nikken 5th-axis unit (5AX-201), represents an important milestone for the company.

Explains managing director, Nick Groom:

“We are a leading subcontractor supplying high-precision turned and milled parts to a diverse range of customers operating in the gas and oil refinement, medical, aeronautics and aerospace, leisure, construction and hydraulics, electronics, lighting, automotive and agricultural sectors...to name but  a few.

“We machine parts from prototypes and one-offs through to large volume batch series from an equally diverse range of materials (aluminium, steel, stainless steels, brass, copper, plastics etc).

“Up until August our machining capabilities were delivered by our fixed head and sliding head lathes (25 in total). These machines are sophisticated and advanced, and allow us to mill complex features on what are essentially turned parts.

“However from talking to customers about their future machining requirements it was clear that there was potential for us to grow the milling side of our business if we increased (quite literally) our capability.

“And that’s what drove us to invest in a dedicated, stand-alone machining centre.”

The decision by Qualiturn to invest in Doosan technology from Mills CNC was influenced by a number of factors.

The machine needed to have a large-capacity working envelope to handle big as well as multiple smaller jobs. It also needed to be powerful and flexible...capable of coping with heavy-duty, high volumetric removal machining through to fine-finishing operations.

To increase the capabilities of the machining centre it was also decided to invest in and integrate a 5th-axis unit onto the machine to enable the company to take advantage of 3 + 2 positional 5-axis machining.

Continues Nick Groom:

“Doosan verticals have a good reputation in the market for their performance and reliability. They are functional machines that represent excellent value.

“That being said our decision was also conditioned by the after-sales service and support provided by the machine tool supplier, and by the machine tool company’s ethos and business approach.

“In all respects Mills CNC achieved top marks.”

The DNM 650 with its integrated 5th-axis unit and sophisticated (Lang) work-holding and (Iscar) tooling can machine complex parts in one set-up.

The investment in the DNM 650 and ancillary equipment is significant but, as Nick Groom explains, “...will serve us well into the future.”

Such is the strength of the Qualiturn brand that the company, without even promoting its newly-acquired milling capabilities overtly to customers, secured 60 days’ worth of machining for the DNM 650 by word of mouth alone.

Concludes Nick Groom:

“The decision to invest in the DNM 650 has been vindicated.

“Like every capital investment we make the emphasis is always on improving our service to our customers. Such has been the positive response to us having this new ‘string to our bow’ that we are considering strengthening our milling capabilities even further in the future.”

Back to Case Studies
Latest News View All
Get In Touch

Qualiturn Products Limited
7 Fountain Drive
Hertford
SG13 7UB

tel. +44 (0) 1992 584499
email. info@qualiturn.co.uk