DMG Mori: Breakthrough setting in metalworking (Part 3)

Another example of the successful application of DMG Mori’s automated setup method is BT Lerson company, based near Stansted Airport, UK.

For a supplier of high-tech precision engineering products serving the defense and aerospace industry such as BT Lerson, transforming technology to improve machine tool efficiency and improve product quality is of utmost importance.

To this end, the BT Lerson management purchased the 2014 DMG Mori 2014 DMU 50 5-axis machining center, followed by the DMU 40 Evo with Erowa automation and linear DMU 60 Evo with 3R automation system in 2016.

“The 5-axis milling technology is a lot more complex than our current machining operations, so we had to learn a lot by ourselves,” said Julian Bedford, chief executive officer at BT Lerson. But thanks to the benefits of early discovery investments, we are confident in our decision. Automation has significantly reduced the production cycle while ensuring output and allows us to make better use of our human resources.”

The NLX 2500/700 machines were imported shortly after that in 2018 and 2019 thanks to the company’s management’s appreciation for the efficiency they bring. These two DMGs have replaced previous machines and feature a bar feeder and jig for the production of components up to 80mm in diameter. For larger components, the chuck can help produce parts up to 366mm in diameter.

“These are wonderful devices that have changed the way we turn/mill”, said Mr. Bedford. They are so robust and temperature-consistent that there is very little tolerance loss. Now we can reliably run the device for 24 hours with tight tolerance components. We have also invested in the DMG Mori gear cutting software on machines, which typically reduces the process from five operations to two.

Following the success at Eisenwerk Erla, DMG Mori also provides a method of setting up a turnkey production system for BT Lerson. The company has been monitoring machine performance continuously since adoption and the results show that the overall equipment efficiency has reached 90%. Thereby, unplanned downtime was also significantly reduced and the company’s resources were better utilized.

Productivity and Quality Office