Leading manufacturing specialist, AEP Precision Engineering, invests in a new DN Solutions’ high-performance vertical machining centre from Mills CNC.
Supplied with a 4th-axis unit, the new machine has significantly strengthened the company’s in-house milling capacity and capabilities – enhancing its machining flexibility and responsiveness, and improving its process efficiencies and productivity.
Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied AEP Precision Engineering Ltd., a leading precision engineering specialist and the CNC machining subsidiary of parent company, Smith Metal Fabrications, with a new DN Solutions’ vertical machining centre.
The fourth-generation DNM 5700 is one of Mills CNC’s most popular and best-selling 3-axis machining centres and was installed at AEP Precision Engineering’s machine shop facility in Newhaven, East Sussex in May 2024.
The new machine, supplied with a 4th-axis unit to increase its versatility and to help realise its full productivity potential, has been positioned adjacent to the company’s first DNM 5700 machine tool investment – a second-generation 3-axis model acquired by AEP Precision Engineering back in 2020.
Together, these machines provide the company with an impressive and highly- flexible CNC milling resource, capable of meeting AEP Precision Engineering’s immediate and future machining requirements.
The new DNM 5000 at work
Since being installed, the new DNM 5700 has been put through its paces machining a range of complex, high-precision components for a growing number of customers – a significant proportion being customers of parent company, Smith Metal Fabrications.
Components processed on the DNM 5700 are predominantly machined in low volumes (i.e., prototypes and one-and two-offs through to small batch series), and are made from a range of different materials that include mild steel, stainless steels (i.e., Stainless 316), aluminium, brass, bronze, copper, engineering plastics etc.
A specific job, one of many machined on the new DNM 5700 to date, involved the machining of 20 decorative metal rosettes for a pair of replacement doors for Trafalgar House, London and was a part of a larger refurbishment project.
The rosettes, a number of which were missing or were damaged, were originally made back in the 1800’s from bronze castings but, using AEP Precision Engineering’s reverse engineering skills and expertise, and its 3D scanning technologies, the company was able to manufacture a series of cost-effective replacement rosettes machined on the new DNM 5700 from solid aluminium billets.
These rosettes, following machining and powder coating, not only looked the part, but also provide a good illustration of the quality (accuracy and surface finish), the in-house skills (reverse engineering and 3D milling), and the attention to detail that AEP Precision Engineering and Smith Metal Fabrications, working in conjunction, bring to every job.
AEP Precision Engineering’s customer base
AEP Precision Engineering’s customer base is large and diverse, and can be split into two categories.
- The company, operating as a traditional precision engineering manufacturer, provides its customers with high-quality, competitively-priced and ‘right-first-time’ machining (turning and milling) services. These customers operate in and across a number of industries and sectors that include architectural metalwork, water/waste water treatment, medical, marine, automotive, production machines and processing equipment etc.
- Acting in its capacity as Smith Metal Fabrications’ dedicated machine shop, the company provides reliable, high-quality CNC machining services, as well as proven reverse engineering solutions and Design for Manufacture (DfM) consultancy, to its parent company.
Smith Metal Fabrications, established in 1974, is a leading fabrications’ turnkey specialist focused on providing bespoke, best-in-class and single-source solutions to a myriad of customers across a wide range of sectors – a) construction and structural steel (construction projects, b) architectural metalwork (high-profile, prestigious and luxury residential, commercial and hospitality developments), c) architectural landscaping (i.e., railings, handrails, gates, garden edging etc.), d) swimming pools (i.e., pump strainers, chemical injectors, inlet/outlet grills), e) water parks, leisure parks and spas (i.e., water cannons, tipping buckets, fountains etc).
“We run a high-quality manufacturing company and our machine shop, and the machines we have at our disposal, are integral to our success.
“To improve our productivity, process efficiencies and overall competitiveness, we need machine tools that are fast, accurate and flexible because on one day they can be machining high-precision components made from hard and difficult-to-machine materials and, on the next, machining parts from aluminium alloys or engineering plastics.”
David Mayers, Director of Smith Metal Fabrications
The first DNM 5700 investment decision
AEP Precision Engineering, established in 1984, is a company committed to continuous improvement and regularly invests in its people, in its plant and equipment, and in its systems and processes.
As such, the company, as a matter of course, monitors and evaluates the performance of its machine shop to identify and address actual and potential bottlenecks and pinch-points within its machining operations and processes.
This desire and ambition to streamline and improve the performance of its machine shop led the company, back in 2020, to invest in its first new (Doosan) DNM 5700 3-axis vertical machining centre from Mills CNC.
“Prior to 2020, the machine shop was not as efficient or effective as it could, or should, have been, and was over-reliant on older CNC machines that were getting a bit long in the tooth.
“We made the decision, during the pandemic, to revamp and modernise the machine shop and significantly improve our in-house milling capacity and capabilities – the intention being to ‘hit the ground running’ when business ‘bounced back’ in the post-Covid era.”
Jason Morgan, Machine Shop Manager at AEP Precision Engineering
The nature of AEP Precision Engineering’s work (i.e., a diverse range of components machined in small volumes with an emphasis on precision and flexibility), the size of components being machined, the space available within its machine shop and the budget available, were all instrumental in helping the company agree a technical specification for the new machine investment.
“Prior to joining AEP Precision Engineering, I had worked on a number of Doosan machining centres in my previous employment, and could vouch for the machines’ build quality, precision and fast processing speeds.
“Naturally, when I was in the position at AEP Precision Engineering to be involved in the acquisition of a new machining centre, I made Mills CNC one of my first port of calls.”
Jason Morgan, Machine Shop Manager at AEP Precision Engineering
The first DNM 5700 machining centre acquired by AEP Precision Engineering in July 2020 was a second-generation model equipped with an advanced Fanuc control, a 12,000rpm spindle, a 30-position ATC, and tool and workpiece probes, and represented, according to Jason Morgan, “a real step upwards and forwards.”
The arrival of the DNM 5700 had an immediate and positive impact – improving part cycle and floor-to-floor times, increasing work throughput and, as a consequence, helping to reduce customer lead times too.
“The investment helped transform machine shop productivity.
“However, with business growing, and to help take pressure off our first DNM 5700, we decided in early 2024, to replace two of our older CNC machining centres with a new, high-performance machine.”
David Mayers, Director of Smith Metal Fabrications
AEP Precision Engineering made the decision to invest in its second DNM 5700 based on the high and reliable performance of its first machine.
However, this wasn’t going to be a ‘like for like’ investment as the company was looking for additional machining capability and more flexibility from its new investment.
The new DNM 5700 (4th-generation) investment: a closer look
The new DN Solutions’ DNM 5700 (fourth-generation) vertical machining centre acquired by AEP Precision Engineering has a rigid design and build and features sophisticated thermal compensation that ensures that high-accuracies and excellent surface finishes are delivered, even during long machining runs and over extended periods of operation.
The machine is equipped with the advanced Fanuc 0iM control with a 15” touchscreen iHMI, an 18.5kW/12,000rpm directly-coupled spindle and a large 1300mm x 470mm worktable with a maximum 1000kg table load.
Boasting impressive 42m/min rapids (X- and Y-axes) and featuring roller LM guideways and a 30-tool ATC with 1.2 second tool change time (T-T-T), the DNM 5700 delivers fast processing speeds and guaranteed high accuracies.
Furthermore, the incorporation of a Nikken 260 (4th-axis) table with a chuck and a tailstock has significantly increased the capabilities of the machine, enabling full 4th-axis simultaneous machining of complex parts and fast indexing operations to occur seamlessly.
“The addition of the 4th-axis unit has been really beneficial and means we can now machine complex, high-precision components in a single setup. Reducing ‘stop-start’ production and the time and expense associated with re-fixturing jobs has improved our productivity and efficiency.
“The new DNM 5700 machine is proving to be a great investment. The machine delivers everything we expect from it, and the fact that it (and our first DNM 5700) is backed by Mills’ after-sales service and support, gives us peace of mind.”
David Mayers, Director of Smith Metal Fabrications