performance so we turned to a name we knew we could trust, namely Mazak.” The Manx Engineers relationship with Mazak stretches back
over 25 years. “I’ve been with the company for 18 years and our relationship with Mazak predates my time here,” says Ringham. “We actually still use two of our original Mazak Quick Turn 8 machines on a regular basis. Both are still fully operational and have maintained their value by continuing to repeat to tight tolerances. You really do get what you pay for with Mazak; 25 years on and the precision is still there. “Mazak has provided us with a tried and tested, reliable
source of machines over an extended period of time. Our Mazak machines account for the majority of Manx Engineer’s CNC turning facilities. When we were looking at ways to improve our factory output and support our machine operators, it made sense to approach a company which we knew already understood our business, its operational capacity and future ambitions.” Manx Engineers currently has five Mazaks in operation including a Super Quick Turn 250 MSY, a Quick Turn Nexus MY, a Hyper Quadrex 200 MSY and the two Quick Turn 8 machines. “We use our Mazaks to machine families of parts for our customers in the civil, defence and UAV aerospace markets across the globe, manufacturing a range of parts including hydraulic fittings and housings,” adds Ringham. Manx Engineers’ most recently installed machine is the
Hyper Quadrex 200 MSY. Ringham continues: “We bought the Hyper Quadrex in late 2011 and it’s had a significant impact on the business over the past 15 months. We’ve now consolidated two or three operations into one which has resulted in considerably improved overall machining output. We can continue to give customers, both old and new, the most competitive solutions for their requirements.”
Mazak’s conversational CNC operating system, Mazatrol has significantly improved Manx Engineers’ overall machining output
Bridging the skills gap A further issue plaguing suppliers to the aerospace industry is the nationwide shortage of CNC operators, yet Mazak’s Mazatrol conversational CNC operating system has proven to be a sound investment for Manx Engineers. “Finding good machine operators in today’s market is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he says. “The work we do for our clients can vary from ‘one-off’ jobs to batch work of a hundred or more pieces therefore set-up and programming time are crucial. “Whilst the majority of the British manufacturing industry
stopped taking on apprentices years ago, we continued to home-grow our own setters and programmers. Mazatrol’s conversational qualities allow us to quickly bring our apprentices up to speed and due to the software’s cross compatibility, our programmers and setters can quickly and easily switch between machines. Since implementing Mazatrol, we’ve witnessed a noticeable increase in machine efficiency.” With clients in both the UK and beyond, Ringham is looking
forward to the future and it is set to be an exciting time both for Manx Engineers and the aerospace industry. “Business is as good as it’s ever been. We’re currently operating on a three- shift policy to meet customer demand, which is high across the civil, defence and UAV aerospace sectors we operate in,” he concludes. “Given the competitive nature of our sector, we need to be constantly aware of ways we can improve our machining efficiency to stay ahead of foreign suppliers. Mazak has really helped us set ourselves apart from our competitors and I’m very much looking forward to seeing the relationship
Manx Engineers has five Mazak machines in operation at its Isle of Man facility
continue to blossom over the coming months and years.” ❙
www.mazak.eu
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