When each raw material casting or forging can cost up to £90,000, it is clear that care, skill and confidence in its machining and complete production process are critical to Koso Kent Introl (KKI) for the specialist valve bodies it manufactures for the sub-sea, oil and gas and petrochemical sectors.
Key to the company’s ever-growing confidence in its production capabilities is the installation of a Dörries Scharmann Technologie GmbH (part of Starrag Group)-supplied Scharmann ECOFORCE 1 HT2 horizontal machining centre.
The machine is primarily engaged in bespoke component machining (more than a one-off would be regarded by KKI as volume or series production) where cycle times exceeding 24 hours are usual - continuous cycle running over three manned shifts when setter-operators hand over to each other.
Lynn Mowbray, Operations Director at the Brighouse (West Yorkshire) company, comments: “We were rapidly running out of machining capacity for our ‘made-to-order’ specialist capability but, due to the type of production and the distinct pressures involved in achieving a ‘right first time’ philosophy in components of difficult-to-machine materials, as well as the large machining capacity involved, very few machine tools meet our strict production requirements.”
That said, she adds, machine selection was made easier by the fact that KKI enjoys an established track record (more than 25 years) with Dörries Scharmann, with three highly successful machine installations, including a now ageing Dörries vertical turning lathe that is still very capable of roughing out 18 inch (457 mm) housings.