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Faringdon Precision Engineering

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'XYZ machines...a far more cost-effective alternative when small numbers of components are the norm.'

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To learn more about Faringdon Precision visit thier web site at www.faringdonprecisionengineering.co.uk

Hardware

Machine XYZ 200 TCMachine XYZ 250 TCMachine XYZ Mini Mill 560Machine XYZ 1060 HS

Demand ramps up faster than predicted

When Trevor Timpson and Gary Evans decided it was time to put their hard-won engineering knowledge to better use, they took six months to plan every aspect of their new sub-contract machining business. Trevor had spent the previous six years in production management, while Gary’s wide-ranging machining expertise had benefited along the way from a four-year stint with the Williams Formula One team. Taken together, their 40 years-plus experience of motor sport, aerospace, medical and semi-conductor work has enabled Oxfordshire-based Faringdon Precision Engineering Ltd to get off to a great start.

“We couldn’t move into our 4000 sq. ft. premises until March, “says Trevor Timpson, “but since the summer it has been manic. We had to buy two more machine tools 12 months before our business plan said they would be needed and we have reached our initial target of a minimum of 10 good customers across a broad range of industry sectors with time to spare.”

The Faringdon Precision Engineering plant list now includes two turning centres and two machining centres, one with simultaneous five-axis capability and all supplied by XYZ Machine Tools of Burlescombe, Devon. XYZ also supplied the 2 hp programmable horizontal bandsaw that cuts bar stock into billet lengths as required.

“We set out to do a quality job at a competitive price,” says Gary Evans, “and we have endeavoured to keep our overheads as low as possible by investing in the most productive machine tools for our particular needs. XYZ advertises machines equipped with the Siemens ShopMill and ShopTurn conversational CNC, so before making a final decision we decided to take a closer look.”

Having done so, an initial investment in a 15 hp/4800 rev/min XYZ 200 TC turning centre and a five-axis 15 hp/8000 rev/min XYZ 1010 VMC vertical machining centre was followed almost immediately by the installation of a 30 hp/3500 rev/min XYZ 250 TC and a 13 hp/8000 rev/min XYZ Mini Mill 560 compact VMC. The larger of the two turning centres can machine components up to 250 mm diameter, while the XYZ 1010 VMC has a maximum table load capacity of 900 kg.

“For the range of prototype and small batch work that we are targeting these machines are ideal, so why go anywhere else but XYZ,” says Trevor Timpson. “The machines are quick and easy to program, they are fully guaranteed and there is good service back-up. Admittedly, a five-axis capability is rather ambitious for a start-up company but it is a must-have when it comes to machining complex forms for, say, motor sport or aerospace components.

“We can do one-offs as quickly as someone using a manual lathe or mill, and we have even been given low volume work by other machining companies who themselves program in G and M codes, which is so much more labour-intensive and time-consuming. Longer set-up times may not be a major problem when large batches are involved, but conversational programming on the XYZ machines is a far more cost-effective alternative when small numbers of components are the norm.”

Accreditation to ISO 9001-2000 is on schedule for January 2007, and Faringdon Precision Engineering already numbers Edwards High Vacuum, Tyco and Tetronics among the ‘blue chip’ customers attracted by the 24 hour, seven days a week cover provided when fast turnaround is required. In line with their business plan, Trevor Timpson and Gary Evans are building a business with a solid reputation for first-class service, although with XYZ’s help and support they are achieving their business objectives much faster than predicted.