Aquisition of CNC automatic lathes eliminated the need for second operation work on alternative machines while the subcontractor company was able to produce more complex work.
Starting its operations in the early 1960s producing typewriter parts; Jaybee Engineering Co (Brighton) of Newhaven, UK, has typeset its success with the introduction of Tornos sliding head turning centres. Diversifying from typewriter parts to the electronics, aerospace, furniture and medical sectors, Jaybee has always specified the latest machine tool technologies to stay ahead of the market. As Nigel Benson, managing director of Jaybee Engineering said: 'We bought our first Tornos Deco 2000 about five years ago and it is a versatile machine that suits our specific needs.

Just like any other subcontractor, we do not know what material or job will come through the door next so we need to be flexible and mindful of market trends.' Until 1999, the company was using a cam auto lathe and a sliding head lathe that was serviced by Tornos.

A service that was efficient, very effective and quick to respond - a factor that contributed to the introduction of the Tornos machine.

However, Benson commented that Jaybee was just 'playing at it' with an old sliding head machine, and the company needed to take the plunge into sliding head turning.

Prior to the introduction of the 20mm capacity Tornos Deco machine, Jaybee used its conventional CNC lathes and cam auto lathes but was forced to conduct second operations on drilling and milling machines where complex work was concerned.

The Tornos Deco eliminated the need for cam-autos completely and second operations on alternative machines also became a thing of the past.

The company was given the capability to produce more complex work and it was able to eliminate fixturing and its inherent costs as well as reduce set-up and cycle times.

The company's progression into more demanding industries saw the seven employee company introduce a second Tornos Deco in 2004, a 20mm capacity Deco 20a.

When looking for a second sliding head machine, Jaybee evaluated what was available on the market as Benson said: 'There were a number of machines that could have met some of our needs but the Deco 20a suited all our sliding head turning needs.

It undoubtedly came out on top performance wise.' The Tornos Deco 20a proved the best machine for Jaybee Engineering's purposes.

Purposes that required a machine capable of machining a wide range of materials with tolerances of less than 0.02mm and a diverse range of batch runs: 'The Deco has excellent swarf clearance and we liked the way the overlapping of the tools gave rear end working simultaneously with front end working.

This balanced turning feature enabled us to rough and finish at the same time.

It also moved us into other areas, manufacturing more complex parts.

The machine also reduced cycle times considerably.

This enabled us to generate better margins as well as provide cost reductions to our customers,' Benson continued.

Unique to Tornos, Benson believes the TB-Deco control system is very flexible and very easy to use.

'The TB-Deco allows me to provide customers with quotes from the office.

I can write the program and the TB-Deco will give me an exact cycle time, this makes quoting for work accurate and simplistic.

This is very advantageous as we can quote to the nearest millisecond.

What it says on screen is what will happen on the shop floor,' said Benson.

Used for making batches from 10 to 20,000+, the Tornos Deco 20a has not only proved efficient on long batch runs but also the small batches.

'We use the Deco for very small batches as well as the long runs.

One job recently placed on the Deco was a batch of 10.

This complex job with tight tolerances and engraving operations was quicker to set on one machine as opposed to two or three machines that would have otherwise been required to conduct secondary operations,' said Benson.

Jaybee Engineering also utilises a Tornos pre-setter for its tooling.

This enables the tools for the next job to be pre-set while the machine is running its current batch.

When a changeover arises it is generally just a case of bolting on the tools and loading the program.

This option further reduces machine downtime and increases the productivity of the machine tool.