During the last couple of years of being an SME in the “new normal” we at Tridan have continued to see growth in the sub-contract CNC machining market. Whilst some of the Aerospace contracts had initially slowed down, the Defence market has seen continued growth as well as other existing sectors still going strong, even during these turbulent times.
To keep up with the challenge of working in sub-contract and following the recent growth, it was important to view our shop floor capacity in terms of available machining hours and capability, along with the correct staffing to cover the extra hours required and being able to handle the ever-increasing demand on quality requirements from our business.
The exacting standards required in contracting manufacturing as well as keeping up with the latest technology and precision for the complex machining that is required in today’s competitive markets could only lead us to increasing our capacity on our 5-axis cell.
This led us to the purchase of our 7th 5-axis machining centre. The machine we purchased is a MAZAK i500 Multiplex-surface/simultaneous 5-axis machining centre which sits alongside 11 other Mazak 5-axis, horizontal and vertical CNC machining centres.
This machine gives us approx. 100 hrs plus of extra capacity per week with potential for lights out machining during shifts and weekend hours as and when required.
It has a maximum workpiece diameter of 500mm, spindle speed of 18000 Rpm, rapid traverse of up-to 60m/min with an 80-tool carousel for the most complex parts and twin pallets for production running.
This growth has also created 5 new roles at Tridan with vacancies from tool store engineers, 5 axis setter/operators, nightshift CNC turners and inspection. We have also taken on a new Quality Manager to help with product flow and conformity throughout the business.
As we come out the “other side” manufacturing will continue to push boundaries and Tridan will strive for utopia as we push our machines and production to the limit to deliver the quality and reliability that is required of an SME in the world of contract manufacturing.
For more information on Tridan Engineering please visit tridan.co.uk
