When in late 2007 Chromatica of Coventry ( http://www.chromatica-led.com ) looked to make its first tentative steps in to CNC machining of their LED lighting systems a local supplier was sought to give a total support package. Barry Jones (Director and partner) decided to undertake the turning and milling requirements and selected Warwick machinery to supply equipment to cover current requirements. On the milling WML supplied a Kira KPC30 single table Mill Drill Centre, with a 1.5m x 2.4m small foot print this fitted into Chromatica’s plans without expansion of the premises. A 200mm Niken rotary table was fully integrated allowing 4 axis machining eliminating the need for double fixturing of certain parts. On the turning a Haksui HTL 80 machine with 8’ chucks 4000 RPM and tailstock was purchased. Haksui utilise a specialised “eco friendly” cooling system specifically for use with stainless steels and non ferrous metals eliminating the use of standard water based coolants.
Within every aspect of the machine selection, fixture conceptions, tooling and training WML worked hand in hand with Chromatica to achieve a stable transition to in-house manufacture while keeping the investment costs under control.
