For Stafford Engineering Services based in the village of Hixon, on the periphery of Stafford, the manufacturing of specialised bracketry for the mounting of lifesaving defibrillators and life monitoring equipment carried in ambulances has become an increasingly important part of their business. For Shaun Watkin, Director, making the right investment in machinery has proven to be not only a gamechanger for his company but in his words “a world changer”.
When the business was approached to develop a system of mounting this life saving equipment in a vehicle transporting critically ill patients to hospital by Staffordshire Ambulance Service, Shaun developed a secure bracket system that, not only supported the device during transit, but also had the ability to easily release the defibrillator so it could be carried by the crew to the patients location. Shaun starts by saying “We were keen to get involved in this project and knew that the system we designed had to be robust. This is because the defibrillators and associated equipment that was to be mounted on it was not that light. We also had to think carefully about how it disconnected from the bracket so that it didn’t fall forward to cause issues for the crew when lifting it away. When doing our initial designs, it was not just all drawings there was a fair amount of does this feel right when mounting and unloading the system”.
The early versions of the bracket components were manufactured by a 3rd party but then Shaun was given the opportunity to buy the XYZ Pro 3000 that the sub-contractor was using to make the parts, so he jumped at the chance. Shaun continues “The purchase of this turret mill style machine fitted with a ProtoTRAK CNC control gave the company the ability to make design changes quicker and easier and it helped to save the life of the business. Without that machine, we could not have developed and manufactured the bracket component parts of those early mounting systems”.
As the system was accepted, working closely with a defibrillator manufacturer meant that doors were opening all around the country. It was when the Scottish ambulance service had a requirement for a mounting device that Shaun had to make further investment to keep up with demand. He adds “With volumes increasing we had to look at adding to the Pro 3000 as a CNC machining capability. We looked long and hard at several suppliers but made the decision to purchase XYZ’s LPM machines. These lean production machines were perfect for the work we wanted to do with their tool changing capability and increased performance over a turret mill style machine. The ProtoTRAK control with its conversational software fitted to the machines allowed me to start manufacturing within a day of installation.
With 21 years of manufacturing the brackets under their belt, demand is still increasing which has led to further investment in XYZ products. When Queensland Ambulance Services in Australia came knocking on the door Shaun had to think hard how he was going to increase production from 100 systems a month to 400. After talking with XYZ about his conundrum, the decision was taken to invest in a new TMC 1600 vertical machining centre and a CT 65 HD turning centre.
When questioned why these were the machines of choice Shaun states “The 1600 TMC with its table size of 1660mm x 660mm created the possibility to mount more parts on the table at once, therefore reducing the number of times we had to load / unload parts. The 1600mm X travel along with the 650mm in Y backed up our theory. The increase in spindle power over our current machines was also a key point in our decision making. With 11KW (15hp) available and deciding to go with the 12,000-rpm option with through spindle coolant our cutting performance has greatly increased. We are now profiling the aluminium parts at 6 to 7m/min feedrate greatly reducing cycle time. With 20 BT40 tools in the carousel available we can leave more tools set up and reduce the number of times we have to exchange the tools in the machine. Of course, the new ProtoTRAK RMX 15” touchscreen control has allowed us to use the existing programs but, on some parts, it has been beneficial to re-program them to allow us to use some of the new features available such as clear off to remove material from the outside of the part. With the TMC 1600 installed we have seen production of the base plates go from one every half hour to ten in two hours”.
The addition of the CT 65 HD turning centre to the company has speeded up production of the feet used to secure the defibrillators to the mounting bracket. When asked about the turning capacity Shaun comments “We have a ProTURN lathe that we have used for these items in the past but again volumes dictated that we needed a more automated system. The CT65HD with its 12 station VDI turret and 65mm bar capacity has slotted into our production capability perfectly. The transition to a Siemens 828D control with the Shopturn software has been easy due to its conversation style of programming and the addition of the LNS barfeed now means we can leave the lathe unattended and use the staff to do other work. Due to the material we use to manufacture the feet from, the 4000-rpm spindle speed has allowed us to get great finishes and reduce cycle times.
With new designs required by the company’s existing customer base and with other medical device manufacturers coming on board, there appears to be no let up for the 11 XYZ machines at Stafford Engineering Services. Shaun closes by saying “The support from XYZ for my machines has been excellent. Whether its programming or service support they are quick to respond. We do have our machines regularly serviced by the team at XYZ and this ensures when the demand is at its greatest like with the recent Queensland order, there are no unexpected surprises for us and we can deliver on time”.