Since the introduction of the ProtoTRAK conversational CNC control to the UK market in 1993, XYZ Machine Tools have always supplied machines with a simple interface for programming that makes their products easy to learn and simple to use. This simplicity has been reinforced with a recent visit to the head office and factory located in Burlescombe, Devon by Rory Crawford, the 10-year-old son of Laura Crawford the proprietor and editor of Manufacturing and Machinery magazine.
Back in June 2024, Laura made a visit to XYZ’s Midlands showroom for a “hands on” day with XYZ following a comment that she had never programmed or made anything on a CNC machine. This visit hosted by Machining Mike corrected this wrong and she saw for herself why XYZ products are popular for manufacturers of one-off and small batch components.
Fast forward to MACH 2026 where Machining Mike and Laura caught up at the show and the discussion turned to her support of STEM and her work mentoring students at local colleges and her activities with the TDI challenge. At this point she mentioned that Rory had shown great interest in the world of manufacturing, so the invite was offered to visit one of XYZ’s facilities to nurture this interest further.
Taking this offer up, Rory and his Mum made the trip to XYZ’s head office located in the Southwest in late August where Rory’s visit started with a factory tour and then was given the opportunity to get hands on with Machining Mike. In truth it was really a chance for him to make more challenging parts than Laura and gain bragging rights in the Crawford household.
Having chatted to Rory about his experience with manufacturing, XYZ learnt that he had a 3D printer at home and was already up to speed on understanding machine movements. With this knowledge Mike jumped straight into working on the RMX 3500 bed mill fitted with the ProtoTRAK RMX control. As with many young people the touch screen control was quickly embraced and with drawing in hand and only providing feed and speed data, Rory had the part programmed in just a few minutes. Setting datums and tool data quickly followed and when it came to running the program he was shown how confidence can be built using the TRAKing feature that lets you run the program by using the electronic handwheels on the machine.
Moving to the ProTURN lathe was the next challenge and again the basics were taken on (why do young people learn so quickly?), and a part programmed that set the bar higher than the part Laura had produced a few years earlier.
Having seen his quick progression, the decision was made to move onto the XYZ 800 HD vertical machining centre fitted with the Siemens 828D control. Using the Shopmill conversational software, a program was produced that was a step up in complexity and using the optional Renishaw table and spindle probes for setting the datums and tool lengths, Rory was really learning how quickly parts can be manufactured and was enjoying learning about the technology fitted to XYZ’s products. To top the part off he even programmed the control to engrave his name on it.
Summing up the day Rory made the comment “I have had a great day and its definitely a great story to tell my mates and teachers about when I return to school. Of all the machines I used, I liked the lathe best, and I have learnt a lot about how parts are made”.
Of course, we had to ask the question, “who made the best parts?” Admitting that her son had outdone her Laura made the observations “I am really proud of what Rory has done today. Thank you to XYZ for inviting Rory and myself to XYZ and giving us the VIP treatment. It is so pleasing to see that companies like XYZ are supportive of encouraging young people to take up a career in manufacturing. It’s a great facility here at XYZ and if you can get students to visit to see what modern machinery can do and where the future of manufacturing is going then hopefully it will light a fire inside the next generation of engineers”.
As it was time to say goodbye Machining Mike made the point that XYZ are open to arranging student visits to the main factory or one of the regional showrooms around the country. He stated “We can show these budding engineers machine performance, efficiency gains and how the manufacturing world connects from design models through CAM and then to machining. With our Educational Sales specialist John Aspinall, we can work with training establishments on ensuring these centres of learning have the right building blocks in place, with XYZ products, to educate and ensure the UK has a good supply of engineers for the future. Student visit days can be arranged by contacting us by phone or email.”
