First Dalian lathe goes to hydraulics specialist
West Yorkshire-based Hebble Hydraulic Services Ltd has become the first engineering specialist in the country to see the benefits of investing in a brand new Dalian CDS 6256C centre lathe.
The introduction of this highly-affordable Dalian brand is the latest result of the successful joint venture between UK-based 600 Group and the Dalian Machine Tool Group (DMTG), China’s largest machine tool manufacturer.
Hebble, of Slaithwaite near Huddersfield, is a leading manufacturer and repairer of hydraulic cylinders, an authorized Fawcett Christie hydraulic accumulator repair and recertification centre and UK agent for the Japanese Nacol accumulator company. A growing customer base, including long-term clients within the busy steel industry centres of Rotherham and Scunthorpe, meant the company needed to replace an older machine to satisfy its expanding business.
Managing Director Brian Conroy says: “Because we are producing hydraulic cylinders, accuracy is paramount. We are expected to work to very fine tolerances, so the first requirement was obviously that the new machine we bought was up to the task in that respect.
“We were considering a CNC machine, as we already have one Harrison Alpha 460S machine which we have been very satisfied with but we decided that, for a toolroom like ours, a centre lathe operated by a skilled man would be the right option.
“CNC machines are ideal for larger batches, where high-quality repeatability is required, but there are longer set-up times. The centre lathe complements the benefits of a CNC machine – we feel that you need both facilities for maximum toolroom efficiency. Even in today’s high-pressure business environment with very fast turnaround times and so on, although the Dalian machine is a manual lathe, we felt that it was the right machine for the job.”
Hebble Hydraulic Services Ltd’s customers include major players in the steel industry, including Corus Engineering Steels, Outokumpu Stainless and Caparo Merchant Bar, as well as large ‘blue chip’ organizations – British Waterways, UK Coal, National Power, the Health & Safety Executive, for example – which depend substantially on hydraulics-based technology in their production and operating processes.
The business at Slaithwaite employs 14 people and has been established since 1984. It can be called on to repair and machine parts for hydraulic cylinders weighing up to 4.5 tonnes and as long as 9.5 metres. However, the bulk of its growing workload is for somewhat smaller items, which means it must have the flexibility of skills and machining capability for handling a wide range of customer requirements.
The company opted for the Dalian CDS 6256C centre lathe with a 2-metre distance between centres. The machine is one of seven models in the highly-affordable Dalian CDS-CW traditional centre lathes range, all built for strength, economical fine-precision turning and reliability.
The machine now installed at Hebble Hydraulic Services Ltd’s premises is built for heavy-duty use in a tough, toolroom environment and to give reliable service over many years. It features precision Gamet tapered roller spindle bearings, hardened and ground bedways and a quality-built, high-rigidity cast-iron bed.
With a maximum swing-over-bed of 560mm, a bed width of 394mm, a large spindle bore of 105mm and wide spindle speed range of 26-1600rpm, it is a highly capable machine with the flexibility to perform the many precise turning applications of different sizes and dimensions which Hebble Hydraulics Services’ customers require.
All Dalian machines are supplied with 600 Group’s ‘4-star Assurance’:
1. Top Quality Specification
2. Built to European Standards
3. Factory Inspected by 600 Group
4. Full After-Sales Support
Every Dalian machine is inspected in the factory by 600 Group technical experts based at DMTG and undergoes a thorough pre-delivery inspection by Dalian Sales engineers when it arrives in the UK.
“Based on our previous experience with Colchester-Harrison and the faith that we had built up, we decided to look closely at one of the new Dalian machines. We visited Dalian Sales, had a ‘test drive’ on the lathe and were impressed with the set up. Those factors all helped to convince us that the CDS was the right machine to get,” says Brian Conroy.
Jon Mannion, Dalian’s Product Manager, says: “We were delighted that a leading engineering specialist company like Hebble Hydraulic Services chose to invest in a Dalian CDS lathe and clearly recognized the commercial and production benefits of acquiring a brand new, quality-built machine at such an affordable price.
“I believe the launch of this exciting new Dalian range represents a new opportunity for the UK independent engineering sector, and I’m confident that Hebble Hydraulic Services and our other customers will rapidly see real results in terms of lower production costs and extra profit-potential when they invest in a Dalian lathe.”
