In less than a year of orchestrating the management buyout of G&H Precision Engineering based in Southampton, managing director, Steve Hill, has already driven the business growth by more than a third, invested in 5-axis simultaneous machining technology and also secured a UK agency for magnetic deburring and polishing equipment.

Says Mr Hill: “Having worked for G&H for two years I saw the opportunity to buy and build the business when the previous owners decided to retire and sell up. I knew with the skill levels of the 10 people in the company we could develop the customer base in aerospace, defence, telecoms, sensor and surveillance equipment if we invested in the right technology. As a result we have been able to capitalise on the production of components involving even greater orders of complexity and combine operations by using 5-axis machining techniques.”

The YCM FX 350A simultaneous 5-axis vertical machining centre with a 12,000rpm spindle is used to machine a wide range of mostly aluminium components but also superalloys, stainless steel and machinable plastics. Projects have involved prototype part production working closely with customers’ design teams, pre-production and batchwork typically between 10 and 500 parts.

Such has been the intricacy of certain aerospace components that machining times from solid have involved cycles of over seven hours. Also, with three other 4-axis capability YCM VMCs and five Bridgeport VMCs all with Heidenhain controls, there is ample capacity to cater for and provide a fast turnaround when needed for a wide range of part and material types with varying levels of complexity. Complementing the machining centres are four Mazak Quickturn lathes providing a bar capacity up to 52mm.

Due to the types of component being processed through the 6,000ft² machine shop, Mr Hill sought out and installed a SPINner electromagnetic deburring, finishing and polishing machine. Such were the levels of success from the process and positive comments from customers on the standard finishes obtained that he negotiated an agency agreement for the range of equipment in the UK. “Most important,” he observes, “is that we have the facility within a production environment for customer trials and appraisals.”

Prior to joining G&H Mr Hill was employed in subcontract manufacture which progressed to being a technical sales engineer for a leading international tooling company. “This provides an excellent background from which to approach machine tool investment and engineering the most efficient method of production,” he maintains.

G&H Precision
www.gandhprecision.co.uk