For the past twenty years, Reeling Systems has been in the unusual situation of having a single customer for a niche product that founder and managing director, Martin Campbell, describes as a sophisticated version of the simple garden hose reel. 

Whitchurch, Hampshire-based Reeling Systems is a primary fire prevention equipment supplier to Chubb Fire Mechanical – which in turn is a primary contractor to the Ministry of Defence – and Reeling Systems’ hose reeling systems can therefore be found on board every UK fighting vessel from surface ships to submarines.

Initially assembling and supplying only the hose reels, Reeling Systems has progressed to providing all of Chubb’s 30-plus MoD-related product families comprising some 300 part variations. Until last year all machining work had been outsourced but the volumes involved – typically up to 250-off – meant that even in recession no one subcontractor seemed willing to commit wholeheartedly to Reeling Systems and late deliveries of finish machined components were becoming a problem.

So the decision was taken to invest in a 20hp/8,000rpm XYZ 1010 VMC vertical machining centre with fully integrated fourth axis and a 38hp/3,500rpm XYZ 250 TC turning centre with live tooling. The company then needed additional turning capacity and, with limited workshop floor space, opted for a 20hp/5,000rpm XYZ Compact Turn 52 turning centre, all three machines being equipped with Siemens conversational CNC.

The XYZ 1010 VMC’s fourth axis capability can be used either as an indexer for moving the part to a set angle or as a fully interpolated axis for spiral milling. Programming via the Siemens ShopMill CNC’s Tracyl Cylindrical Transformation function is said to be a simple process, requiring the operator to program a pattern of holes, profile or pocket flat and then letting the control wrap it round the cylinder, thereby removing the need for complex calculations or CADCAM. 

Programming simplicity

The ‘Job shop Concept’ of making programming as quick and easy as possible is also evident in the Siemens ShopTurn CNCs fitted to the XYZ 250 TC and XYZ Compact Turn 52, with numerous canned cycles built in to cater for commonly used functions such as grooving, threading and undercutting as well as drilling and tapping.

“What we did last year, in effect, was to start another business, squeeze everything into our existing factory and, having gone through a rigorous re-organisation, to do it all over again with the installation of the third machine,” Mr Campbell reveals. “So you can see that the decision to begin machining in-house, which meant taking on additional people, was not taken lightly. However, the choice of XYZ Machine Tools has proved to be a very fortunate one, not least because I was a complete novice as far as machine tools are concerned and I knew I would need a lot of advice and support.”

Mr Campbell and colleague Neil Stewart received three days’ basic free of charge training on each of the three XYZ machines. They also benefited from the telephone assistance that comes as standard with each new CNC machine purchased, with no charge or expiry time limit for this service. “The online assistance has been very good in terms of addressing day to day issues,” Mr Campbell confirms, “as a two minute phone call can prevent hours of wasted time.” Reeling Systems also received additional free of charge onsite applications assistance – the objective being to reduce the initial learning curve to the absolute minimum. 

Hands on

Unlike Neil Stewart, Martin Campbell had no prior experience of CNC programming, setting or methodology. However, he points out: “Our onsite training went through everything, from starting the machine through to writing complete programs, an approach that is of vital importance to anyone lacking CNC experience, especially someone like me who has no knowledge of G and M codes.

“On our first visit to XYZ’s headquarter in Burlescombe, I could see that the intuitive level of the software made programming so much easier, added to which we could ask any questions and spend as much time as we needed to find out about any XYZ product. It was very much a case of ’how does spiral milling work? Well, we’ll program this machine and show you’.”

Materials machined by Reeling Systems include stainless steel 316, phosphor bronze, gun metal (copper/tin/zinc alloy), naval brass (copper/zinc/nickel alloy), commercial brass and aluminium. It is a deliberate policy to machine ahead of orders and to hold stock, as this reduces the cost per component while also ensuring a fast response to the priorities of the MoD.

Reeling Systems’ design, manufacture, assembly and test environment is maintained to the highest standard, with each of the three XYZ machine tools fitted with an extraction and filtration system to eliminate oil mist and dust contamination. “First impressions count,” concludes Mr Campbell, “but leaving customer perceptions aside, I don’t want anyone here to be working in conditions that I would not be happy to work in.”

XYZ Machine Tools
www.xyzmachinetools.com