EVENWOOD INDUSTRIES: RE-BORN AND RE-INVESTING

With a new management team and a new focus, Evenwood Industries has set its targets high. Already turnover is touching eight figures at the County Durham-based supplier of fabricated components. Helping propel this momentum even further is the company’s determination to invest in the latest technology, a strategy that includes a new TCL3040 flatbed laser machining centre.

“We retained five laser machines at the beginning of the buy-out. However, only three were of the standard we consider suitable for the work we needed to produce for our customers,” says Mr Maudsley. “So we decided to replace two of the older machines with a new laser cutter.”

The company has a long association with TRUMPF, extending back to the early 1980s when Evenwood acquired its first CNC punch press. “We did consider other makes and models but to be honest, the TCL3040 was the best fit for our business and the best machine for the type of components we produce,” says Mr Maudsley.

Installation was completed at the end of November 2006, and the machine has been set to work producing mostly mild steel flat components ranging from 2-15mm thick.

“The machine’s combination of faster cutting speed, accuracy [holding tolerances as tight as 0.1mm] and its ability to perform lights-out operations means we can eliminate our requirement for a nightshift, with obvious benefits” Stewart explained.

On the TCL3040, TRUMPF has mounted an additional fast, 300mm travel Xp-axis on the Y-axis gantry. This superimposes a high speed 300 by 1500mm cutting zone on top of the normal X-axis travel of 3000mm. The machine’s improved dynamic performance can cut processing time by 30 per cent. The effects are particularly marked when machining thin sheets (up to 3mm) featuring many positioning points/contours. Control software automatically records the most effective processing approach, taking the geometry of a part into consideration and guiding the respective axes.

TRUMPF’s ‘pierce-on-the-fly’ technology was another influencing factor for Evenwood, which produces plenty of thinner gauge components with hole/slot features. Typical industries supplied by Evenwood from its 10,000m² facility include the major OEM’s in the UK off-highway sector, but the company also services other industries in the transport sector. Typical batch sizes range from 1-100 off.

“We have an excellent working arrangement with TRUMPF,” concludes Mr Maudsley. “In my opinion TRUMPF offer the best technology available in laser cutting technology at the moment and have provided the most cost effective manufacturing solutions over many years. Investment is critical to a company such as Evenwood Industries, and the TCL3040 will become an essential part of our manufacturing process, significantly improving our reliability, quality and efficiency.”