The German-built Spinner U-1520 has a dual table design with a 2-axis CNC trunnion carrying a 650 mm diameter rotary table at the right hand end of the machining area with a fixed table alongside it to the left.

This means that complex 5-axis work can be carried out on the first table with 3-axis machining available on the second table at the same time. So a component requiring two operations can be machined on the Spinner in one cycle.

Alternatively, with the rotary table can be positioned horizontally to form an extended X-axis that can machine a component over 1.5m long.

When aerospace subcontractor Loftlock bought the machine in February it had no particular jobs were lined up for it, but it was soon working flat out producing parts in mainly aluminium but also in titanium, stainless steel, phosphor bronze and aluminium bronze.

Other materials are also machined occasionally, such as tungsten alloy to make ballast weights for Formula One race cars. More than three-quarters of turnover at the Reading factory derives from prismatic machining, with the remainder from fixed-headstock CNC turning.

Managing director Kevin Douglas says: “Over 90% of our business is in aerospace work, with the remainder in motorsport, defence, marine and medical, and we find that we are able to process a wide range of parts on the machining centre to very high accuracy.”

One of the first jobs on the machine was a batch of L168 aluminium alloy turntable bases for a helicopter seat, which required 3+2-axis machining in the 5-axis area of the machine.

Almost immediately that finished, an order came in for a large run of aluminium rocket sleds that measured almost the full 1.52-metre X-axis dimension. This simpler, 3-axis job ran for a month before another 5-axis job was put onto the Spinner.

Mr Douglas continues, “We had run this job several times before, but we only had machines with one-metre in X so needed to reposition the parts two or three times to complete the cycle.

“Now the part is finished much faster in one hit, saving operator time, reducing the manufacturing cost and eliminating the possibility of errors caused by repeated re-fixturing.”

The helicopter seat turntable had also been manufactured previously on another 5-axis vertical machining centre, but it was operating at the limit of its capacity, whereas the Spinner offers a 5-axis envelope of 620 x 520 x 460 mm.

Al 54-station tool magazine holds a wide range of cutters, sufficient to complete a spread of different jobs without having to insert new tools.

Through-spindle coolant at 22 bar improves chip breaking, which is especially useful when drilling and machining stainless steel.