Investment in Matsuura Secures Growth For Bowmill

MX Series 5 Axis

Supplying predominantly to the aerospace industry, the Bowmill Group are a long-established precision engineering business encompassing both volume and complex manufacturing disciplines; assembly, and test, grinding and material surface processing, employing 180 staff from four UK facilities. Now three years on from their initial investment in Matsuura automation, their business has gone from strength to strength.

Bowmill’s journey with Matsuura started in 2019 after securing a prime contract that required a high accuracy machine but also offering flexibility. As part of their research, they reviewed the MX-330 PC10 from Matsuura. The MX-330 PC10 offers full 5-axis capability and probing, which is critical for their required positional tolerances (3 – 4 microns). The machine also had the benefit of 10 pallets so they could run several component variations through the same machine utilising unmanned/lights out operations, which provided a measurable competitive advantage from conventional methods and standard single table machines. Having seen the machine in real-time automotive operation and after rigorous evaluation, Bowmill chose to invest in this machine for their main site in Poole, Dorset.

After six months of running the machine and improving cycle-times and implementing flexible manufacturing sequencing on not only the new components but also existing components, Bowmill decided to purchase a second Matsuura MX-330 PC10 for their site in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire in March 2020.

The MX-330 PC10 is configured with 10 pallets and 90 tools, offering Bowmill assured and reliably unmanned 5 axis production, a route to growth and returning real value to their customers with efficiencies and productivity gained from this investment.

Some months later, the company needed a larger 5-axis machine (500mm cube) for their Tewkesbury Facility and due to increasing customer demand once again looked to Matsuura to invest. Following the success of the first two MX-330 PC10, they decided to purchase a Matsuura MX-520, adding Bowmill’s innovative production models to the process allowed further logistical flexibility by moving components from one machine to another using existing programs without incurring downtime.

Read the full story at www.matsuura.co.uk