Citizen Sliding Head technology rejuvenates Shepherd Engineering's subcontract business

Citizen 21st March 2013 Such has been the effect of Citizen’s machine tool development programme on Shepherd Engineering that the installation of the latest Citizen A32-VII CNC sliding head turn-mill centre has enabled the high precision subcontract machinist to cut into existing well-proven sliding head cycle times by an average of 20 per cent. This level of increased productivity is even being achieved against work previously produced on a four year old top-of-the-range Citizen M32. And, as a result of investing in the A32 in mid-2012, Shepherd Engineering has been able to secure new contracts for year 2013 worth £250,000 from one customer and been able to break into the demanding F1 and aerospace sectors. According to production director Craig Sargent, the A32 has great rigidity due to its centre-rib bed construction and while it has less versatility and tool carrying capability of the M32, running at the same well-trusted speeds and feeds to preserve tool life and process predictability what makes the difference on certain types of work is the machine’s capability to effectively overlap axis sequences, the use of 45 m/min rapid traverse rates, its drive system acceleration rates and the ability of the control to manipulate data through its higher speed processing. Based in Great Yarmouth, Shepherd Engineering resides in a 5,000 ft2 machine shop it moved to mid-way through 2012. The move was forced due to the success of the business following the installation of two Citizen machines, the M32 in 2008 and a K16 in 2010, which totally turned around the firm. The decision to install the A32 meant the existing 3,000 ft2 facility occupied for 22 years would no longer accommodate the production demands.