A brand new five-axis Satellite XT machining centre from Emmegi (UK) was reportedly ‘the star of the show’ at a recent open morning held at Alitex, the Hampshire based manufacturer of ‘finest’ Victorian style aluminium greenhouses and conservatories.
The company is said to have invested in the new machine to take its precision manufacturing to even greater heights, so it was reportedly keen to demonstrate the machine in action to visitors.
Alitex already has a portfolio of nine Emmegi machines in its factory, ranging from a double mitre saw, supplied in 2002, right up to two Comet four axis and four Phantomatic T4A three axis CNC machines supplied more recently.
The new Satellite XT however is set to ‘transform’ the company’s most complex compound cutting and machining operations, offering significant time savings and even higher levels of accuracy and reliability.
Because the Satellite XT works in five-axis, it can machine whole aluminium sections in one process, rather than needing to pass though several different machines. Alitex estimates that overall it will reduce machining times by up to 30% but, for some complex profiles, it has already calculated that what was once a two hour process can now be completed in just 12 minutes and 8 seconds.
As a result, the company is predicting a two-year payback on its investment, at the same time as helping it to increase capacity in line with its planned future growth.
The machine was reportedly delivered ‘precisely on schedule’, just eight weeks after the order was placed and commissioning took five days. After a few weeks of work to develop and finalise the geometries and the links to Alitex’s Solid Works 3D CAD software, it is now nearing full production.
Emmegi (UK)’s sales manager, Andrew Jones, said: “Alitex probably has more Emmegi machines in its factory than any other customer in the UK. It’s a perfect example of how we partner successfully with businesses and deliver great results time and again.”
