UK toolmaker Lodent Precision has increased its capacity with the installation of what it says is the largest Hartford vertical machining centre in the UK.

The West Midlands firm invested around £400,000 for the installation of a Hartford 4190 which came on stream in November.

The 4190 has a machining area of 4m x 2.1m x 1.2m and a weight of 34 tonnes. It is equipped with 5-axis capability and a 60-station tool change and an overhead 20-tonne lift capacity crane loads the machine.

All Lodent’s CNC milling machines are now equipped with glass scales to provide accurate feedback, said Paul Riley, a director at Lodent. Although it is always an expensive option it allows repeatable accuracies and improved surface finishes.

The final part of the machine installation was laser calibration and the accuracy measured on the machine was within microns. “We are now able to offer the most accurate milling, drilling and boring facility to all of our customers,” said Riley.

Lodent has invested heavily over the past five years at a time when most of the UK mouldmaking industry has contracted, added Riley. Investment in additional machining, CAM, digitizing, CMM and wire erosion has stood the firm in good stead for the future and allows it to remain competitive globally, he said. Lodent’s client sectors are automotive, aerospace, petrochemical and nuclear.

Lodent, which already has ISO 9000 accreditation, plans to implement ISO 14001 and Nadcap