Within three months of
hearing about the latest
innovation from XYZ
Machine Tools, Colin and
David Musgrove, joint
owners of True Precision
Engineering, had two
ProtoTRAK Lean Production
Machines up and running in
TPE’s Blaydon-on-Tyne
premises.

The 15hp/8000 rev/min
LPM, with 20m/min rapid
feed in all three axes, is XYZ’s
first ProtoTRAK-controlled
CNC machine tool to be
fitted with an automatic tool
changer, although it has
several features that
differentiate it from standard
VMCs. One in particular – a
control system developed for
low volume and complex
prototype production and
easily programmed using
‘plain English prompts’ –
appealed to the two brothers,
both time-served toolmakers,
who wanted to integrate the
units into a five-machine CNC
cell to be run by three
operators.

“Depending on the nature
of the work we have often
had one person running two
CNC machines,” says Colin
Musgrove. “This has helped
considerably at a time when
it is becoming difficult to find
and recruit skilled people.”
One of the CNC machines
in the new manufacturing
cell is a ProtoTRAKequipped
CNC/manual mill
that, in essence, has the same
menu system as the latestgeneration
PMX control fitted
to the LPMs. Operators do
not need G and M coding
knowledge; ProtoTRAK is
said to provide a fast, stressfree
transition from manual
to CNC machining.