“We've shifted gear”

The arrival of a Breton Eagle in SCA's workshop in Gessate (Milan) not only solved a host of operational problems, it also allowed the company to approach sectors and materials that were hitherto excluded.
(From: Meccanica&Automazione)

SCA

Founded almost fifty years ago as specialised manufacturer of foundry moulds, SCA is currently headed by the third generation of the proprietor family and, in a sense, it's experiencing the third “revolution” or – more accurately – conscious evolution of its operating activities.
The company was incorporated in 1970 by Domenico Scalzo and is currently headed by his grandson assisted by the second generation of the family.

The Breton Eagle of SCA 

Like many companies set up in the 1970s, the business started in cramped premises and worked with all kinds of industrial sectors: from moulds for motorcycle cylinder heads and interior light fixtures, to the initial production of parts for the Italian bottling industry.

In fact, it was a customer in the bottling sector that provided the basis for SCA's first turning point. With the customer in question, which remains a point of reference for SCA, the company began a journey into the world of industrial automation that enabled it to build its technological expertise until becoming a qualified supplier of parts for bottling plants (glass and plastic).

Rather than resting on its laurels and running the risk of supplying a single customer, over the years SCA maintained or developed a series of opportunities in several sectors that differed widely from the automatic machinery field, until it gradually left its origins in foundry mould-making in the past.

Competing in multiple sectors

This direction change led SCA to work with numerous industrial sectors, especially those calling for the ability to work with different materials with high levels of precision and the maximum operational flexibility.

From food and chemicals to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, the marine and aeronautical industry, and also construction of large size components for theatrical stage sets. These various different areas of activity called for the ability to work with a large range of different materials, which is why SCA's machining shop today is equipped with machines for plastics, metals, and even, marginally, woodworking machines. The diverse range of applications calls for specific machines for each material type, each capable of producing optimal results.

Alessio Restelli explains “Several years ago we decided to focus our investments on machine tools for metals and alloys. That's why we decided to purchase a large size machining centre for specific work processes on workpieces in aluminium and lightweight alloys. Unfortunately however, we soon discovered that the machine we had identified was unable to cope with the work in our production programme. We were looking for a machining centre with large working dimensions, capable of processing different materials and providing absolute reliability. Above all, we were seeking a definitive solution to the problems we had encountered. And the need was all the more pressing because we were very keen to enter new business sectors and consolidate our capital equipment”.

SCA found the answer by embarking on a series of analyses and checks, trawling through the information available on the various companies and products on the market.

“We soon realised that our requirements in terms of equipment and solutions were a very good fit with the machine tools produced by Breton which, thanks to its long experience in building machines for a range of materials from stone to metal, was the ideal candidate to provide the tranquillity we were looking for. This saw the start of a period of negotiation that went extremely smoothly, especially when we went to visit Breton at the company's headquarters, near Treviso".

Breton Eagle

A paradigm of rationality and organisational efficiency.”
The final choice fell on the Eagle, a gantry-type machining centre offering exceptionally generous working dimensions: 4200 mm (X) x 3000 mm (Y) axis x 1500 mm (Z). We then requested that these characteristics be integrated with a separate lath so we could turn workpieces of up to two metres in length, using the Eagle head (shown in the attached photos) as a turning-milling device.

Restelli explains – “Our Eagle is not merely an extremely efficient machine able to produce work of the utmost quality and with exceptional dimensional precision, it also allowed us to benefit from the positive experience of working with the Breton team that were looking after our interests. Apart from absolute respect of precision and times, we were also impressed by the creation of a valuable collaborative relationship that was built on our combined efforts to find the best possible solution to our needs".

"For sure, the machine tool in question is extremely valuable, but the whole process was also accompanied by a truly exceptional the level of customer care and assistance. We quickly realised that the people at Breton were far more than expert engineers. In some cases the relationships we developed morphed beyond the professional realm and became more akin to actual friendship.

We started to perceive Breton's people as an integral part of our own team - a development that brought substantial value to the whole process. For companies working in our sector it's extremely important to be able to rely on a partner that allows us to focus on our core business, without having to lose sleep about possible breakdowns, problems, or the inability to achieve the quality levels we need. Setting aside the problems and focusing on the job means that we can relax and get on with what we do best. And that's just as important to us as the very air we breathe”.

Breton Eagle, range for resins, composites and alloys

Eagle is fully articulated range of travelling bridge gantry machining centres dedicated to the world of composite materials, resins and aluminium. These machining centres are perfect for fast, high precision 5-axis machining of 5 faces of the workpiece with a single set-up operation.


The various configurations of EAGLE machining centres for composite materials make it possible to perform even the most complex tasks with the maximum flexibility and operating efficiency, with working dimensions from 2,000x2,500x1,000 mm up to 10,500x5,000x2,500 mm and beyond.

The machine offers the maximum production flexibility thanks to the possibility of configuring the work area, which can be optimized for machining single parts or pendulum machining operations. Our job is further facilitated by the optimal visibility of the work area and the double front and rear access doors, allowing easy loading and unloading procedures, tooling set-up and monitoring of machining operations.

Would you like to find out more about the Breton Eagle? For INFO and inquiries write to mail@breton.it.

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5 axis CNC machine tool, 5 axis machining centers, aeronautical industry, breton, breton eagle, breton machine tools, composites, metals, parts, plastics, sca

IMTS 2016 is just around the corner

Come see us at Booth S-9186 in Chicago (USA) from September 12-17, 2016.

We'll be proud to introduce you all the latest developments and innovations of our high speed 5-axis machining centres.

We look forward to welcoming you at IMTS 2016.

Stand Breton USA @ IMTS 2014

PLAN YOUR MEETING WITH US

Use the Breton USA’s AGENT LOCATOR to plan your meeting with us.
Search your agent here >>

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

— IMTS 2016 (@IMTS_2016) 1 febbraio 2016

For more info about the exhibition and requests about Breton machine tools, write now to mail@breton.it.

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5 axis CNC machine tool, 5-axis high-speed machining centres, breton agent locator, Breton USA, IMTS 2016, IMTS Chicago

Breton Matrix 1000 DYNAMIC, the 5-axis "no-compromise" machining centre

Boosting productivity is a common denominator for companies in the aerospace, automotive, and toolmaking industries. The production of high quality components, of impeccable precision and advanced technology is a plus that only certain 5-axis machining centres can deliver.

Breton Matrix 1000 DYNAMIC, the latest arrival in the Matrix family, combines these features: to introduce you to its prodigious capabilities we decided to provide a sequence of photographs and videoclips of this innovative machining centre.

Wood

Tool changer

As you can see, the Matrix 1000 DYNAMIC is ideal for milling medium and large-size  workpieces in steel, aluminium, engineered materials and resin, with strokes of up to  3,000x6,000x1,300mm.

PRECISION
Precision first and foremost: have you seen the type of parts this machine can produce? The parts involved are frequently prototypes, also in titanium or special alloys, that call for absolute compliance with design tolerances.

For example, this version of the machine – the Matrix DYNAMIC K60 presented at EMO in Milan, with a motor spindle power rating of 70 kW - can handle workpieces of up to 6 metres in length with an aluminium chip removal rate of up to 11,000 cm3/min. This is an enormous benefit in many industries in which aluminium is widely employed, such as the automotive and aerospace industries.

CUSTOMISATION
The Matrix 1000 DYNAMIC, just like all Breton machining centres, can be fully customised on the basis of the requirements of each customer. Configurable with one or two work areas for pendulum machining operations, the machines can also be fitted with robotic chain or rack type tool magazines with a fast tool changer manipulator to reduce idle times caused by tool changeovers.


A range of bespoke solutions to maximise throughput for any company.
Just take a look at some examples of the machining capabilities:

 

 

 

 

Please feel free to browse through our catalogue below, for a detailed description of the specifications:

If you're interested in the Breton Matrix 1000 DYNAMIC machining centre, just drop us a line at mail@breton.it. We'll get back to you promptly.


Thank you for your interest: we're looking forward to hearing from you!

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5 axis CNC machine tool, 5-axis for aerospace, aluminium, automotive, Breton machining centres, Breton Matrix 1000 Dynamic, high quality components, prototypes machining

Your solution: Breton Matrix 1000 DYNAMIC for automotive industry

Innovative products incorporating the technology which has made Breton one of the leading enterprises on the world market for vertical machining centres for AUTOMOTIVE sector.

The Breton range of machines are acknowledged worldwide for the superior quality technology, their excellent production performance, the innovative solutions offered and unequalled quality of the products and services this company provides to each individual customer.

The gantry machining center with moving cross beam Matrix 1000 DYNAMIC was designed and built to respond to high-speed machining requirements in Automotive applications.

Breton Matrix 1000 Dynamic

LARGE PARTS
Conceived for large complex parts, with its distinctive properties of rigidity and dynamics, it can handle several types of parts at the highest speed, with excellent removal capacity.

The speed of linear axes up to 60m/min, the Direct Drive head with rotation speed up to 100RPM and the C axis with continuous rotation offer outstanding capabilities for profiling complex workpieces with 5 continuous axes ensuring and guaranteeing maximum machining precision and performance.

STEEL, ALUMINIUM, RESIN, COMPOSITES
The direct drive twist head, which can be positioned at any angle thanks to the powerful hydraulic brakes, uses fitting spindles up to 40kW, with 89 or 137Nm torque and rotational speed up to 28,000RPM.

The different configurations of the Matrix Dynamic (Z=1,000, X = 2,200, Y from 2,500mm to 4,000mm,) make the machine perfect for machining medium and large workpieces made of steel, aluminium, resin and composite materials.

Various solutions for the best machine configuration to satisfy each need, conform to the highest standard of innovation and quality. Read the catalogue:

For INFO and request about 5-axis machining centre Matrix 1000 Dynamic write now to mail@breton.it.

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From aluminium to steel with zero problems with Breton MATRIX vertical machining centre

Demo Technology chose the Matrix 1000 Dynamic CNC machining centre with 5 continuously interpolated axes to produce finished steel and aluminium dies for the automotive industry. Stiffness and flexibility are the winning features of Breton's solution.

(by Davide Davò and Andrea Pagani for June issue of Tecnologie Meccaniche)

People who work in the automotive industry are used to a frenetic pace of production, shrinking delivery times and constant project changes before final approval. These factors are all too familiar not only to the world's car makers but also throughout their supply chain among so-called tier 1 companies. To make their products, suppliers in turn rely on another tier of vendors, the tier 2 companies, which must work within even tighter schedules for obvious reasons, offering the utmost rapidity and flexibility in meeting the broadest possible range of requests. This situation is well known to Demo Technology, a company based in northern Italy in Pionca di Vigonza (Padua) having several decades of experience in the production of metal dies for the automotive industry. Demo Technology has recently purchased one of Breton's Matrix 1000 Dynamic machining centres to streamline its production of aluminium and steel dies, thus further increasing the company's production flexibility.

Castings and dies

«Our company was incorporated in 1974 under the name Demo Meccanica – explains Demo Technology owner Gherardo Demo. From 1974 to 1985 we operated in the foundry sector as patternmakers, initially making wooden patterns and then progressing to metal patterns. In 1985 we purchased our first 5 axis CNC machine tool - a major investment that gave us a competitive advantage. In 1990 we extended our operations to the tooling industry, producing dies for gravity casting, low pressure casting and pressure die casting. We have been specialised in the production of dies for wheels for around ten years, although this sector suffered a sharp decline in the early noughties, obliging us to approach a different group of customers, while remaining in the automotive industry».

In 2010 the company demerged into two entities working independently, although remaining in close contact: Demo Technology and Demo Modeltech, the former specialised in the toolmaking industry and the latter in patternmaking. Demo Technology today produces tooling for lots of industrial processes (injection moulding, pressure die casting, etc.) for customers operating in the automotive sector. Remaining in the automotive industry, the firm also produces gauges and jigs for checking components such as doors and bumpers.

«In recent years we've invested heavily in machinery and in the engineering department – explains Demo – With regard to plant, we currently have five 3-axis CNC machine tools and six 5-axis CNC machining centres, half of which with continuously interpolated axes, which allow us to produce small series of medium and large size parts».

The acquisition of the very latest technological solutions is a necessary by-product of market evolution, resulting in demand for parts with increasingly complex shapes and hence dies with geometrical features that are ever harder to machine. Evolutionary changes have also affected the methods used by customers to send us the specifications of the components they need.

Gherardo Demo continues:  «Around ten years ago our customers stopped supplying drawings of parts and replaced them with the mathematical characterisations. This led to the need to procure CNC machine tools and, above all, to ensure our engineering department was capable of handling the incoming data and processing them with computerised design and simulation tools. In this process our customers supply the geometrical characteristics of the part and specify the working life required of the tool. It's then down to us to design the tool in such a way that it is optimised for the production of 30,000 parts or to guarantee one million production cycles».

Multiple criticalities, one solution

Geometrical complexity is therefore one of the technological criticalities that the Veneto based company is faced with, plus the need for extreme precision of machining work and impeccable surface quality of the finished die.

«Each sector has its own problems – notes Demo – With regard to the production of jigs and gauges, for example, we need to guarantee tolerances in the region of tenths of a millimetre on parts of up to 1500 mm in length and with complex morphology such as doors, bumpers and chassis members. Conversely, with regard to dies, one parameter of primary importance is the aesthetic appearance of the part so that in addition to guaranteeing compliance with tolerances and surface roughness specifications  the surface must also be completely uniform and free of machining marks left by the mill, or, as in past times, by the operator performing manual polishing operations. That's why in recent years we've invested in increasingly high performance plants, capable of precision machining work and able to finish parts without removing them from the machine».

These criticalities are further compounded by the frenetic nature of automotive industry activities, which call for speed and mental and productive flexibility to provide an ultra-quick response to requests for a range of extremely diverse products.

«The 5-axis CNC machines in our factory allowed us to work on aluminium dies with optimal results – continues Demo – The production of steel dies has been similarly successful, but we realised that our existing machine tools were working close to limit conditions, especially in the case of series of 20 or 30 parts. That's why we started to seek a more robust solution in a process that terminated with our recent purchase of a Matrix 1000 Dynamic machining centre with 5 continuously interpolated axes, made by Breton».

Bigger and more robust

The Padua-based company had already purchased a Matrix 800 in 2001 and, having confirmed the validity of the solution in terms of precision, productivity, finished part quality and reliability, they decided to contact Breton again to choose a new plant.

«We opted for the Matrix 1000 Dynamic mainly due to its ruggedness – explains Demo – To excel in our sector we have to be proactive in responding to our customers' needs, and that means that we need machines that can handle aluminium finishing or heavy chip removal on steel without problems. Our existing Matrix 800 handles both tasks correctly, but thanks to its enhanced rigidity the Matrix 1000 Dynamic model is ideal for removing large volumes of chips when working with steel, while assuring precision in the region of hundredths of a millimetre».

The machine's ruggedness is the result of the Metalquartz frame employed by Breton. The machine's shoulders are composed of a sandwich structure made of stabilised arc welded steel, with ribbing embedded in a quartz composite material with a polymeric matrix. In addition to imparting a high level of structural rigidity, this technology offers excellent vibration damping, which translates into a superior surface finish and longer working life for the milling tools. In addition to the qualities listed above, the machine features generously sized recirculating roller guideways that further increase its structural solidity while simultaneously supporting maximum rapid traverse speed of 60 m/min on the X and Y axes.

«The choice of the Matrix 1000 Dynamic was also based on the need for a longer Z axis stroke – explains Demo – In the execution of angled machining and when working with long overhang tools we needed to pay careful attention to the tool path to avoid collisions with the workpiece. This problem has now been removed with the new machine, which with its additional 200 mm stroke on the vertical axis is able to follow the paths defined automatically by the anti-collision system without difficulty. In addition to simplifying the movements, this system also means we can allow the machines to operate unmanned with the utmost tranquillity».

Technologically simple

Having purchased the machine primarily for steel processing, Demo Technology decided to equip the Breton machining centre with the most suitable spindle for the task, i.e. the 40 kW, 137 Nm 18,000 rpm unit. Like all the machine tools made by the Veneto builder, also this Matrix 1000 Dynamic is equipped with thermal stabilisation of the spindle and software capable of compensating for spindle thermal expansion during the various machining stages. Just like the rest of the structure, also the spindle was designed using solutions selected to ensure structural rigidity and vibration damping, including a cast iron dual fork head.

«Despite its high technological contents, the Matrix 1000 Dynamic has proven to be straightforward and intuitive to use – Demo concludes – Our personnel soon became familiar with the system and we're currently accumulating the experience we need to exploit its full potential, always secure in the knowledge that we can rely on the support of a reliable and expert builder like Breton whenever we need assistance».
Thanks to Davide Davò and Andrea Pagani of TM-Tecnologie Meccaniche.
For details and price about Breton MATRIX 1000 Dynamic and Matrix 800 write now to mail@breton.it.
Well, that’s all for today. 
Bye-bye.
Sergio Prior

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5 axis CNC machine tool, breton machinìng centres, breton matrix, Breton Matrix 1000 Dynamic, breton matrix 800, Demo Technology