“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.

Read More

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

Breton MATRIX 1000 DYNAMIC has strong shoulders

Machining accuracy and speed, these are the strong points of the Matrix 1.000 Dynamic, the Breton gantry-type machining centre with moving bridge has heavy-duty shoulders manufactured using the ground-breaking Metalquartz technology.

To face the greatest challenges you need strong, wide shoulders. When milling medium-large components, this sentence represents more than just an idiom; it's a real philosophy of construction. 
Breton, with fifty years of experience in the industry, has made this approach theirs, producing gantry-type machining centres with moving bridge supported by wide shoulders to machine large components, strong enough to guarantee a considerable milling capacity. 
The jewel in the crown of the Matrix, machining centres is the Matrix 1000 Dynamic.

For all materials

This 5-axes gantry-type machining centre with moving bridge was designed by Breton to meet new requirements associated with high speed machining of large, complex parts for the aerospace and automotive, die-manufacturing and design industries. The Matrix 1000 Dynamic has a 2,200 mm X-axis travel, 1,000 mm Z-axis travel, and a Y-axis travel that ranges from 2,500 to 6,000 mm.

As well as the impressive working range, one of the features that makes the Treviso company’s product really stand out from the crowd is the ability of machining a variety of different materials such as steel, aluminium, resin and composites. 
This  machine in fact can be fitted with a vast range of electrospindles with continuous power outputs of up to 41 kW and torque outputs of up to 100 Nm, which combined with a rotation speed of 28,000 rpm offers a notable milling capacity. 
The software-controlled compensation of the electrospindle’s natural thermal expansion, and its thermal stabilization guarantee high precision machining. 

These spindles are housed in the cast iron dual fork head, which guarantees high structural rigidity and an excellent vibration dampening capacity. 
High performance models are fitted with Direct Drive heads, where the 100 rpm rotation speed combined with the continuous rotation of the C-axis shows the true potential of the machine when machining complex dynamic profiles with a high level of accuracy.

Metalquartz shoulders

Another interesting feature of the Matrix 1000 Dynamic is represented by the strong shoulders produced using innovative Metalquartz technology: a sandwich structure made of stabilized arc welded steel, with ribbing  embedded in a quartz polymer matrix composites. 
This exclusive technology ensures a very high structural rigidity and vibration damping, which guarantees a better surface finish and a longer service life of the cutting tools.

The carriage and beam travel on properly dimensioned recirculating roller guideways to ensure machining accuracy and stability. Linear axis speed can reach 60 m/min thanks to the digital drives with brushless servomotors and the ground ball screw and double preloaded ball nut assembly. 
To guarantee the highest accuracy, the position of the beam and carriage is read by optical scales.

Customization

Performance at a dynamic level, offering high power and precision, are not the only advantages, and the machine can be customized with a series of accessories to meet the customer's specific requirements. 
In fact Breton also offers wheel-type or chaintype tool magazines with a fast manipulator to reduce tool changeover times. 

These magazines are installed outside the work area so they can't come into contact with milling dust or residues, and can be fitted with a system for the automatic encoding of tool data and a chip reader for an even higher level of plant automation.

On the basis of the milling operations to be performed, the tool cooling system may use compressed air, a spray mist system, or coolant sprayed inside and outside the spindle at a set or variable pressure of up to 70 bar.

For customers machining composites and resins we can supply dust extraction systems to install on the spindle nose, and top-roof bellows to isolate the work area from the surrounding environment, protecting the operator from any noxious or harmful elements. 

The fact that all the kinematic mechanisms have been located at the top of the machine is proof of the focus on operator safety. Finally, to meet every possible application requirement, the Breton Matrix 1.000 Dynamic can be configured for pendular machining in two work areas.

For INFO and request write to mail@breton.it.

Well, that’s all for today. 

By-by

Sergio Prior

(Articolo estratto da TM - Tecnologie Meccaniche/Speciale Stampi)

Read More

5-axes gantry, aluminium, Breton Matrix 1.000 Dynamic, composites, resin, steel, vertical machining centres centers