Timpson Engineering has recently installed a DMG MORI DMU machining centre with a PH150 automated pallet system. This enables the company to deliver increasingly complex components with unprecedented efficiency.
Built on high-mix, low-batch production specialising in 3 and 4-axis CNC machining, Timpson Engineering recognised the need to expand capabilities as component complexity increased. Established in 2021 as a father-and-son business, Timpson explored 5-axis options, initially considering three-plus-two positioning before investing in full simultaneous 5-axis capability.
“It did take a lot of thinking. There’s a lot of machines on offer,” Chris Timpson from Timpson Engineering recalls. Nathan Whitaker from DMG MORI’s provided a consultative approach that proved invaluable. Initially considering 3+2 systems, Chris recalls: “We realised that a machine like the DMU 75 is more affordable than we thought, and with the full simultaneous 5-axis, it was a no brainer.”
The DMU 75 monoBLOCK represents what Whitaker describes as “the best all-rounder” in DMG MORI’s 5-axis portfolio. The monoBLOCK series offers exceptional versatility for subcontract operations. As Chris Timpson notes: “You can do small work on a big machine, but you can’t do big work on a small machine.”
Technical Capabilities
Drive Results
Timpson Engineering selected a Siemens control system to maintain consistency with existing equipment. “We use Siemens in the rest of the workshop, so it was really simple to learn – essentially, it’s the same control with a couple of extras,” Chris Timpson reports.
The machine’s thermal compensation system automatically measures and adjusts for temperature variations, ensuring tight tolerances remain consistent. Chris Timpson describes the improvement: “On other machines, you program the hole, you machine it, you compensate it. On the next part, you have to compensate it some more. On this machine, it’s ‘set and forget’. I’ve programmed one hole at the start of a batch, and maybe 400 holes later, it’s still delivering the exact same size H7 tolerances.”
Automation
Maximises Capacity
The integrated PH150 pallet automation system transforms the DMU 75 into a 24-hour production asset. During working hours, operators perform roughing operations whilst actively managing swarf. Once the shift ends, automation runs finishing operations overnight. “We do the roughing out in a day, so we can manage the swarf. And then the finishing runs overnight,” Timpson explains.
The pallet system provides operational flexibility in high-mix environments. Multiple fixtures remain permanently set up on different pallets, allowing repeat orders with minimal changeover. When discussing completing parts in one operation, Chris notes: “It gives us a completed part that we’re a lot more confident in. All the errors from your setups are reduced, the part comes off finished.”
Quality and Efficiency Gains
Complex parts featuring machined features on nearly every face now complete in two operations versus multiple setups on 3-axis equipment. “There are machine features in nearly every face on some parts. On a 3-axis machine, that would take quite a while, but it was done on the DMG MORI machine in two ops,” Chris explains.
The machine’s automated deburring capability delivers significant savings. “The time savings are brilliant. The amount of manual labour you have to do to deburr some of these complex parts is a lot. A couple of minutes in the machine can save half an hour of hand finishing.”
Machine Protection Control (MPC) uses sensors to detect potential collisions before they occur, typically resulting in nothing more serious than a broken tool. Application tuning cycles automatically optimise cutting parameters based on real-time feedback, maintaining optimal conditions throughout the cycle.
Support Infrastructure
DMG MORI’s support infrastructure played a crucial role in implementation success. Machine networking enables remote diagnostics, with technicians logging in from Germany to assist with issues. “We have the machine networked, so someone can log in and support us through the control and operations,” explains Timpson.
For Chris Timpson, the investment has proven transformative: “We’re delighted. It’s an excellent machine.” The ability to deliver completed parts in single operations, maintain tight tolerances consistently, and operate efficiently in lights-out mode has strengthened the competitive position whilst opening doors to more complex, higher-value work.
