5-axis productivity flows at Rivercircle

As a manufacturer of purpose-built leak test machines, special purpose machines and multi-cavity mould tools, Rivercircle Ltd manufactures and appreciates high-quality machines. That is why the Peterborough company has invested in two AXILE G8 5-axis machining centres. Available from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG), Rivercircle installed its first AXILE G8 in 2021 with the second machine arriving in September last year. 

The company is also involved in toolmaking for the automotive, pharmaceutical and medical sectors to name a few. It is the machining of pre-hardened tool steel and larger components that brought the addition of the two AXILE G8 machining centres. 

Jonathan Theobalds from Rivercircle says: “We bought our first 5-axis machine about five years ago. We had 3-axis CNCs for years and had been to all the shows and looked rather enviously at 5-axis machines, but we couldn’t see one at a price point for us. Eventually we dived in with our first one and then almost surprising to us, 18 months later we introduced a second machine. We very quickly learnt that actually having a 5-axis machine doesn’t mean that you have to have 5-axis work on the machine all of the time.”

Discussing one of the big advantages of investing in the AXILE G8 machine from ETG, Jonathan says: “With a 5-axis machine you are not doing multiple setups, so if we can strap the billet to the machine once and do all the heavy-duty coring-out work and then use the same machine for the delicate finishing, there is a huge efficiency advantage for us there. When we selected our original 5-axis, this gantry construction was very important.”

The move from a previous manufacturer to the AXILE brand was down to capacity – as very few machines can match the versatility, flexibility and speed of the AXILE G8 whilst holding up to 1350kg on the bed. The smaller 5-axis machines have a capacity limit of 650kg. 

With the ability to hold 1350kg on the moving bed of the 5-axis AXILE G8, Jonathan adds: “As machine builders, we really how the AXILE machines are built. The Y-axis has twin spindles and twin drives, the tilting B-axis has a motor on each side – it’s not just driven from one side. This gives the machine excellent rigidity and accuracy. Furthermore, the AXILE has a powerful spindle with 20,000rpm and high pressure through spindle coolant. This allows both heavy-duty roughing and high-speed finish machining.

“The expertise starts with the design and procurement through to tool path programming and obviously machining then fitting and assembly. It is our job to invest in and utilise the best quality machines. This has led traditional mould making to evolve into precision prototyping of parts and having this 5-axis machine where we can do parts in a single set-up, has enabled us to get lead times down. Furthermore, it enables us to keep our high levels of precision and quality of toolmaking for those parts. That is the thing that impresses customers when they visit us.” 

Referring to the user-friendliness of the AXILE G8, Jonathan concludes: “We programme our machines off-line with Mastercam and then send the files to the machines. As a predominantly Heidenhain machine shop, the AXILE G8 is equipped with the latest Heidenhain TNC640 CNC system that provides familiarity for our team. The AXILE G8 is also equipped with the latest software that enables ETG to remotely access, assess and rectify any issues we may have with the machines. Additionally, Ian Deacon from ETG has been extremely supportive of any teething issues we have encountered. For the operator, the AXILE is fast and efficient and this can also be seen in the machine design. The ergonomic design of the loading doors give easy access to the work area for the operator as well as excellent clear vertical access for large parts that need to be hoist lifted into the machine. Even the tool loading system is horizontal, which makes tool changeovers much easier for staff. Overall, we are delighted with the AXILE machines and the service from ETG.”