Alaris Antennas recently acquired a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milling machine in our toolroom, to improve speed of prototyping and production efficiency.
The CNC milling machine is a versatile piece of machinery that is used to machine complex 2D or 3D geometries. The machine is used to cut, drill and tap all in one operation.
This impressive machine enables our workshop to manufacture more complex parts than were previously possible. The parts manufactured by the CNC machine are of a much better quality, with finer tolerances, at much greater speeds than ever before.
The CNC machine can mill many different types of materials such as plastics, aluminium, stainless steel etc. At Alaris the machine will be used to manufacture new antenna parts, assist in making jigs as well as facilitate prototyping work done by our engineers.
Some parts that have been made so far include pieces for a large number of various antennas and a clamping jig for engraving. Below are some pictures of some of the items produced by the CNC machine:
There are many advantages to having an “in-house” CNC milling machine:
- Less parts have to be outsourced to external manufacturers, thus saving Alaris money and cutting costs.
- By making all the parts in house with the CNC machine, it negates the need to reorder parts from manufacturers if they are faulty or the wrong size. This allows the workshop staff to work closely with the Production and Quality departments.
- If parts made by an external supplier do not fit the given raw material, booms, elements or fitting parts then the batch must be scrapped or sent to the toolroom for rework. This costs money and wastes time. When making the parts “in house” with the CNC machine the first sample part can be easily checked with all the fitting parts.
This CNC machine is a great boost to Alaris Antennas’ capabilities as a high class manufacturing entity.
Alaris Antennas is part of the Alaris Holdings Group of Companies.
