CITIZEN’S NON-GUIDEBUSH CINCOM A20 SLASHES LEAD TIME AND INCREASES COMPETITIVENESS ON PLASTICS PARTS PRODUCTION
Colpa Precision Engineering has slashed weeks from its lead time with significantly reduced material costs plus the ability to obtain greater number of parts from a bar following the installation of a Citizen Cincom A20-VII with non-guide bush capability for use on plastics components.
Said General Manager Martin Branch: “The removable guide bush feature on the Cincom A20 has increased our competitiveness in a tight market as we no longer have to order pre-ground bar for plastics components which has not only reduced material cost, but also saved four weeks on our lead time to customers and has enabled us to pick-up new business.”
Colpa Precision Engineering was set up in 1946 having consistent investment with some £560,000 spent over the last three years with some six Citizen sliding head machines installed.
On the Watford site, 10 people are employed and production batches vary between prototype and customer development parts to continuous production runs such as involving the supply of 32,000 parts a month.
Colpa’s customer base covers a wide field including optical, electronic, audio, music, pneumatics, commercial air conditioning and certain aircraft industry companies producing parts from brass, mild and stainless steel, aluminium, titanium and a wide range of plastics including PEEK and acetal. Cycle times tend to generally vary between 45 secs and 2 mins.
