Welsh precision engineering plant Vixen CNC has “upped its game” following the acquisition of a MecWash MWX400 at its plant, located at the foot of Snowdon, in Llanberis.
Continued expansion at Vixen CNC, has been supported by the acquisition of MecWash’s MWX400 system, resulting in mark free, high cleanliness and unrivalled surface finish of machined components.
Jake Wood, Vixen CNC managing director, said: “The nature of our business is now in high precision bespoke applications, where surface finish and cleanliness are both important factors. As we continue to move forward with the growth of the business, we decided it was time to up our game and go for the MecWash machine.
MecWash's MWX400 at Vixen CNC's Llanberis plant.
"We have recently broken into the sensors market, particularly for the automotive sector. The MWX400 is excellent for us as the stainless steel sensor bodies needed to be absolutely pristine.
"The intricate nature of the machined components that Vixen CNC manufactures means that washing and drying is a complex process. This cleanliness requirement was achieved and the system exceeded our expectations."
Jake Wood said: “We produce products with small blind threads or small bores. Previously our cleaning of these involved a lot of manual work, and the drying was completed with an expensive tool air process. The compressed air used for this was expensive, ineffective, and the drying process was labour intensive.
“The MecWash MWX400 resolved the issues with washing and drying brass components with small threads. They’re now cleaned with impeccable quality, resembling that of an item dried by hand.”
The MWX400 arrives following an investment in Vixen CNC’s inspection department, which features new machines dedicated to vision measuring, including a flat bed and optical shaft scanner.
Vixen CNC supplemented the MWX400 by also purchasing MecWash’s Aqua-Save machine, designed for the continuous treatment and recycling of industrial waste water, removing the need for expensive off-site treatment and disposal.
MecWash were able to work around the constraint of Vixen CNC’s factory's limited power network and avoid costly reconfiguration of the electrical supply. This was done remotely using the built in router which enables remote reprogramming for diagnostics and upgrades,
Jake Wood said: “MecWash went above and beyond in reconfiguring the machine to meet the power consumption requirements for the network in our factory. We couldn’t logistically run a long cable the length of the shop floor, so MecWash programmed the machine to keep the total amperage at a reduced level.
“This meant the machine could be used on the standard distribution network, without breakers to the main board. All the heaters are brought on in a series, switching on certain aspects before reaching full power, rather than immediately and simultaneously. We don’t see any issues with heat up times following the reprogramming of the machine.”
More details about the MecWash MWX400 can be found on www.mecwash.com.