Manufacturing Machinery World January 2024

CASE STUDY
A CLASS ACT!
Leading North-East Training Provider
invests in three MACH machine tools to
increase the machining capacity and
capabilities of its training workshop.
MACH Machine Tools, part of the
Vigilance Group and a leading supplier of
CNC and manual machine tools and
machine shop equipment to UK and Irish
component manufacturers and UK
educational institutions and training
providers, has recently supplied NETA
Training with three new CNC machine
tools.
The machines, all ordered at the same
time, are equipped with the advanced
DynaPath control and comprise two MACH
MDT -1 turret-type milling machines and a
MACH MDL 1600 lathe and were installed
at NETA’s well-resourced workshop in
Stockton-on-Tees in May 2023.
The new MACH machines tools acquired
by NETA have helped it strengthen its
already impressive and formidable frontline
engineering resource that, along with a
suite of manual machines and recent
investments made in 3D printing, laser
engraving and robotics’ technologies, are
helping it to deliver the desired practical,
relevant and Industry-required machining
knowledge and skills to its mechanical
engineering students and apprentices.
Says Sean Johnston, NETA’s director:
“Our MACH machine tools have helped
elevate our status as an engineering training
specialist with local and regional employers,
schools and young people and the wider
community. They have enabled us to further
differentiate our offering in what is a
competitive local training environment.”
The decision to invest in MACH machine
tools was made for a number of reasons.
First and foremost NETA is a training
provider committed to continuous
improvement and, to ensure it was able to
continue to attract top talent onto its
engineering courses, made the decision in
early 2022 to invest in CNC machine tools.
“We had the manual machine tool side
covered,” says Sean Johnston. “But, to
ensure our students and apprentices were
able to acquire the operator and
programmer skills required by industry
today and tomorrow, and to enable them to
improve their engineering employment
prospects and career progression, we made
the decision to go down the CNC route.”
Once that initial decision was made, the
next step was to determine the type of
machines to acquire.
Continues Sean Johnston:
“We knew we needed to have state-ofthe-art
milling and turning capabilities in
the workshop, but we also wanted versatile
machines that could be used in manual,
semi-auto and full CNC mode too.
“Some of our students may not progress
beyond manual operation but for
apprentices and students, on our soon to be
introduced T Level courses, we needed
more sophisticated machine tools that
would enable them to draw components
(using CAD), create part programs (CAM),
and machine parts to completion.”
The need for such inherently flexible
machine tools, combined with a
requirement for an intuitive CNC control
system that was user-friendly with simpleto-understand
navigation and menu screens
etc., ultimately led NETA to MACH
Machine Tools.
In truth NETA, as part of its capital
investment selection process was
considering a couple of machine tool
manufacturers but following a meeting
between NETA representatives and MACH
Machine Tools at the MACH 2022
exhibition in Birmingham, a machine tool
MACH Machine Tools has recently supplied NETA Training with three new CNC
machine tools. The machines are equipped with the advanced DynaPath control and
comprise two MACH MDT -1 turret-type milling machines and a MACH MDL 1600
lathe.
26 Manufacturing Machinery World, January 2024