Reverse Engineering Obsolete Lathe Components
Bypassing the Supply Chain
When workshop machinery breaks down finding replacement parts can become a total nightmare, especially on legacy machinery. We were approached by Viking Centre who’s Lathe had suffered a major mechanical failure. The cross slide leadscrew was completely damaged and after contacting the original manufacturer they were told the component was entirely obsolete and no longer available. For many engineering firms that would mean scrapping a highly valuable asset. At Hickman Engineering we do not accept that parts are simply unavailable. We brought the problem directly into our Immingham base to provide a bespoke reverse engineering solution.
Precision Machining from Scratch
Rather than hoping for a miracle from overseas suppliers our traditional machining division immediately set to work recreating the required parts from the ground up. The team took the damaged samples and reverse engineered the exact dimensions needed to restore the heavy equipment. Our expert machinists precision turned a brand new cross slide leadscrew alongside a custom backlash adjuster. To guarantee smooth operation and incredible wear resistance the replacement nut was meticulously manufactured from high grade phosphor bronze.
Exact Tolerances and Rapid Turnaround
Accuracy is everything when restoring precision heavy equipment. We cut a flawless nineteen millimetre diameter trapezoidal left hand thread to ensure the newly manufactured assembly would integrate perfectly with the existing machine infrastructure. By keeping the entire fabrication process in house we completely bypassed the failing supply chain. The client received premium quality replacement components rapidly getting their Viking Lathe fully operational once again without paying inflated emergency manufacturing fees.
We can help you too
Bring us your toughest problems! Hickman Engineering thrives on projects that other firms turn away. Big or small we bring the same dedication and expertise to every task offering a guaranteed flat rate twenty four hours a day to all our customers. Challenge our team to fix your mechanical issues.
