Anyone in Manchester UK?

[ImanCarrot]

That can CNC turn acrylic for me please? I need 7 off of 4 different designs in cast acrylic, 99mm dia, 74mm dia, 56.4mm dia and 36mm dia.

Each type of component has one spherical face and the other face is defined by a polynomial equation. Don't worry, I've done all the drawings and I can supply DXF files for the X and Z co- ordinates.

Is there anyone in Manchester that can do this? I've been phoning around all day and everyone seems to have a half day off 'cos it's Friday afternoon I guess.

I'm only asking 'cos my usual sub- contractor has let me down. Well not actualy let me down, but the only person who's confident enough to do the bloody job has a week holiday booked for next week and MY customer placed their order this morning. My lead time is tight already.

I'll supply the material, drawings and DXF files.

Goddamn! why do folk take holidays just as your customer places their order with, of course, the timeless "when can we expect it" bloody comment even though they've taken six months to firm up on the design.

So: is there anyone in Manchester, UK that does CNC turning and who is confident enough to import a DXF file to their lathe?

I need a cup of tea...

[LuckyStrike]

It's a long shot, but have you tried asking the uni there? Their engineering dept's bigger than ours and we've got a small machine centre, so hopefully they might have a suitable lathe. =)

[ImanCarrot]

Thanks mate, never thought of that.

I went with a conpany in Hertfordshire, UK, but I'll certainly bear the university in mind in the future!

Cheers.

[LuckyStrike]

Fair shout, hope all turned out well =)

[ImanCarrot]

Not really,

My Sub- Contractor was roughing the parts, subbing these again to a company who were meant to understand how to import DXF files into their lathe (they said they could). I mean I've only been doing conventional CNC for two years and even I can do that!

Apparently they "were having a nightmare with it" so I sent the files to a third company- they said there was bugger all wrong with the files.

I'll get it done- gave them another week, if it aint done I'll pull the contract and find someone who can do it. The chap I usualy use is back tomorrow.

Why quote on something they patently can't do *sheesh*

Unless they're trying to screw me for more cash. If so, then they got the wrong flipping person... I'm Scottish. I'll have the blanks back pay, the first subby for what he done and the second one nuffink.

If it goes legal then I'll restart the whole job and let our lawyers handle it.

[LuckyStrike]

That's a bummer, didn't think dxfs were too hard! I normally use igs but a few of my fixtures are dxf and they import into my cam software no problem at all. Like so many folk - all the gear, no idea! Let's hope it all gets sorted nice and easily =)