Boxford
Machine Control Systems

Collaborative development resulting in reduction in production costs, 400% performance improvements and significant part quality improvements using one of our machine control systems.

Boxford manufacture a range of small milling machines, routers and lathes for educational institutions. These are sold to Schools, Colleges and Universities throughout the world.

Schools, Colleges and Universities increasingly require dramatically increased machine performance. Trainees need to be able to run the job programs they generate. Improvements in machine productivity mean that more trainees' jobs can be run in a lecture period.

Until recently Boxford used a stepper motor control system, CAD/CAM system and operator interface designed by themselves. The performance of this configuration was falling behind the requirements of the educational institutions. Additionally their system was somewhat difficult to support worldwide as it used outdated EPROM based technology.

Boxford looked for a company with both the expertise and willingness to design custom, high performance and easily maintained machine control systems, they found NEE on the Internet.

In order to initially demonstrate the superiority of our controllers NEE Controls Ltd fitted a standard NEE AMC-E stepper controller to a Boxford machine that still used Boxford’s half step mode stepper motor drives. We were able to demonstrate an immediate 400% performance improvement.

Boxford’s new control system had to be compatible with their existing CAD software and operator interface. NEE Controls Ltd worked closely with Boxford’s engineers, to develop the system they specified, in designing the complete control system. This resulted in significant production cost savings for Boxford as machine build time was reduced and system wiring considerably simplified.

NEE Controls Ltd suggested to Boxford that their machines should use ‘microstepping’ stepper drives. Adding these further improved machine performance and reliability, dramatically improved the machined part quality, and made the machine motion far smoother and quieter.

In tests our control system systems proved too fast for the data fed to it by Boxford’s CAD/CAM software, slowing machine execution. NEE assisted Boxford’s engineers in improving the performance of their software so that the full benefits of the new system performance could be realised.

Maximum milling speed has not been significantly increased. The additional productivity is achieved by operating the machine at the optimum milling speed wherever possible, unnecessary slow downs have been removed. The previous control system reduced the milling speeds due to limitations in the controller and the control algorithms.

Boxford’s new machine control systems range is 400% more productive even when using conservative controller setup parameters. Additionally the new machine control systems has more features, and is far easier and less expensive to support.