Automation has significantly reduced costs and increased the speed of delivery.
Miltek Hydraulics is a precision engineering business located in Centurion, Gauteng, specialising in the design and manufacture of machined hydraulic manifolds, valve systems, and control logic components. Miltek’s components are utilised in some of the most demanding working environments, including the mining, marine, and motorsport sectors.
Integrated hydraulic manifolds operate as the central control logic for fluid power systems where they connect and control the valves, pumps and actuators used to operate high-performance equipment such as continuous miners and excavators. By consolidating multiple hydraulic functions into a single part, a manifold reduces external pipework and hose routing, thereby limiting potential leak points, making better use of available space in confined installations. The integrated design also supports safer operation and assists in meeting industry safety requirements.
Miltek manufactures and stocks a range of manifolds compatible with cartridge valves from Sun-Hydraulics, Common Cavity and Parker
Manifolds, both within the regular and custom range, must be machined to the tightest of tolerances. For this reason, Miltek believes in deploying the latest in CNC machining and software technologies. “Our fully in-house manufacturing facility allows for rapid delivery and the highest quality control,” explain Neville Jansen and Michael Chandler, both Mechanical engineers who started their company in 2021. A close review of their internal manufacturing processes led them to the realisation that automation could reduce the costs of some of their manifolds, particularly the smaller range, by up to 20%. A cost reduction that would allow them to remain competitive in the market.
Stepping away from a corporate environment with job security is never a simple decision to make, but the decision to join forces and start their own business has been a natural progression for the business partners. Applying their collective mechanical design experience to the manufacturing environment has yielded organic growth for the business. “We started operating out of a garage but later that year we were able to rent the current factory space we operate from and purchased our first CNC milling machine – a DN Solutions DNM 5700 machining center – shortly thereafter,” said Chandler.
Miltek manufactures and stocks a range of manifolds compatible with cartridge valves from Sun-Hydraulics, Common Cavity and Parker
“One thing I learned from my previous career as a technical manager in the medical device space is that when you work with a variety of products that require very tight tolerances and consistent quality, having control of the machining process allows you to deliver components quickly and monitor the quality more effectively than you can if the machining is outsourced. So, in-house machining and quality control have been fundamental to Miltek’s business model from the outset,” explains Jansen. “Having said that, we look at the business holistically and aim to optimise all of our processes,” Jansen further explains.
A typical stock CETOP relief sandwich manifold
With experience in the mining sector and their collective experience working with machined components that require precision engineering, the co-owners decided to drive Miltek’s focus toward hydraulic manifolds. Operating in this space involves very specific form tooling and reamers so investing in top quality tooling from the outset was a conscious decision made by the team, which has grown to include production and inspection staff.
Miltek utilises both SolidWorks and Fusion 360 for their CAD / CAM requirements
“Investing in the right equipment gives us an advantage in the spaces we are now operating in. It enables us to make our components quickly and accurately. We also have machine capacity available to accommodate urgent orders or customer breakdowns,” commented Chandler.
In reflecting on their business, Chandler mused, “It has been fun and enlightening for Neville and I to learn more about machining work after coming from design-focused environments. We have learnt to work within the parameters of machines and the tooling capabilities available to us, thus refining our design skills too. Both of us have always had a keen interest in this aspect of engineering and this is ultimately what drew us together.”
“We seldom receive a design drawing for an order and maybe that’s something that is unique and has refined our skillset on the design and machining side as well. We do however receive samples occasionally and we then reverse engineer and redesign where needed. Often that process starts in a CAD software like SolidWorks and then we move to Fusion 360 for programming the CNC machines. We find that SolidWorks is more powerful when it comes to designing or redesigning a complex assembly from scratch,” says Chandler.
“Investing in the right equipment gives us an advantage in the spaces we are now operating in. It enables us to make our components quickly and accurately. We also have machine capacity available to accommodate urgent orders or customer breakdowns.”
Miltek maintains a large variety of hydraulic cavity tooling
Miltek made the strategic decision to focus their design and machining capabilities on a specific line of hydraulic manifolds and related components and not to adopt too much of a ‘job shop’ mentality. Jansen and Chandler believe this will allow them to build a sustainable business but also enable them to offer the custom design and machining work they enjoy. “We need to be specialised, we need to keep our focus,” the business partners say.
These hydraulic components and valves must be machined with extreme precision, usually to within 10-to-20-micron tolerances, primarily because they operate under intense pressures and in harsh environments where component failure is not an option. Most of Miltek’s components are machined from certified, pressure rated Ductile Iron due to hydraulic pressure constraints, although they do also work with aluminium when the operating pressure is below 200 bar. Aluminium is, however, not a material commonly considered to be safe within certain underground mining environments due to its reactivity in those particular environments. Miltek also machines stainless steel components where required, but the vast majority of their machining is done using Ductile Iron.
An example of a lightweight aluminium manifold developed for motorsport applications
“We will always keep a stock of material on hand so that when an order comes in, we are immediately able to begin processing that order. Our customers should not need to wait for another supplier to cut and deliver our material,” explains Jansen. “Customer service and maintaining good relationships with our clients and suppliers is extremely important to us, and this is one of the ways in which we ensure that.”
Africa’s first LANG Technik RoboTrex automation system
Not shy of keeping abreast of the latest trends in shop floor automation and lean manufacturing efficiencies, Jansen and Chandler selected the LANG Technik’s RoboTrex 52 automation system as their first foray into automated CNC machine tending. Not only is the system the first of its kind to be installed in Africa, but it’s also the first of its kind to be installed in the Southern Hemisphere. This has put Miltek Hydraulics in a league of their own when it comes to this type of shop floor automation.
RoboTrex 52 implementation at Miltek Hydraulics
Miltek have 60 LANG Teknik Makro•Grip® FS 77, 5-axis vises at their disposal, featuring jaw widths of 77mm, clamping ranges of 0mm – 120mm with continuous / full serration
The system, commissioned by Advanced Tooling Solutions, is equipped with a M-20iD/25 robot from FANUC and is based on a trolley storage concept. Miltek optioned the system with two 30-vise configuration trolleys that handle up to 60 LANG vises. The RoboTrex system features its own touchscreen control panel that integrates with the FANUC CNC control. The trolleys are then configured on the touchscreen, allowing the automation to begin.
Workpieces are clamped in the vises outside the enclosure and each vise is stored in the trolley ready for loading into the machining center. During operation, the robot removes a vise carrying the raw-material from the trolley and places it into the machining center. After machining, the vise is returned to the storage location on the trolley and the next unit is loaded. This removes manual clamping from the machining cycle and keeps the spindle running. “This has opened up capacity for us to focus on other aspects of our business,” explain the business partners.
The M-20iD/25 robot has a 25kg payload and a reach of about 1 830mm. This allows it to handle a loaded vise, depending on part size and material. The RoboTrex 52 is aimed at batch production where multiple jobs are scheduled but is also well suited to tending continuous same-component machining operations. Combined with LANG’s zero-point clamping system, it allows vises to be exchanged without re-clocking. The result for Miltek is longer unmanned running time within a compact footprint, ideal for a business of this scope.
A batch of 20-of manifolds in production at Miltek Hydraulics
Miltek paired the RoboTrex system with a DN Solutions DNM 5700 high-speed, vertical machining center. It features a 12 000rpm direct-coupled spindle, a working area with XYZ’s of 1 050mm x 570mm x 510mm and a 30-tool automatic tool changer. Renishaw probing has been added for tool breakage detection while running unattended. The machine is perfect for heavy-duty cutting and complex contouring and finishing with a table size of 1 300mm x 570mm and a maximum load capacity of 1 000kg, though Miltek have not put this automation setup in place for large components. Currently Miltek will machine components of up to 500kg using the other CNC machining centers that they have at their disposal. All of Miltek’s DN Solutions machining centers have been supplied by Retecon Group company Puma Machine Tools.
Miltek is able to produce a variety of manifolds in-house
The RoboTrex system has been supplied with two LANG Technik Quick•Point® 96 grid plates that feature a zero-point clamping interface used to reduce setup times on milling machines and that mount according to the machine’s table parameters. Having optioned the system with a two-trolley 30-vise capacity, Miltek have 60 LANG Teknik Makro•Grip® FS 77, 5-axis vises at their disposal, featuring jaw widths of 77mm, clamping ranges of 0mm – 120mm with continuous / full serration.
This level of automation is designed for repeatability and although it can be run for small batch sizes, it really comes into its own when running larger batch quantities, freeing up the Miltek team to focus on design precision, quality control, and stock management. This is technology that is designed for lean, smart manufacturing.
Continuous investment
Continuous investment back into the business has been a hallmark of Miltek’s success over the past five years and this has seen the company strengthen its machining capability. Miltek now has five multi-axis CNCs on the shop floor including their first machine, the DN Solutions DNM 5700 vertical machining center that the RoboTrex system is paired with. The other machines consist of two DNM 6700’s and two Lynx 2100 LSYB mill turns featuring Y-axis capability, sub-spindles and live tooling.
Custom hydraulic manifolds are an integral part of Miltek Hydraulics’ services. Their in-house design and manufacturing facility allows for rapid delivery and process control
Miltek manufactures over 500 unique hydraulic manifold designs which can be found anywhere from underground mining locomotives to within the hydraulic jacking systems of stage-winning vehicles competing in the world-famous Dakar Rally.
For Miltek, specialising in the hydraulic component sector means that speed of component delivery and consistent component quality are of the utmost importance as it can mean the difference between vast and complex operations coming to a halt or not. “Automation has been one of the key driving factors in realising increased efficiencies for the business,” Jansen and Chandler conclude.
For more information visit Miltek Hydraulics at www.miltek.co.za
