AXYZ router sets the scene at specialist builder

An AXYZ 6000 series cnc router, supplied by AXYZ, is said to have made a significant contribution to the continuing success of Kent-based All Scene All Props. Established in 2002 by founding partners Danny Hayter and Piers Ross, the company’s primary business is the provision of scenery and props for theatre and related performing arts venues that are renowned for their outstanding quality and ingenuity. These specialist building constructions have been used for many of the best known and most popular productions staged at prestigious theatre locations such as The National, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and The Palladium in London and the Minerva in Chichester.

Operating from a 25,000 square feet workshop near Tunbridge Wells, All Scene All Props offers a full range of services, from initial design concepts, materials specification, in-house construction and on-site installation, with the ability to handle all kinds of project regardless of size or complexity. The comprehensive in-house production facility includes specialist carpentry, engineering and scenic arts sections, together with a full-scale space to enable every project to be pre-built prior to delivery.

The AXYZ router now installed at the company is a single-head AXYZ 6012 model with a bed size of 2.1m (width) x 3.6m (length). It includes a seven-station ATC (Automatic Tool Change) facility to help speed up production and accommodate different tooling requirements. As managing partner Piers Ross explained: “Purchase of the AXYZ 6012 CNC router was facilitated by the generous trade-in discount offer made by AXYZ that enabled us to part-exchange our old AXYZ 4008 router for a new and higher-performance machine. This has resulted in significantly increased production levels and faster turnaround on the work we undertake.”

The router is used to process a wide range of disparate materials used in stage and related constructions. These include hardwood, plywood, medium-density fibreboard (MDF), aluminium composite materials (ACM), aluminium, acrylic and plastic sheets, polyurethane foamed boards and high-impact laminates. Piers Ross added: “We use the router for virtually everything we need to process. It is a massively versatile production workhorse which is easy to work with and which, unlike other similar production machinery, does not raise any health and safety issues that need to be addressed before use. An added benefit is that we can now source all of our tooling requirements from AXYZ’s 24/7 online CNCshop facility.”

In common with all AXYZ routers, the 6012 model can be supplied with a host of additional machining options. These include the AXYZ Auto Zone Management function that ensures the material being processed is always held securely during the routing/cutting cycle and the latest A2MC machine control system for optimum precision and smooth operation. The A2MC has a massive 16GB of memory for program storage and provides network connectivity for error-free program transfer. A further optional production tool enhancement is the latest AXYZ helical rack and pinion drive system. This incorporates a multiple gear teeth configuration that helps spread the workload more evenly, leading to greater routing/cutting accuracy, faster throughput speeds, reduced material wastage and ultimately a longer than normal machine life.

As to how the AXYZ 6012 has performed since installation and the service provided by AXYZ, prior to, during and following installation, Piers Ross concluded: “In a single word, the router has performed ‘flawlessly’. The service provided by the AXYZ team has been exceptional, with help and advice always available if required. In addition to servicing all of our core manufacturing requirements, the router has also enabled us to offer a CNC machining facility to other companies who need to outsource this particular production requirement.”

For information on the services provided by All Scene All Props, visit www.allscene.net or telephone 01892 752221).