ANT Industries has completed the latest phase of its long-term investment strategy with the installation of a six-figure AXILE G8 Turn/Mill Centre at its Atherstone facility – a move Managing Director Shaun Rowley says will “further elevate the company’s pedigree in machining the most complex prismatic components for aero and gas turbine engines.”
The new machine, supplied by machining partner Engineering Technology Group (ETG), reinforces ANT’s capability to support world-class customers including Rolls-Royce, ITP Aero, Siemens and Eaton Aerospace. Known for its precision engineering of engine components operating in the harshest environments, ANT has continued its programme of upgrading and expanding its manufacturing technologies throughout 2023–2025 to meet rising demand across global aerospace markets.
Shaun Rowley says the AXILE G8 investment is a natural extension of that momentum.
“Our customers rely on ANT Industries to manufacture complex, safety-critical engine components to exceptional tolerances,” Rowley says. “The AXILE G8’s rigidity, precision and turning capability give us even greater agility in how we plan and deliver prismatic and cylindrical parts. It directly supports the growth we’re seeing from aerospace primes and reinforces our commitment to continuous investment.”
The AXILE G8 is a gantry-type VMC engineered for high removal rates and precision finishing – two qualities essential in the machining of aero engine housings, brackets, casings and structural prismatic parts. Its U-shape closed-gantry design balances stiffness and accuracy, while an Ø800mm swivelling rotary table offers a maximum loading capacity of 1,300 kg, enabling the machining of larger and more complex geometries common in turbine and compressor assemblies.
Equipped with a high-performance built-in spindle, linear scales across all guideways and rotary scales on the table, the G8 delivers repeatable accuracy on every axis. The carousel-type magazine, expandable from 32 to 120 tools, gives ANT enhanced flexibility when managing diverse machining programmes for long-running aerospace contracts.
The machine also arrives with a comprehensive suite of advanced systems as standard, including coolant-through-spindle at 40 bar, integrated wash down and filtration, laser tool setting, a workpiece probing system, and a smart control interface. Additional temperature-control measures – such as spindle and table chillers and an air-conditioned electrical cabinet – ensure stable performance during high-duty cycles.
ANT selected the G8 MT (Mill/Turn) configuration, which combines milling and turning in a single set-up. This flexibility reduces set-up times, eliminates secondary operations, and minimises the risk of clamping errors – key benefits when machining cylindrical features on turbine rings, shafts, or high-accuracy rotating components.
“The mill-turn capability means we can complete more operations in one hit,” Rowley explains. “It shortens lead times for our customers and reduces the handling stages that introduce variability. For us, it’s an investment in quality, consistency, and the reliability our customers expect.”
The AXILE G8 addition follows a period of record performance for ANT Industries, supported by a strong order book from global aerospace engine programmes. The company’s investment strategy has focused on ensuring its machining capability keeps pace with customer needs and technological advances within the sector.
Rowley says this investment will help secure both current and future growth:
“Our engineering DNA is built on machining complex prismatic components to the highest standards,” he says. “By continually expanding our capability with best-in-class machine tools like the AXILE G8, we’re positioning ANT Industries to support the next generation of aero engines and to be the partner of choice for customers worldwide.”
With the AXILE G8 now fully installed and commissioned, ANT Industries is already integrating it into new aerospace programmes – strengthening its position as a trusted supplier in one of the world’s most demanding precision engineering environments.