Marl International has invested £120,000 in tools for prototype and small batch production for specialist LED lighting assemblies.

The new machining centre and printed circuit board (PCB) router will be used to turn around prototypes more quickly "within a week of the acceptance of a design" said the supplier.

“Marl’s strength is our ability to produce energy efficient lighting solutions for specific customer requirements. Well-known organisations that we have supplied include the Formula 1 Association, British Energy, British Waterways Board, Network Rail and Nokia Siemens Networks," said Marl managing director, Adrian Rawlinson.

Marl has invested in an LPKF Protomat S100 PCB routing machine, a Hurco TM6 2-axis CNC (computer numerical control) lathe and a Hurco VM20 3 axis machining centre.

The Hurco machines increase Marl’s capacity to produce prototype housings and mechanical parts by 50% and doubles the company’s rate of mould tool production. Both machines feature a high degree of automation, allowing designs to be built straight from the CAD files generated by Marl’s design team.

"We have been very successful in engineering our own products to address specific market opportunities, such as infra-red LED assemblies for use by the security forces, and security lights," said Rawlinson.

The LPKF PCB router works direct from CAD files, and can build single or double sided boards with up to two layers. It can produce aluminium clad boards, which is key for designs where thermal management is a factor. Using the machine, Marl can produce a prototype PCB in just a few hours.