Born in a barn

At the time, Mr Kenny left Stuart GP, now known as Red Bull Racing, when he identified a subcontract opportunity to supply complex parts produced with a combination of high specification CAM software and 5-axis machine tools. Solutions reports.

Starting with a 3-axis Bridgeport in little more than a barn, within two years the first 5-axis machine tool was purchased – a DMG DMU50. Whilst reviewing the marketplace for a suitable machine, Mr Kenny realised that a CAD/CAM system was an essential purchase. “My time at Stuart GP opened my eyes to the importance of having the correct CAM system to support 5-axis machining,” he explains. “Through recommendation and the high levels of training and support on offer, I opted for Open Mind's hyperMILL CAM package.

“In 2003 we opted for the complete package that included the solid modelling feature and comprehensive training, which was perfect for us,” he recalls. “At the time, simultaneous 5-axis machining was a relatively new concept so the training provided was greatly appreciated. Within two weeks I was programming 5-axis components.”

Despite starting the business with volume production work for the medical and dental sectors, things really took off for JK Engineering when it acquired its first high specification DMG 5-axis machine and hyperMILL CAD/CAM system. With the equipment in place, Mr Kenny was confident the company had the capabilities to become a prominent supplier to the F1 industry.

Business soon snowballed and to keep pace with the growth of the business, another four DMU50's followed in 2005, 2007 and 2009 with a DMU70EVO also acquired in 2007. With each machine came an additional seat of hyperMILL and a new employee!

Common sense

“My philosophy is to employ staff that will program and operate machines,” affirms Mr Kenny. “The logic behind this method is common sense. We machine prototypes and batches of up to 20 parts for industry sectors that demand rapid turnarounds. With such complex parts, almost 40% of our time is spent on programming and set-ups. We have finely honed our programming and invested heavily in equipment to reduce set-ups which leaves 60% machining time where more savings can be made. Open Mind allows us to quickly analyse and optimise cycle times virtually before actual machining takes place.”

With regard to the programming and set-ups, hyperMILL has proven successful for JK Engineering and Mr Kenny has noted a number of advantages with hyperMILL. Open Mind has an effective integral collision avoidance system available with no need for additional verification systems. Via proven post-processors running fully simultaneous 5-axis machine tools with rapid feed rates of 100m/minute, the company has confidence that its programs are both safe and productive. The programmer models the tool, toolholder and workholding system into the program and the collision detection eliminates any potential problems.

Another programming element that significantly reduces programming times for JK Engineering is the automatic mirroring function that eliminates the programming replication for left and right hand parts. During verification machined surfaces are individually colour coded for each tool and cycle, quickly allowing the programmer to see any unmachined areas which avoids time-consuming re-machining operations.

An additional benefit is the solid modelling package that enables the Hertfordshire-based company to model its own parts and rapidly develop programs for its smaller customers that only supply drawings.

Closing the gap

Open Mind can be used with a wide range of standard modelling program formats such as IGES and Step files but also comes with additional plug-ins for direct conversion of Unigraphics, Parasolids, ProEngineer, Catia V4, Catia V5 and SolidWorks. “We use several of these formats and can open files and directly convert them, avoiding file corruption issues. Many systems do not fully convert IGES files and often lose information and create surface inaccuracies,” Mr Kenny reveals.

From a quality perspective, hyperMILL has a ‘copy surface' feature that enables the programmer to select a number of surfaces under the icon and the in-cycle consequence is a toolpath that machines all selected surfaces in the same direction. This is said to significantly improve component quality and surface finishes.

At the recent MACH exhibition, Mr Kenny specified a mill/turn centre from CMZ. The machine was delivered in August will also mark the arrival of the sixth seat of hyperMILL.
“We are now closing the gap between our turning and milling section with a high specification mill/turn centre for machining complex turned parts and the CAM system will undoubtedly help us to cross the divide between the two disciplines.

“In such a difficult economic climate, I am delighted to have a business that is growing and investing in state of the art equipment. Our next step is to employ additional staff to support our growth and our initial philosophy of acquiring high specification production equipment has enabled us to grow steadily year on year,” he adds.

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