Continuous flight

According to managing director, Ron Daly,

The 100 strong privately owned aerospace subcontractor was formed 23 years ago by Mr Daly and his partner at the time initially as a general subcontract jobbing shop, but over the last two decades RD Precision has successfully increased in size and capability to become one of the largest aerospace manufacturing companies in the North of England.

After initially occupying just one industrial unit, these days the extensive RD manufacturing facility has grown to such an extent that it now has taken over almost completely the whole of a four acre industrial estate.

A further manufacturing plant was established in Meilec in Poland in 2006 and from a standing start within a couple of years RD Polksa employs over 50 staff in a brand new 1,000m² factory which houses over 30 CNC machine tools.
As a first tier supplier to Airbus, RD Precision knows all about the need to commit to an ongoing programme of machine tool investment and just before Christmas the company installed its fourth Famup high speed 5-axis vertical machining centre, which is used to produce complex aluminium parts for both Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8.

Purchased from exclusive UK agent, Ward Hi-Tech, the Famup Linearmill 600 HD is a high specification 5-axis simultaneous vertical machining centre and features 60m/minute linear axis drives together with a 15,000rpm high speed, high precision spindle.

The machine has a trunnion style pallet and travels of 600mm, 500mm and 500mm (XYZ) and features a Heidenhain i530 CNC system with Famup high speed contouring software.

At the same time, RD also purchased a further Dah Lih MCV-1700 heavy-duty C frame vertical machining centre to add additional muscle to its existing family of Dah Lih machining centres. The MCV-1700 is built to high accuracy specification with Heidenhain linear scales on all axes. Equipped with 30hp main spindle drive, twin gear box arrangement and axes travels of 1,700mm, 800mm and 759mm (XYZ), the latest installation brings the number of Dah Lih models installed in RD factories to over 30, making RD Precision the largest Dah Lih user in the UK.
Comments Mr Daly: “As we have driven our business forward over the last 20 years, so our working relationship with Ward Hi-Tech has grown. Over this period of time the company has supplied the majority of our new machine tools and we have found them an excellent partner to work with. “The Ward Hi-Tech policy of providing more than simply a machine tool and service package has really accelerated some of our developments, particularly during the last 10 years,” he continues. “Its help and flexibility – particularly on the financial side – has been key to our growth and is one of the reasons why in spite of the vagaries of our marketplace, we have been able to continue to invest in the latest technology equipment.

“Take our latest acquisition package as an example. In spite of investment finance being rather more difficult to come by these days, through the Ward Hi-Tech flexible funding plan we have been able to install two important new additions to our production facility, get them up and running promptly in order to comply with contractual deadlines and have been able to tailor the machine tool financing elements of the arrangement to fit in with our current cash flow restrictions.

“With a further joint venture business taking shape with a partner in South East Asia and additional aerospace contracts coming to fruition, the future is looking very positive,” he enthuses.

Ward Hi-Tech
www.wardhitech.co.uk