Vape manufacturer makes use of modern machining

Fiery modern machining

When Darren Lyons decided to give up cigarettes, vaping caught his attention and seemed a reasonable alternative, although he actually found the vaping experience to be disappointing. Determined to improve the taste and the feeling he began designing and developing his own equipment.

Mr Lyons soon realised that other people shared his views and after some intensive research and development The Attysmith company was born. Known as Hellfire Mods, the products provide a distinct vaping experience, offering over 300 products, including hand-crafted atomisers, hybrids and drip tips.

Designing every unit himself from his factory in Ballynahinch, County Down, Mr Lyon’s business has snowballed in the five years he has been operating: “We’ve been expanding steadily,” he explains. “We put the profit back into the business, which means we can continuously invest and improve.”

In 2014 Mr Lyons decided the company needed a CNC machine: “I’d always liked the look of Haas,” he says. “As it was our first CNC machine we were a little nervous but Chris Cole, our Haas salesman, guided us through the whole process. He really knows his subject.”

Now with seven CNCs at his disposal, all of them Haas, Mr Lyons is delighted with his choice of brand: “We do intricate work; they are small, high precision parts and our tolerances are often as low as 30µm. They need to be very smooth and we’ve found the Haas machines are perfect for the job.

“Each time we buy a new model – from the Mini Mill, to the ST-10 turning centre – Chris comes out and walks us through the purchase. We've always had excellent support and full training from Scot Nicolson, our Haas engineer, who doesn't leave until he knows we’re confident with the machine.”

Mr Lyons uses OneCNC to design most of his products and Mastercam for 5-axis work: “We wanted a 5-axis machine because we do a lot of 360° engraving,” he says. “We chose the VF-2 equipped with a Haas TR100 trunnion featuring a 100mm platter and it’s absolutely brilliant. We’re using fewer operations which has cut our cycle times right down. We mainly do batch work so it has made a real difference.

“Generally, we’re really pleased with our Haas machines. They’re extremely reliable and we rarely have a problem. We had one small issue on the SMM-2 which we couldn’t resolve ourselves, but Scot Nicolson came to the rescue and sorted it straightaway.”

Today, Hellfire Mods is one of the most sought-after brands in the world of high-end vaping and collectibles. Its success has recently been recognised, scooping the Best Atomiser trophy at the Eurovape Awards in Spain.

Haas Automation www.haas.co.uk