Imbued in the motorsport industry since Kelvin Smith opened the doors for business in 1985, KS Composites is a manufacturer with a pedigree of working with numerous Formula 1, GT, Le Mans and BTCC teams. Throughout its history, the Melton Mowbray-based company has worked at the very pinnacle of motorsport – and that is why KS Composites has invested in CADCAM software from Open Mind Technologies.

Having formed many close relationships with some of the leading lights in design and consultancy through prototype and development projects, KS Composites offers design services, FEA and CFD. This is complemented by a 48,000 sq ft manufacturing site that supports the design and consultancy services with everything from kit cutting, fitting and assembly to wet lay composites, autoclaves and ovens, a composite shop, machine shop and much more.

Looking at a replica race car the company has manufactured, business development manager Dan Johnston says: “On the vehicle itself we have carbon composite body panels and machined GRP and 3D printed elements. We’re hitting on all our core services with this vehicle. One of the first things to come into our new building was CNC machines. At that point, we identified that we needed a CAM package that could get the most out of our machines. We went to the market and evaluated the options, and it was clear from the offset that hyperMILL was the obvious choice.”

He adds: “hyperMILL is making our life so much easier, especially when making things like a show vehicle. We’re representing motorsport’s pinnacle in terms of performance and precision. So, when making the patterns, they had to be of the same quality – that’s what we have achieved with hyperMILL.” 

More information www.openmind-tech.com