Located on the outskirts of Glasgow near Hamilton, The Spark Erosion Centre is a subcontract manufacturer that, as the name suggests specialises in EDM machining. To be a dedicated specialist generally requires two things: staff expertise and the latest technology. Luckily for the Scottish company, it has both in abundance and is recognised as Fanuc UK’s largest customer of EDM machine tool technology.

The company has been in business for over 30 years and has employed Fanuc machine tools almost from day one. Commenting upon this relationship, Bill Bright, managing director at The Spark Erosion Centre, says: “We bought our first Fanuc machine back in 1984 and have stuck with them ever since. This is because we find the machines to be very accurate and reliable products that we push to the limit on a daily basis.
“By pushing the limits, I am referring to the type and quantity of work that comes through the door,” he continues. “We are stretching what the machines should and shouldn’t be able to do, such as increased tapers. We have learnt tricks down the years and how to best exploit the capabilities of the Fanuc machines, and this gives us a major competitive edge.”
Not just a one-trick-pony, The Spark Erosion Centre is a precision machining company that undertakes tool making, injection moulding, and tool and jig design and manufacture, as well as spark and wire erosion for the offshore, automotive, aerospace, electronics, academic and tool-making industries. This diversity is a critical factor for success considering the industrial landscape in Scotland “The oil and gas industry is a key sector in Scotland but there is still a lot of automotive and tool-making work going on,” says Bright. “A lot of the local work is overspill from the offshore work in Aberdeen, and in recent years most engineering companies felt the impact of the oil and gas downturn. Some went under, while others had to fight for whatever they could.

Fortunately for us, we operate in a variety of sectors and have niche areas of expertise that ensure a stable business.”
An example of this expertise can be noted on an oil and gas industry cylinder that was turned by a customer of The Spark Erosion Centre. The turned cylinder is intended to be an offshore collet and the customer approached The Spark Erosion Centre to split the cylinder via wire EDM processes to create a collet assembly.
Commenting on this component, Bright recalls: “We received the first component and it wasn’t stress relieved, and this is where wire erosion is a benefit as it has no forces involved in the process. We wire-cut the first part and it sprang quite badly. On future components, we recommended stress relieving the parts and the customer asked us to handle the entire process.”
It is expertise and capability of this nature that has made the ISO:9001 company such as success.
“We utilise the core stitch function to machine from the centre of the part to the outside,” explains Bright. “However, we do not machine all the way through the part – we leave a ‘tag’ like on an Airfix model. This keeps the cylinder in an assembled condition and allows the customer to simply break-off the parts during final assembly.”
Referring to the Fanuc relationship, Bright says: “We have a range of machines now and we tend to trade-in as we get new models, but we still have machines up to 10 years old that perform extremely well. The reliability is there and we have been working with Fanuc machines for so long that we can now undertake a lot of our own maintenance and repairs, although the support from Fanuc is always there if we need it.”
A major advocate of Fanuc technology, the company has once again invested in the machines with the recent arrival of a RoboCut C600 iB wire erosion machine.
“This machine is right on the sweet spot for us; we have both smaller and larger machines and, as a new machine, this gives us the X and Y-axis capability we wanted,” says Bright.
“It has an extra 100 mm in the Z axis, which takes the Z axis to 400 mm, and this gives us a niche. There is certainly work that comes to us that cannot be done by anyone else in the area and this is credit to the generous Z-axis capability on the Fanuc.”

Sitting alongside a previous generation Fanuc RoboCut C600 A-series machine, the new C600 B-series has a multitude of new features that are not integrated into previous generation models.
“The new touch-screen CNC control unit is a new feature that is very easy to work with as touch screens have become a familiar part of everyday life,” says Bright. “Added to this, the control unit is far more capable than previous generations.”
Fanuc has made significant strides down the route of machine efficiency, power consumption rates, automation and precision in recent years, and mentioning this, Bright concludes: “Our customers are very demanding and they want parts back as soon as possible, so energy efficiency isn’t the top of our consideration list. However, when it comes to precision, we have done a lot of intricate R&D work and the machines have been spot-on. Additionally, automation is a core factor, so our machines have to be auto-wire fed. This is something we now take for granted because in the modern competitive market, we have to maximise the running time of our machines.”
For further information www.fanuc.eu

When reinventing an automotive icon, manufacturers are required to preserve the ethos of the original model while bringing the concept in line with modern technology. A difficult balance to achieve, but one that seems to have been struck by LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) and its new TX, an advanced electric taxi. To attain the performance and efficiency levels demanded of modern vehicles, the TX represents a complete redesign compared with its predecessors. Helping to enable this new approach, LEVC requested the involvement of automotive supply chain and fastener expert, Optimas Solutions.

The TX combines recognisable aesthetics with modern solutions. A large battery pack and electric motor provides a pure EV range of over 70 miles, while the petrol range extender, a portable generator for the battery, takes the total range of the vehicle up to 377 miles. The electric taxi will help meet ever more stringent emissions level restrictions in London and cities across Europe.
For passenger comfort, the TX features a six-seat configuration and a forward-facing wheelchair position, coupled with a panoramic glass roof to improve the interior environment. On-board Wi-Fi, as well as laptop and USB charging ports are available as standard. Ease of accessibility is achieved via the utilisation of carriage doors. Furthermore, the TX has a fully aluminium body in order to save weight and improve range, while delivering an extremely safe vehicle.
However, redesigning an icon from the ground up requires consistent thinking from the smallest component upwards, as Ian Carvell, European engineering director at Optimas explains: “Specifying suitable fasteners and bolts to achieve a pioneering vehicle, while minimising the cost to the manufacturer, is a fine balance. That is why at Optimas we involved ourselves from the initial design phase of the TX project, so we could begin rationalising component options from the first preliminary builds. Through this methodology, we could work in tandem with LEVC to tackle the engineering challenges associated with a new vehicle platform.”
Optimas specialises in working in conjunction with manufacturers to recommend, specify and standardise parts that the business supplies for the production of a particular vehicle. The primary goal in most cases is to develop an efficient approach with regards to the specification of components, offering solutions that are already available or can be easily adapted from the Optimas portfolio for a vehicle application. This serves to reduce lead times for parts, which is of the utmost importance in the R&D stage of a vehicle.
Daniel Pereira, UK engineering manager at Optimas and a key proponent of the project, expands: “What we are trying to achieve is increased supply chain simplicity by offering suitable alternative parts that can be delivered to tight deadlines. For example, one of the first hurdles of the project was to ensure that verification prototypes were ready for the winter testing and shakedown season. Missing this window would delay the project by a year, which is unacceptable to LEVC and its investors. Therefore, we utilised parts that were reliable and freely available, or engineered alternatives where there was no stock forthcoming to ensure that LEVC could adhere to its testing schedule.”
Speed of response to component requirements was enabled by Optimas representatives being present at LEVC’s new production facility from day one. By collaborating with LEVC from the beginning of the project, the company was able to provide exact design solutions for a range of complex applications. Familiarity with the demands of the project meant that Optimas could utilise its expertise to tackle specific challenges. Furthermore, the swiftness of response from Optimas meant that the R&D schedule for the TX could be upheld, reassuring investors and granting LEVC more time to tackle further project demands.
“We held weekly ‘fastener clinics’ at three different design consultancies [Ricardo, Envisage and Emerald], so we could keep pace with the changing requirements of LEVC throughout the R&D process,” says Carvell. “Through this regular contact, we were able to actively manage and mature the bill of materials in order to supply parts for various TX prototype stages to tight deadlines, despite the fact that many of the application challenges did not have officially released components. Considering the TX incorporates over 2000 individual parts designed specifically for the project, it was vital we kept regular contact to ensure we could integrate seamlessly with LEVC’s component requirements.”

Pereira adds: “By offering component solutions that were freely available, we were able to avoid the delays caused by sourcing bespoke tooling, the quoting process or incurred via a complex logistics chain, which all serve to threaten demanding deadlines. Furthermore, through this approach we are able to pass reduced costs on to the manufacturer, so that they can utilise budget to maximum effect during what is a capital-intensive process. It’s the size of our portfolio that allows us to offer this versatile approach, which has been fostered through our experience in supplying parts to high-volume and premium vehicle manufacturers alike.”
“The London black cab is instantly recognisable, and an engrained part of automotive culture,” says Carvell. “To be involved in a project of such national importance is of course a great satisfaction. Throughout our involvement, we have tried to aid LEVC in creating an efficient transport icon for the future by smoothing the supply chain, offering ease of specification, reliability and a cost-effective approach.”
Phillip Bracken, procurement director at LEVC, says: “Throughout the prototyping stage of the TX, Optimas has been a dynamic fastener partner who has helped us to achieve application goals to demanding schedules at a competitive cost point. With this proof of expertise, Optimas was the natural choice to bolster our production activities from a fastener standpoint, so we are delighted to grow this partnership to further support our future activities.”
The TX will be introduced to British roads over the course of 2018, with models due to be exported to cities in Europe and Asia. LEVC boasts the capacity to produce 20,000 units at its new £325m production facility. With the help of Optimas, the TX will preserve the ethos of one of the most recognisable vehicles on the roads today.
For further information www.optimas.com

In 2004, three individuals with an extensive range of skills formed ACE Technology. Originally established to serve the motorsport industry, their goal was to offer “best in class” composite manufacturing services. Through a process of continued investment in skills and technology, ACE Technology now employs 50 skilled personnel across two factories in Cambridgeshire.

Motorsport is a demanding sector, requiring fast manufacturing and the flexibility to implement frequent design changes in a short a timeframe. It is therefore vital for organisations to keep ahead in a highly competitive world, extending capabilities to offer complete solutions. ACE has done exactly that, by introducing capabilities that make it a full service supplier, including the design and manufacture of products such as pattern and mould tools, and jigs and fixtures. These capabilities are complemented by four autoclaves and a focus on quality control processes.
As experienced by all engineering companies in this sector, customer demand has its highs and lows. ACE experienced exactly this during the economic crash in 2009, with the major automotive OEMs retracting their investment in the British Touring Car Championship.
Fortunately, due to its blend of competencies, ACE was able to diversify and soon won contracts within the aerospace, defence and communications industries. One significant contract in the latter involved the manufacture of satellite reflectors. Due to the high-accuracy requirements of the reflector shape and the demand for specific RMS value measurements, ACE was convinced to make its first investment in advanced metrology equipment through the acquisition of a portable measuring arm, “which at the time was the only portable solution available as an alternative to a fixed and expensive CMM”, says director Paul Skinner.
Since 2009, ACE has maintained and developed client relationships across several sectors, with the implementation of advanced metrology becoming a fundamental part of business. Combined with this strategy was a desire to offer customers additional services, particularly in the early stages of a design project.
Early project phases often involve 3D laser scanning, a good example being a project where ACE Technology was contracted to ‘composite engineer’ a complete LMP sports racing car. This task required the forward-thinking company to use its experience in the geometric optimisation of composite materials, while working to stringent mass targets and crash testing requirements.

Optimising geometry involves first digitising and capturing the existing design or the existing shapes to re-design within.
“It was during such applications that we realised the portable arm solution is really not so portable,” says Skinner. “Our services often require us to travel across the UK to visit customer facilities, and immediately a large, heavy tripod becomes a concern both logistically and from a health and safety perspective. In addition, mounting an arm inside a vehicle offers two problems: access and, more importantly, the vehicle moves as you enter, hence any datums set are immediately lost and subsequently all data is useless.”
ACE therefore decided to evaluate developments in 3D scanning and consider new portable technology. The project was handed over to Edward Smith, an engineering Intern within ACE Technology.
After assessing two of the major portable arm suppliers and their respective laser line scanners, Smith quickly realised that such solutions still had the same limitations as before, namely, a lack of portability and manoeuvrability around the scan subject. As an alternative, trials were carried out using an optical solution based on the Creaform MetraScan and HandyProbe Elite from Measurement Solutions, and it soon became obvious that this new technology was able to solve the problems previously associated with a measuring arm.
“Having used an early version of the MetraScan at a previous company, I was familiar with the concepts and benefits of the Creaform system compared with traditional measurement arms – such as superior scan speed, manoeuvrability around the subject, and consistent accuracy,” explains Smith. “With the latest developments in the MetraScan, the scan quality of mirror-like surfaces and carbon parts were exceptional.
“We actually had Measurement Solutions come back to visit us twice – we simply couldn’t believe how this system was two or three times faster than everything else we had witnessed,” he adds.

As a result of the trials, it did not take long to make a decision.
“We were seeking a product with a relatively friendly learning curve that several technicians could pick up and use intermittently, sometimes weeks apart,” says Smith.
The VXelements software suite supplied by Measurement Solutions meets these criteria. Previously, during a reverse-engineering process, data was exported and modelled within a SolidWorks plug-in or via another complex third-party point-cloud software. With the introduction of VXmodel software, a live transfer enables surface-ready data and section cuts to immediately appear in SolidWorks for final modelling or design updates.
A previous advantage of a measuring arm was that the design and manufacture of mould tools and fixtures would typically require tactile measurements of datum tooling holes and key critical feature measurements. Retaining this thought, the MetraScan was supplied with the HandyProbe, a hand-held and wireless probing system that enables users to probe features, just like a measuring arm. Both systems work independently as handheld accessories and are tracked by an optical camera system called the C-Track, providing six degrees of freedom over a 16m3 volume.
The HandyProbe dynamically reports a Cartesian co-ordinate of a component or tool datum, which can be used to build tools and set nominal positions or report surface deviations to a nominal CAD file.
Similar approaches used in Formula One and Aerospace tooling utilise either a portable arm and a laser tracker, or a laser tracker with a handheld probing and scanning solution, but both solutions present significant mobility limitations around the scan area. As with any large volume build or inspection, during the measurement ‘line of sight’ must always be maintained between the laser source (tracker) and the probing device. Here, the C-Track solution automatically realigns using the optical cameras, removing all of the complexity and significantly reducing measuring time.
In the coming months, ACE Technology will finalise a new accreditation and supplier compliance for further growth in the aerospace sector as composite components continue to expand their application. In parallel, the company has also recently invested in a high-end Markforged 3D printer to offer fibre-reinforced nylon tooling and components.
“The MetraScan plays a fundamental role in enabling us to adopt this new technology by capturing data from patterns, tooling or final parts that we can quickly convert into files suitable for 3D printing,” says Skinner. “While we can print end-use parts, the technology will be used to print items for use on jigs, templates and fixtures, thereby reducing the time required when developing our various composite production processes.”
Recent examples include jigs for up-issued hole locations on pattern surfaces and/or mould tools, scribing templates to assist the fitters in the trimming of awkward profiles, and fixtures for clamping parts during machining.
“The MetraScan is a key investment to support our ‘Scan2CAD’ initiative over the coming years, and with support from the Measurement Solutions team we are confident that this will play a vital role in our continued and aggressive expansion,” concludes Skinner.
For further information www.measurement-solutions.co.uk

Axiom Product Development Ltd is a new privately-owned company which has recently acquired the trade and assets of FRH Technical Engineering Ltd, a successful machining, rapid prototyping and tooling business based in West Sussex. Through its experience in the engineering sector, Axiom has made a number of key strategic appointments to put in place an expert management team with ambitious plans for expansion.

Frank Hay founded the original FRH business in 1952 as a pattern-making shop. The company remained a family business for three generations with Frank’s grandson, Adrian Hay at the helm for the past 20 years. Following the purchase, Axiom has kept the family connections strong with Tom Hay, great-grandson of the founder becoming a shareholder and production director of the new business.
Axiom Product Development specialises in the design and manufacture of high-quality tooling, patterns, components, manufacturing aids, and jigs and fixtures for the automotive, motorsport, defence, aerospace and marine industries. The company says it provides a quality-assured, technically capable engineering service to its customers. Five Formula One teams are on the Axiom/FRH books, making tooling for the cars’ carbon-fibre bodies. Some of this tooling has even been used to make the Haas F1 Team car, which of course was made on a Haas machine.
Since 1999, the company has been located in a purpose-built 1,200 sq m factory near Chichester, which houses eight Haas high-speed machining centres and a fully equipped toolmaking facility.
“Our first investment was a Haas VF-4,” explains production director Tom Hay. “We took on an experienced machinist who was familiar with a range of machines, but recommended we buy Haas. We haven’t looked back since.”
The company currently has 10 employees, including CAD designers, machinists and experts in prototype tooling.

“We do all of our own CAD modelling,” says Hay. “Also, we do a lot of work designing prototype tooling, which is then sent straight to the Haas control to make the part.”
The company’s most recent investment is a Haas VF-9 vertical machining centre. With a capacity of 2134 x 1016 x 762 mm, the machine provides the flexibility to make full-scale vehicle parts.
Hay explains the difference the Haas machines have made to the business: “In the past six years we’ve added five spindles to the workshop. This has massively increased our capacity and significantly moved us forward in terms of the technology available at our fingertips. We’ve also replaced some of our older machines with Haas. We find them very useable and their speed has made a huge difference, particularly the ‘Super Speed’ machines.”
Axiom’s five Haas Super Speed verticals are equipped with 15,000 rpm spindles, 24+1 side-mount tool changers and high-speed machining capability for extra-fast cornering.
“Using the newer machines, along with Vero software, has cut our large rough-cut cycle times from five hours to just 30 minutes,” states Hay. “And one engraving job has gone from one hour to 10 minutes. It’s an incredible difference.
“Maintenance is so much easier too, as the machines only have one type of lube and the cartridges last a long while,” he adds. “We spend less time maintaining and more time machining.
“We keep buying Haas because they’ve proved to be accurate and reliable. The control is so simple to use that it’s perfect for our apprentices too. Once you can run one machine you can run them all because the control is universal.
“The service we receive has been excellent. We haven’t needed repair work on the newer machines, and the staff are very helpful and quick to answer queries. The salesman and engineers are friendly, and not too pushy as we have found elsewhere. They have a real understanding of the industry and seem to know our requirements better than we do.”
It’s an exciting time for Axiom/FRH, which recently welcomed Alan Rendle-Eames to the team as managing director and shareholder. Rendle-Eames has over 17 years’ experience in the machine engineering sector and was formerly the project manager leading a team of five designers at Formaplex, a specialist machining and composites company. He previously spent 14 years at FRH Technical Engineering and is therefore the ideal person to oversee the running of the business.

Luke Newman has also joined the Axiom management team as technical director and shareholder. Newman is a qualified tool maker with over a decade’s experience in the sector, most recently as technical sales manager at Formaplex, where he specialised in growing the Formula One, automotive, defence, aerospace and energy sector accounts.
Axiom Product Development Ltd was set up by Michael Last and Clive Johnson, who are both experienced CEOs with complementary backgrounds in finance, mergers and acquisitions, engineering and manufacturing.
Last was CEO at Formaplex, where he oversaw a period of successful growth and expansion. He has extensive experience across a broad range of technology-driven businesses in multiple industries.
Johnson, a mechanical engineer by training, has managed and grown a range of businesses, from start-ups through to high-tech manufacturing businesses. He was CEO at Portsmouth-based Magma Structures, builders of the tallest composite superyacht masts in the world.
When asked about the future, Hay says: “It’s all about Haas. We have one non-Haas, but compared with a Haas machine featuring the same bed size, it takes up twice the floor area. We found the Haas machines slot into place very easily, making the best use of available space. We’re delighted with our choice; every product is a reflection of the team behind it and Haas truly excels in all areas.”
For further information www.haas.co.uk

“Some complex mould tools used to take me nearly a week to design. But when we invested in VISI that immediately came down to a couple of days. And it’s even quicker now.”

Those are the words of Mark Chapman, company secretary and mould maker at family-run business Sharnold Ltd. Designing its moulds in VISI, and machining them with tool paths generated by WorkNC, ensures that the tight tolerances required are met first time, every time.
The company was established as a subcontract mould maker in 1957, moving to its current 3500 sq ft premises in Northamptonshire in 1970 with 10 employees. Nowadays it is run by just four people: Maurice Chapman, his two sons Mark and Stephen, and Stephen’s wife Tracy. Maurice bought into the business in 1982, eventually taking sole ownership.
While making tools for plastic injection moulders remains an important part of business, Sharnold set up its own moulding operation in 2000, and now has seven moulding machines – two Boys, two Battenfelds and three Arburgs. The machines mean the company has a locking force of between 22 and 100 tonnes, giving it the ability to supply moulded plastic parts up to 230 g.
Although Sharnold has used WorkNC from Vero Software to machine its moulds for at least 15 years, VISI (also from Vero) is a relatively new investment.

“It’s already proving to be vital for us,” says Mark Chapman. “CAD designers are producing increasingly more complex parts, but VISI gives us the ability to meet those demands quickly and easily. It’s now simple to achieve aspects that we struggled with before. For example, producing split lines is much easier, as is slide generation. VISI has accelerated the whole design process considerably.”
The combination of mould design with VISI, and WorkNC driving a three-axis Hurco VMX machining centre along with a Hurco Hawk and XYZ bed mills, means that everything Sharnold produces is within the required tolerances; sometimes down to ±0.05 mm.
“Every mould we manufacture goes through both software packages,” says Chapman. “Using the Hurco machines and VISI means that in terms of design and cutting the forms, we save at least half the time, and the overall time taken to produce the complete tool is reduced by around a third.”
He says the process begins with the plastic component – whether the company is producing the tool for another moulder, or to run on its own moulding machines.
“A big advantage of VISI is that we can check the model’s integrity before we start,” he says. “It’s got a variety of tools to ensure that all surfaces meet up, because if we’re trying to work with a poorly designed model, the mould tool won’t work.

“I check the features with the draft analysis function, making sure it has relevant draft tapers, and then move on to the design. As VISI has a large library of materials with all their specifications and characteristics, it’s simple to apply shrinkage to the particular plastic I’m working with.”
And he says core and cavity separation is quick and easy, even with varied split lines, as are sliding-block and tricky shot-out areas.
“I make either the fixed half or moving half transparent on-screen, so I can look inside and ensure the faces are touching, and that everything fits and works properly.”
Once he is happy with the split he subtracts the part out of the inserts and establishes the insert size around it. While VISI automatically picks the mould base when the insert and part are complete, he is particularly impressed at the speed and accuracy with which it can be manually tailored if required.
“And when working on multi-cavity tools, VISI lets me literally copy a completed insert into the next position; and when that operation is finished it automatically selects the bolster – and, again, there are manual editing tools if necessary.”
Chapman says the feed-gate generator and library of ejector pins all help to move the design along at a fast pace, while transferring from VISI’s CAD process to WorkNC for CAM is also quick and seamless.
“I put each plate on a different layer, so l have my clamp plate, as well as the fixed-half form plate and moving-half form plate, all saved as individual parts in native VISI files. As WorkNC reads the VISI files, I simply move them across. I can pull a finished plate design out of VISI, and WorkNC is generating tool paths for it within a minute.”

Sharnold’s moulded parts are largely for the automotive, security door, electronics, conveyor belt, licensed trade and airport industries. They include a brewery ‘python’ strap, and a pulley wheel system for a conveyor belt.
Python straps are used for securing pipework leading from pub cellars to the taps on the bar, and comprise reground plastic waste from other manufacturing processes. Once the company had been briefed on the project by Leicestershire-based customer L’isolante K-Flex, Sharnold used VISI to create the mould tool from an existing part that was previously manufactured using a different method.
The contract for the pulley wheel system came about after producing a small clamping block for Axiom GB.
“We made around 5000 parts, which was their first venture into moulding,” explains Chapman. “It was so successful that they asked us to work on the wheels for their conveyor system. We designed the full mould in VISI and transferred the files to WorkNC for machining the bolster, forms and electrodes.”
Overall, Sharnold makes around a dozen mould tools a year, ranging from 75 mm square bolster plates up to 445 mm square, and ships around 40 different moulded products totalling 100,000 piece parts every month.
“Not bad for just the four of us,” says Chapman.
For further information www.visicadcam.com