When Vetech Product Design & Development first opened its doors for business in 1994, the founders of the Buxton-based company exploited their expertise in the garden equipment sector to win business from Bosch. Providing design, consultancy, subcontract manufacture and mould and die tooling, the business has retained Bosch as a core customer while branching into the military, general subcontract, electronic sensor and plastic moulding sectors.

This diversification has been a welcome respite for a company that has noticed a dip in European business during the Brexit process. However, not a business to rest on its laurels, Vetech has applied its expertise to the motorsport sector, converting a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine for use in the Mark I to VII Mini produced from 1959 to 2000. It is here the expertise of CAM developer Open Mind Technologies has come to the fore.
The subcontract company has a plant list that includes manual and CNC machining centres, injection mould machines and test facilities. Part of the acquisition trail includes a Hurco VMX42M and a VMX30Ti machining centre, with the larger VMX42M being retro-fitted with a fourth-axis rotary unit two years ago. Designing and manufacturing complex aluminium mould tools, military sensors and the Hayabusa engine, the previous CADCAM system was struggling to cope.
Commenting upon the situation prior to the arrival of Open Mind’s HyperMill CAM system, Vetech’s senior design engineer Andy Smith says: “Our longstanding CAD package had an integrated CAM system that we were using for all our machining tasks. One day we machined a mid-housing part for our Hayabusa engine and the VMX42M did a rapid traverse between two points, crashing into our fixtures and ruining the spindle. The result was weeks without the machine while we installed a costly new spindle. The lack of collision detection was a major cause for concern. We then programmed a gear selector barrel that proved almost impossible with our old package. We needed to change our CAM software and invited all the leading vendors to present their solutions.”
Being an experienced CADCAM designer and programmer, Smith has knowledge of all major CAM packages, coincidentally being one of the first UK engineers to be trained on HyperMill in the mid-1990s during previous employment at the Hyde Aerospace Group.
“Re-designing and re-manufacturing the Hayabusa 1300 cc engine to fit into a Mini meant we had to re-position the gearbox and add a reverse gear,” he explains. “I gave the gear selector barrel to all the leading CAM vendors and asked them to program it. Open Mind provided the most efficient and productive solution with an intuitive presentation that detailed the benefits of HyperMill over its competitors particularly well. Due to our previous experiences, collision prevention was a critical factor, something Open Mind certainly convinced us of. Furthermore, we needed to achieve faster programming times for our aluminium mould tools; HyperMill was once again streets ahead for mould tool programming.”

Re-engineering the Suzuki Hayabusa engine is undoubtedly an impressive feat of engineering that has genuine purpose. Once the power unit for the world’s fastest production road bike, the Hayabusa engine is a compact and powerful powertrain unit that can fit straight into the classic Mini while offering reliability despite the massive increase in performance. Such reliability is a rarity for any classic car.
The repackaged engine has seen Vetech engineers retain many of the power-producing components of the original Hayabusa. However, the conversion has seen the company add internal final drive gears and a differential, and re-position the gearbox beneath the engine, as well as introduce a fully integrated reverse gear. The engine has been turned back to front. Here, the repackaged engine/transmission has ‘universal’ engine mounts; bespoke mountings have been designed and manufactured for the mini but the engine mounting bosses provided permit easy integration into other vehicles such as the Fiat 500 or Lotus Elise.
Even the most powerful production Mini variant ever only developed 96 bhp, although the vast majority of Minis only offered around 65 bhp or less. An exceptionally highly tuned model can generate upwards of 120-130 bhp, but with very low reliability as a consequence. The Hayabusa engine has a power output of 197 bhp as standard and when re-packaged by Vetech, it weighs just 100 kg. This is a 32% engine weight reduction over the original unit. For those with an inclination for seemingly jet-propelled speed, Vetech also offers a super-charged 300 bhp unit.
During the development phase of the Hayabusa project, Vetech entered the 2016 ‘Fastest Mini in The World’ race at Brands Hatch. Starting in last position on the grid, the power to weight ratio propelled the car to second position in just three laps, only failing to win the race due to a water pump problem.
Programming the 11 core components of the re-modelled engine with HyperMill, Vetech has certainly benefitted from the CAM system, as Smith continues: “Programming and machining the Hayabusa project is not time-critical. What is important for us is the ability to program and machine complex parts with confidence in the collision avoidance system. Open Mind has completely modelled the work envelope into the CAM system with fixtures, machine spindle, tool holders and the Hurco fourth-axis rotary table all factored in. HyperMill stores a complete library of tool holders and tools, so we have 100% confidence in the anti-collision system. From a time-reduction standpoint, we programmed an aluminium mould tool for Hayabusa inlet and exhaust caps. With our previous system it took 20 hours to program and with HyperMill this same tool was completed in less than 10 hours.”
The upper housing of the engine consists of seven individual set-ups. With its previous CAM package, Vetech could not carry the stock model from one process to the next.
“Without the ability to carry the stock model forward to the next set-up, we would have to manually jog through the cycle on each set-up to minimise non-cutting times or run the program and wait for the tool path to finish ‘fresh-air’ cutting,“ says Smith. “The stock model feature within HyperMill eliminates fresh-air cutting and enables us to maximise machine utilisation at every set-up. This makes huge savings on complex parts with multiple set-ups.”
With over 60% of Vetech work consisting of aluminium mould tool production, the manufacturer programs the cores and cavities with HyperMill and simultaneously machines the two mating tool components overnight on the two Hurco machining centres.

To reduce lead-times, Vetech has invested in two HyperMIll seats, so one team member can program the core, while another programs the cavity. “We undertake prototype design, development and testing work on lawnmowers and there is often an urgency to respond to the customer. In most cases, we are expected to design, program and manufacture the mould tool [cavity and core] and then mould the plastic prototypes and conduct thermal and stress tests within 3-4 days. To achieve this, our programming and machining times have to be extremely efficient.”
For further information www.openmind-tech.com

Hailsham-based subcontractor, Dicker Precision, has decided to move its prismatic machining capability forward with the purchase of its first five-axis, vertical machining centre (VMC). The German-built Spinner U620 Compact was supplied as a turnkey package with tooling, the initial part program and training by UK and Ireland agent, Whitehouse Machine Tools.

Deputy systems manager Brandon Love, son of the subcontractor’s second-generation managing director, Mark, explained the reason for buying the machine in January 2018, and why the firm opted for a model capable of interpolating four of the five CNC axes simultaneously, rather than all of them: “The investment was triggered about a year ago by one of our existing customers asking for nine variants of a pump housing to be machined from solid 316 stainless steel. Some features have tight tolerances, such as 30 µm on hole diameter and 20 µm on position.
“We started off machining them on a three-axis VMC using indexable-insert boring bars, high-speed steel rippers and various other tooling, including taps,” he continues. “It took four hours to complete each housing in five operations. Quite frankly, we were finding it difficult to make any profit on the contract.
“However, unlike the other stainless steel pump housings we manufacture for this customer, which are produced from castings that need to rest before operations to relieve internal stresses, the latest components are produced from billet, so we realised we could machine them in two operations.”
To make this a reality and improve the economy of production, either a five-axis VMC or a four-axis horizontal machining centre was needed, and both were considered. The vertical-spindle route was chosen due to the greater versatility that it offered for future contracts, as well as the smaller footprint for a given working volume. In this respect, the Spinner machine has a good ratio.
Luckily, the quantity of the new pump housings climbed during last year to between 20 and 40 per month, which justified the purchase of the new machine. Dicker Precision already had experience of working with Whitehouse Machine Tools, which had delivered an Italian-built Biglia twin-spindle CNC bar automatic lathe with two Y-axis turrets to streamline the production of a family of aluminium switch cover assemblies.
“Whitehouse provides a turnkey solution; they do everything for you, whereas some suppliers just deliver a machine and you’re lucky if they tell you how to turn it on and off,” says Love. “We looked at various options, but the positive experience with the Biglia lathe package prompted us to return to the same source for the five-axis machining centre.

“Whitehouse did a time study on the first part, wrote the program and advised that the job could be done twice as fast with solid carbide end mills rather than indexable-insert tooling – in two hours rather than four, including handling,” he adds.
“Feeds and speeds were optimised; they recommended that threads be milled rather than tapped to avoid the risk of tap breakage, machine downtime and scrapped components, and offered to set up the job and train us, which was important as it was our first five-axis machine.”
The U620 Compact was producing the pump housings within two days of arriving on the shop floor. Based on the machine’s hourly rate, halving the cycle time results in £200 being saved on the production of each component. Admittedly, £60 was spent on carbide inserts for each part, whereas the tooling cost is double using solid carbide, but nevertheless the reduction in manufacturing cost is considerable and will help to amortise the cost of the machine quickly.
It should be pointed out that the savings described are gained only from Op 1, on the top of the housing; a three-axis VMC being retained for the simpler, 15-minute Op 2 on the reverse.
Unsurprisingly, owing to the reduction in the number of operations, lead-time from start of production to delivery of a batch is down from one and a half weeks to three days, with two days the aim. Another big advantage is the repeatability of the process, which is largely down to the rigidity of the Spinner machine and the absence of tolerance build-up.
Greater precision has elicited a comment from the customer that the current components are of significantly better quality. All housings delivered were within tolerance before, but some might have been near the top or bottom limit, causing niggles during pump assembly. Now, dimensions are all close to the centre of the tolerance bands, making life easier for the customer.
As to the choice of a 4+1-axis version of the U620 Compact, where one of the rotational axes is positional, rather than capable of being interpolated with the other four, Love explains: “One factor was that the 4+1-axis machine costs around 15% less than the full five-axis version. In any case, we are currently using ours in 3+2-axis mode to manufacture the pump housings.
“That will soon change, however, as we are planning to introduce a two-minute chamfering routine into the Op 1 cycle, which will require simultaneous movement of four axes,” he continues. “It will eliminate hand deburring after machining, saving up to 10 minutes per part and the consequent labour cost, as well as avoiding the variability of manual processing. We also intend to introduce in-cycle chamfering during Op 2 on the three-axis machine.”

The latest pump housing contract occupies the Spinner for half of its time over a single day shift, so there is spare capacity. The next job is already lined up for the machine – an aluminium pneumatic block for the automotive industry that requires five-sided machining. Similar jobs have been done in the past by Dicker Precision but it has been difficult to hit the price asked. That will be no problem using the five-axis machine, according to Love.
He concludes: “More and more jobs these days have tighter tolerances and require a higher standard of surface finish. Machines like the Spinner help us to achieve those specifications. Moreover, the reduction in handling resulting from automatic part repositioning on the five-axis machine means that an operator can look after a three-axis machine as well, reducing costs further.”
For further information www.wmtcnc.com

A recognised manufacturer of barfeed systems for CNC lathes, Milton Keynes-based Hydrafeed is also a subcontract machinist for the aerospace, special purpose machinery and tobacco machinery sectors. To meet the machining demands of both sides of its business, the company has extensive machine shop capacity, ranging from manual machines through to CNC machining and turning centres. Sitting central to this capacity are four XYZ ProtoTrak-controlled machines.

Hydrafeed has been in operation for almost 50 years as a family-owned business with current managing director Martyn Page joining the company as a toolmaker 35 years ago. In 2012, along with his wife and son, he took the opportunity to buy Hydrafeed and maintain that family-owned tradition. Along the way, the barfeed element of the business has grown, with around one unit per day being dispatched. In addition, robotic automation for machine tools is now part of the Hydrafeed portfolio.
The company’s barfeed systems are sold mainly through OEM machine tool suppliers, such as XYZ Machine Tools. However, the resulting ongoing investment in machining capacity to meet the needs of barfeed production, meant that machines were sometimes underused. With this in mind, Hydrafeed expanded its operations to offer a subcontract machining service.
“Our subcontract work is tightly controlled and we manage the type of business we take on quite closely; focussing on regular customers with none of them dominating our capacity – the old 80/20 rule applies here,” explains Page. “Over the years we have continued to invest in machining technology, but like many, we have faced the skills challenge. Helping to overcome that are the four XYZ machines, which sit perfectly between our manual capacity and our CNC machining and turning centres. The ProtoTrak controls on the XYZ mills and lathes are straightforward to use and we have been very pleased with them. They are perfect for one-offs and smaller batch work.”

The XYZ machines installed at Hydrafeed are an SLX355 ProTurn lathe, an SLX 1630 ProTurn lathe and two SMX 2000 ProtoTrak turret mills. All four feature the ProtoTrak conversational control system, which is said to be notable for its ease of use. According to XYZ, operators who are new to CNC can be programming fairly complex parts with just a few hours of tuition.
On the SMX 2000 turret mill, the control is available as either a two- or three-axis system, with canned cycles to produce features such as various shaped pockets (including pockets with islands), thread milling, bolt-hole patterns, drilling, tapping and boring. ProtoTrak SMX also features its novel ‘guess’ button. If a dimension is missing from the drawing, the user can simply estimate the approximate position of a point or intersection, press the ‘guess’ button, and the control performs the calculation. Further advantages include 3D surfacing with on-board DNC, and the capability to handle virtually unlimited program size.
For its ProTurn lathes, XYZ uses the SLX variant of the ProtoTrak control, which also has many benefits in relation to ease of use. As with the mills, the control allows both manual and full CNC operation, with a key feature being the ‘Traking’ facility that is standard on all XYZ ProTurn lathes. Traking is one of a number of ways that the ProtoTrak control allows the verification of a program. Using this feature, the operator can work through the program using the two hand wheels. Traking can be used in such a way to go through the entire program or, up to a point where the operator is confident to stop the feature and press cycle start. Traking can be re-engaged at any time during the cycle. In addition to conversational, at-machine programming, which is said to allow even complex parts to be programmed in a matter of a few minutes, CAD drawings can be converted into programs using the optional on-board DXF file converter.

“Our sub-contract work continues to grow, and we occasionally need to call on others to help with over-capacity issues,” concludes Page. “This is where the value of our customer/supplier relationship with XYZ Machine Tools comes in. Talking with our XYZ area sales manager, he was able to point us in the direction of another XYZ customer, DJM Engineering, who had similar machines and skill sets to Hydrafeed, and this gave us the confidence to place work with them in the knowledge that they could maintain the delivery and quality which we expected. This is a great example of networking between businesses with similar work ethics to ourselves: being good at what we do and enjoying it at the same time.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Based in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, R&D Leverage provides technical solutions to the European plastic packaging industry. The busy company serves a wide range of demanding sectors, including the food and beverage, medical, cosmetics, household and personal care markets.
The work of R&D Leverage UK, together with that of R&D Leverage USA, has enabled the business to develop into one of the foremost providers of quality tooling for the world’s packaging industries. At its UK plant, the company produces single-stage, injection stretch blow mould (ISBM) tooling for PET containers.

Certified to BS EN ISO 9001:2000, R&D Leverage UK is equipped with a range of innovative design, production and inspection aids that help ensure the delivery of on-time, on-budget moulds. For instance, the company’s machine tools are used to deliver the quality and accuracy required by customers. Indeed, R&D Leverage UK believes that purchasing the best available, most productive machines provides the levels of efficiency that enables it to compete in what is a fiercely competitive sector. This philosophy is reflected in the company’s most recently installed machine, a Studer S31 cylindrical grinder from Micronz, the second such model on site.
Having been delighted with the performance of the company’s first Studer S31, ever-increasing demand for the company’s moulds recently prompted the purchase of a second machine from the Swiss manufacturer.
R&D Leverage UK’s managing director Alan Tolley says: “From our high-tech Sutton-in-Ashfield plant we are a complete solution provider for a wide range of packaging sectors across Europe and beyond. We’ve established an excellent reputation for the reliability of our products and for our use of the best available technology. When investing in machine tools, our aim is to maintain high quality standards and, mindful of our constant quest for further efficiencies, to enable the manufacture of our moulds to be achieved faster than before.
“Before purchasing our first Studer S31 grinder we searched for a machine that would satisfy both our quality and our efficiency requirements,” he continues. “Having witnessed demonstrations of several suitable machines, we decided that the Studer S31 ticked all of our boxes. We specified the machine to match our exact needs and, given the good reputation of the Studer brand, we were pleasantly surprised that the supplied quote was very close to the cost of other, less capable grinders.
“Following its installation, the ease of use of our first Studer grinder meant that it was soon turning-out the promised volumes of ground components with excellent dimensional and surface-finish characteristics. Since this time, the grinder has maintained it impressive performance and has proven to be extremely reliable.
“When demand for ground parts recently increased further, our positive experience with the first S31 and the excellent service we received from Studer UK agent Micronz, meant that we remained loyal to the brand. Once again, we were able to work closely with Mark Maurice, the owner of Micronz to specify a Studer S31 grinder that matched our evolving needs. Now fully operational, our new S31 is today producing the expected high volumes of premium quality ground components and has removed the potential for bottlenecks in our grinding department.”

The compact Studer S31 CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine, as purchased by R&D Leverage, is designed for the grinding of medium-sized workpieces with external and internal grinding in a single clamping. S31 grinders are able to grind workpieces in 1-off, as well as small and large batch production runs. Furthermore, the S31 can be adapted precisely to the demands placed on it; flexibility that is said to guarantee an optimal price-to-performance ratio.
Offering the ability to machine workpieces with a maximum weight of 80/120 kg, Studer’s S31 has distances between centres of 650/1000 mm, a centre height of 175 mm and
a grinding wheel diameter of
500 mm.
The machine’s solid Granitan base forms the bed of a cylindrical grinding machine that is equipped with quality components. In addition, the material structure developed by Studer, which has proven its quality over many years, is produced at the company’s own plant in Thun, Switzerland. The good cushioning behaviour of the S31’s machine base ensures surface quality of the ground workpieces and an increased service life of grinding wheels, further reducing downtime.
Studer’s S31 has a full enclosure that allows the use of emulsions or oils as cooling lubricants, while two large sliding doors provide operators with easy access. For automated, 24-hour running, handling devices can be connected via the machine’s defined loader interface.
The S31’s longitudinal and cross slides, as well as the V and flat guideways, have a non-abrasive Granitan S200 coating and are moulded directly into the machine base. These guideways offer precision throughout the machine’s entire speed range, along with with high load capacity.
A swivelling wheel-head enables the external, internal and form grinding of workpieces in a single clamping. Furthermore, the wheel-head is equipped with a water-cooled, maintenance-free motor-spindle mounted on roller bearings, featuring infinitely variable speed control. External grinding wheels with a diameter of 500 mm and a width of 63 mm are fitted to the shaft ends. High-frequency spindles with an external diameter of 120 mm are used for internal grinding.
The S31 also features a frequency-controlled, motor-driven grinding spindle for external and internal operations, while the machine’s C-axis work-head enables form and thread grinding.
Studer’s grinding software, with its ‘pictogramming’, allows less experienced users to quickly optimise the full potential of the S31. StuderGrind software is also available, enabling programming of special applications, such as form and thread grinding.
For further information www.micronz.co.uk

Steinel Normalien AG, a specialist manufacturer of cylinders, guides, springs, plates and die sets for the tool-making, stamping and forming industries, imposes the most rigorous precision requirements upon its manufacturing department. When the company introduced a new mill-turn centre, this manufacturer of pneumatic spring and composite systems was intent on streamlining its work-holding processes, so the 150 employee company sought its solution from Hainbuch.

Steinel was aiming to significantly reduce its set-up and throughput times, but the company with 25,000 different stock items and catalogue products recognised that it was not as flexible as desired. The company exerted significant time and effort with changeovers from jaw chucks to other clamping devices, however, thanks to Hainbuch, these times are now gone for good.
The combination of a new mill-turn centre, new clamping devices from Hainbuch and new machining strategies have increased manufacturing flexibility significantly. Now, a wider variety of parts can be machined and many processes eliminated, while three previous machine tools have been replaced with just one. The two men responsible for the project, Michael Tresselt, head of process development and James Hepfer, shift supervisor, recognised that the machining concept needed a rethink.
“With the new turning concept we wanted to achieve higher flexibility and optimise the set-up procedure. In order to quickly change the clamping devices on the new mill-turn centre, quick change-over systems were required. We carefully examined several system suppliers and their clamping solutions.”
Thomas Helfer, a Hainbuch sales representative, made a routine visit to Steinel and both men were very satisfied with the clamping devices and clamping heads from Hainbuch, which were already in use at Steinel. This larger project required a significant investment, and both Tresselt and Hepfer were not 100% convinced by the solutions they had seen previously. Competition was narrowed down to two suppliers, as Tresselt reports: “We then prepared an evaluation matrix of the available quick change-over systems. After a more precise test, Hainbuch’s flexible and highly accurate clamping devices convinced us. In particular, Hainbuch scored high with its insensitivity to contamination and repeatability.”
Hepfer explains the difference between the two leading change-over systems: “With Hainbuch’s competitor, the system works with a pull action. In comparison, the Hainbuch system does require screw turning, but the clamping device is more accurate and rigid. There are only six screws and they only need to be loosened slightly, which is why the procedure takes almost no time. The competing product has problems with its contamination sensitivity. Even if tiny dust particles get in the system, accuracy and rigidity suffer. The Centrotex interface from Hainbuch completely convinced us.”

Tresselt adds: “For change-over accuracy, Hainbuch provides 2 µm precision, while the competition specifies 0.01 mm. This difference is of absolute importance as our workpieces have strict parameters that we must keep. Moreover, with Hainbuch we get everything from a single source. With the Centrotex quick change-over system on the main and sub-spindle, we use a hexagonal Toplus chuck size 100 and a size 260 jaw chuck. This makes us extremely flexible and everything is interchangeable.”
With Hainbuch, Villingen-Schwenningen-based Steinel has certainly adopted the right clamping devices and impeccable level of accuracy for the high-precision manufacture of its guides and pneumatic springs. In addition, cube cast parts that require interrupted machining can also be machined on the new turn-mill centre. These parts were previously manufactured on two other machines using a time-consuming jaw-chuck process. Hepfer recalls: “The parts were turned and then milled, which obviously required two set-ups. Hainbuch recommended a mandrel for this clamping situation and we gave them a sample part for a turning trial.”
Tresselt adds: “We were not sure whether with the Mando mandrel would deliver on what Hainbuch promised. But we were surprised at how tightly, rigidly and accurately the mandrel performed. We now save one operation, as well as the change-over time. This significantly shortens throughput times, while parts can also be machined very easily thanks to the minimal interference contour of the mandrel. We like the Mando system a lot and now we are even considering what other workpieces we can clamp with the mandrel.”
Steinel places a high priority on flexibility because batch sizes for the standard cast parts and pneumatic springs are small. However, with the new concept, Steinel wants to further reduce batch sizes in order to respond more effectively and with greater flexibility to customer requests.
Tresselt says: “When the new programs run at their optimal level on the machine, we will further reduce the batch sizes. Now, with the new clamping devices, we are saving over 60 minutes every day. There is still space to improve. For our employees, the handling with the new clamping devices works perfectly. We have also purchased the compatible Monteq changing fixture and two storage containers. This ensures everything is cleaned-up and on hand for our employees.”

Service is the highest priority for Tresselt and regarding the support from Helfer, Tresselt concludes: “If we have a problem, we can count on Hainbuch. Moreover, Hainbuch provides us with free parts to run our trials. This cannot be taken for granted. Before we make a decision and place an order, we like to check and test everything. Now, we are re-ordering the same Hainbuch clamping devices for two other machines with bar loaders and Hainbuch is certainly our first port of call in the future.”
For further information www.hainbuch.com