Founded in 2015, Coventry-based Vigour Ltd has grown from a single five-axis machining centre into a specialist manufacturer of complex, tight-tolerance components. From the outset, the company has relied on Open Mind’s hyperMILL CAM software to support its demanding work.
Founder and managing director Ashley Hatton identified an opportunity to differentiate Vigour by adopting five-axis machining and CADCAM from day one, at a time when much of the subcontract market remained focused on three-axis machining and programming at the machine control. The company now operates four full five-axis machines, including three automated DMG Mori eVo 50 models.
Hatton had previously used hyperMILL during his career in Formula 1 and chose the software for its reliability, robustness and fast calculation times. “My business is built around hyperMILL; it’s been a pillar of success for the company,” he says.
A key benefit is Vigour’s ability to program while machines are cutting. Hatton typically programs the initial roughing operations in around 15 minutes, allowing the machine to start cutting while he develops subsequent roughing and finishing strategies. This approach maximises spindle utilisation and minimises machine downtime.
Confidence in hyperMILL’s simulation is central to the process. “There’s no single-blocking or prove-outs anymore,” says Hatton. “We run the simulation in the software. Once it’s gone through that with no collisions, it’s on the machine and running.”
Vigour specialises in components that demand difficult machining, challenging materials and complex geometry. Its recent work includes MAR-M247 turbine wheels and complex 17-4PH H900 compressor wheels for micro gas turbine applications. These rotating assemblies require shaft-to-wheel runout of less than 5 µm across the complete assembly, demonstrating the precision achievable through Vigour’s five-axis and hyperMILL-based approach.
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